Top 15 Best Colored Pencils for Professional Artists in 2024

If you are an experienced artist, choosing colored pencils will largely depend on the purpose of your task and your favorites. My best colored pencils for professional artists reviews in this article will be helpful for you in the process of finding the best ones for your drawing projects.

To be a professional artist, surely you need to own your individual various and quality colored pencils. However, in some cases, it may depend on the paper material you are drawing to get suitable colored pencils.

You can find a lot of this product quickly, but it’s not easy to choose which one is an excellent product. Let’s read it now!

Oil-Based Vs. Wax-Based Pencils Comparison

The pencils of the best colored pencils for professional artists are usually made of two binder types, oil core vs. wax core. I came up with the features of each to help you choose what you like!

Oil-Based Pencils

The first is about the price. Perhaps this is a special pencil for artists, so its price is also much higher than the normal ones. And It is not easy to find out in a normal store.

Second, the advantages of oil-based pencils. They have pretty unique to draw application colors creatively. Besides, thanks to the harder core, it will be very durable to be able to sharpen for beautiful drawing in intricate areas.

Besides, you should use more pigment to obtain the intensity the artist wants.

However, it is also easy to make your picture smear, so you need to be careful when using it.

Wax-Based Pencils

Wax-based pencils are popular for most people, and you can buy them from any store that sells colored pencils. In addition, it is also cheaper and has a broader range of colors, shapes and sizes to choose from than oil-based pencils.

Besides, they can be easier to erase and lighter than oil-based ones. Wax bloom, however, may be a problem, particularly when some sort of fixative isn’t applied. Most people use it in heavy layers and need darker colors.

However, one feature that is easy to recognize is wax-based pencils wear out quickly and break easily.

I highly recommend a video about the most vivid difference when using wax-based and oil-based coloured pencils to see. Besides, there are many useful tips to help your painting ideas.

Which Are The Best Colored Pencils for Professional Artists To Buy?

I have made a list of the best colored pencils for professional artists reviews based on my experience using many types of colored pencils. I hope you can reference them!

• Best for Drawing Art: ARTEZA 72 Soft Wax-Based Cores Colored Pencils
  “In Arteza’s Tin Box, there are 72 vibrant artist pencils, which ideal for your drawing art projects.”
• Best for Sketching: Art-n-Fly 48 Oil Based Colored Pencils
  “Art-n-Fly 48 oil based colored pencils for professional artists with soft and thick cores is great for you to sketch.”
• Best for Unique Lines: Faber Castell 120 Watercolor Colored Pencils
  “By dipping the pencil lead into water, Faber Castell 120 watercolor colored pencils will be perfect when drawing for unique lines.”
• Best for Coloring Books: Castle Art Supplies 120 Colored Pencils
  “To look for a professional colored pencil set for coloring books, this is an expert for layering, blending, and shading thanks to the soft series core.”
• Best for Shadows: Prismacolor 150 Soft Core Colored Pencils
  “If you need a colored pencil set that can create for shadows specially, Prismacolor 150 soft core ones will be a companion to you.”
• Best for Expressive Drawings: Derwent 24 Inktense Ink Colored Pencils
  “In case you require a perfect colored pencil set for expressive drawings, don’t miss 24 inktense ink colored pencils for professional artists of Derwent.”
• Best for Shading: Creative Art Materials 120 Colored Pencils
  “Your art project will be excellent when creating more shading for it. 120 colored pencils for professional artists from Creative Art Materials Brand will help you do that.”
• Best for Detailed Drawings: Derwent 72 Watercolour Colored Pencils
  “With the 3.4mm core and hexagonal barrel, this colored pencil set will help you get greater precision for detailed drawings.”
• Best for Realistic Drawing: Stabilo Carbothello 60 Colored Pencils
  “To paint your drawings realistic, Stabilo Carbothello 60 colored pencils for professional artists is a perfect choice!”
• Best for Blending: Prismacolor 36 Colored Pencils
  “Thanks to 0.25-inch soft core, Prismacolor 36 colored pencils are perfect for blending.”
• Best for Layering Techniques: Derwent Lightfast 36 Colored Pencils
  “The core sharpens of these colored pencils to a long-lasting point, so they are great for layering techniques.”
• Best for Graphics: Lyra 72 Colored Pencils
  “Lyra 72 colored pencils are reliable to use for graphics by professional artists.”
• Best for Portraits: Caran D’ache Luminance 40 Colored Pencils
  “Colors of Caran D’ache set are so natural, so they are ideal for skin or portraits.”
• Best Budget: Prang 50 Colored Pencils
  “If you are looking for a professional colored pencil set and affordable price, Prang 50 colored pencils are the best for you.”
• Best Overall: Sela Art 54 Colored Pencils
  “With the full range of pencils needed to create a masterpiece of art, Sela Art-54 pcs professional art pencil set is the best overall of this list.”

Colored Pencils for Professional Artists Comparison Chart 2023

This is a chart that compares the different primary elements of the best colored pencils for professional artists. You can take a quick look here!

Top 15 Best Colored Pencils for Professional Artists Reviews in 2023

There are the top 15 best colored pencils for professional artists reviews I have analyzed and thoroughly investigated for you. Let’s read on it!

1. ARTEZA 72 Soft Wax-Based Cores Colored Pencils

(Best for Drawing Art)

If you want to own a set of professional colored pencils, but you can’t afford to buy at famous brands like Prismacolor, ARTEZA 72 Colored Pencils is a perfect fit for you at a price that cannot be cheaper.

These colored pencils have soft wax-based cores and can dissolve in water to create magical colors.

Arteza is a new brand in the field of producing colored pencils. Thus, they have invested in product quality along with the most competitive prices to gain a foothold in the market. Why don’t you try a new type of colored pencils?

If you use it in dry form, these pencils are a little harder than Prismacolor. Moreover, they are also great for making layers, mixes, and gradients.

Another thing worth your attention is their leads. Thanks to rich pigment, colors become so bright and shining.

Key Features:

• All of the pencils are numbered with clear color printing to identify colors quickly and easily
• This set owns a list of saturated colors
• Barrels are robust so that you can use them durable
• There have soft, break-resistant cores
• They are set in a double-hinged metal storage tin

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	9 x 1 x 7.7 inches
Weight	1.85 pounds
Lead Thickness	4mm
Core Material	Soft Wax-Based Cores
Count	72
Brand	ARTEZA

The video below is a review and a detailed demo of ARTEZA 72 Soft Wax-Based Cores Colored Pencils For Professional. You can watch it now!

2. Art-n-Fly 48 Oil Based Colored Pencils

(Best for Sketching)

This set includes 48 professional oil based colored pencils. I guarantee that if you’ve ever used oil-based colored pencils, you can’t help but know the Art-n-Fly brand. They can help you draw in a point correctly with sharpness and hard cores.

With 48 vibrant shades and high lightfastness level, you absolutely can create any vivid idea you think of gorgeously and lively. Besides, they come with a chic cylinder and a color chart.

Their blending and layering are so beautiful with other media like markers and pens. Therefore, the result of Art-n-Fly versatile colored pencils can produce is your realistic and fan art anime drawings.

In particular, thanks to the hard and fixed pencil leads, you will really enjoy using them.

Key Features:

• High-quality oil core and many pigments
• They are soft and thick cores, which are suitable for drawing shading and coloring
• Smooth color
• Diverse colors to choose (including 48 colors)
• Most pencils are high lightfast
• Leads resist cracking and chipping due to their thickness and robustness

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	6.8 x 0.7 x 6.8 inches
Weight	11.4 ounces
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Oil-Based Cores
Count	48
Brand	Art-n-Fly

Take a look and see detailed reviews of 48 Professional Oil Based Colored Pencils For Artists via this video!

3. Faber Castell 120 Watercolor Colored Pencils

(Best for Unique Lines)

I firmly believe that any professional artist knows Albrecht Durer colored pencils. They are considered as one of the best-colored pencil sets to use thanks to their quality and great features.

The leads are resistant to breakage and water-soluble, so they can make sharp fine lines and excellent point retention.

In addition, vibrant colors are simple to blend in water and become permanent later. However, they also depend on the type of paper you use.

With high-quality materials and over 250 years of experience, this brand has really captured the faith of professional artists. What are you still hesitant to own Albrecht Durer 120 Watercolor Pencil Set Tin right now?

Key Features:

• Pigments dissolve when brushed into water
• This set contains 120 Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils
• Their pigmented leads are high with SV-bonded to resist breakage
• The colors laydown is smooth to paint

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	12.6 x 8.3 x 1 inches
Weight	1.54 pounds
Lead Thickness	3.3mm
Core Material	Watercolor
Count	120
Brand	Faber Castell

If you want to see Faber Castell 120 Watercolor Colored Pencils For Professional Artists from unboxing to the feel about colored pencils after drawing, click the video right now!

4. Castle Art Supplies 120 Colored Pencils

(Best for Coloring Books)

Castle Art Supplies is a manufacturer that listens to its customers by designing a new colored pencil set of up to 120 pcs. Therefore, artists are free to be creative without being limited by color.

With a sophisticated design, colored pencils are numbered for easy identification. This set has added 48 new shapes, so you are easily confused by the newly used colors. They have printed on each of the numbers pencils so that you remember and avoid wasting time identifying the same colors in the box.

Besides, this set has changed the quality of some products comparing to the old version, but not all. Firstly, the centered cores are durable and can break. Secondly, the packaging is made of tin to protect colored pencils on the go and convenient storage.

Moreover, they provide to you sharpened tips to hold their shape for those more excellent touches and detailed work. Premium Basswood rounded barrel helps you sharpen simple and effortlessly.

Key Features:

• Including up to 120 psc ‘Soft Series’ in one set with 48 new shades for you to create
• Number on the pencil for easy identification
• Firmly centered cores are not easily broken
• Highly pigmented colors to blend more beautiful
• The tin box looks very nice and convenient for safe-keeping in transit

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	14.2 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches
Weight	2.58 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Soft Cores
Count	120
Brand	Castle Art Supplies

You can see the most realistic picture of Castle Art Supplies 120 colored pencils for professional artists through the video below!

5. Prismacolor 150 Soft Core Colored Pencils

(Best for Shadows)

With a set of colored pencils up to 150 vibrant colors, it seems that you can create your entire painting world.

The creamy and thick cores are one of the essential factors when artists choose pencils. This helps you blend well, layer smoothly, and reduce breakage.

Besides, these colored pencils can blend and shade to create your unique shades. They are also funny when you show your talent for drawing in adult coloring book pencils.

Finally, with over 75 experience in developing art products, Prismacolor colored pencils are worth your trust and choice!

Key Features:

• The cores are both soft and thick, so great for shading and shadows
• Rich saturated pigments and high lightfast
• Super smooth quality
• The leads are thick, not easy to break, and best for adult coloring books
• It has up to 150 premium psc in one set

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	1.6 x 16.8 x 8.4 inches
Weight	2.94 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Soft Cores
Count	150
Brand	Prismacolor

Let’s see the overview of a new Prismacolor 150 Soft Core colored pencils for professional artists set in here!

6. Derwent 24 Inktense Ink Colored Pencils

(Best for Expressive Drawings)

If you are looking for a colored pencil set for professional artists with a sufficient number of colors and reasonable prices, Derwent 24 Inktense Ink colored pencils are great for you.

With the famous Derwent brand not only known to the artists of the United Kingdom but also all over the world, you can count on the quality of each colored pencil in this box.

These crayons are used both in a dry and wet state. You can dissolve it with water or use it when it’s dry for expressive, bold drawings, or washed out with water to create a bright, and translucent ink-like effect.

In particular, even though you draw in wet, their colors are still permanent and vibrant when dry, and keep in long-lasting. Plus, due to the lasting drying of pigments, you can use it on any surface such as silk, cotton, etc.

Key Features:

• Soft lead faults with thickness up to 4mm are perfect for bold, expressive drawings
• The highly pigmented color makes your drawings very vivid
• You can dissolve them in water for use and blend
• Pigments dry quickly and permanently after washing out, so you can rest assured using on such fabrics as silk or cotton

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	9.3 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
Weight	13.4 ounces
Lead Thickness	4mm
Core Material	Inktense Ink Pencils
Count	24
Brand	Derwent

You can watch video painting dolphin by Derwent 24 Inktense Ink colored pencils for professional artists through this video!

7. Creative Art Materials 120 Colored Pencils

(Best for Shading)

The Caran D’ache Pablo colored pencils is a famous set of a Swiss company. These pencils have features like a watercolor pencil hybrid.

The diameter of the core is 3.8mm, so it is so strong without fear of chipping. Besides, you can sharpen the lead to a very fine point, which is excellent for detailed drawings.

The buttery is quite smooth, and the wax core can cover most wax bloom. However, you need to paint two to three times to achieve the desired color intensity.

Key Features:

• They are made of creamy, soft, and water-resistant
• It has up to 120 psc in one set
• It is excellent for shading
• The leads are so dày (3.7mm)
• They cover well and has a superb lightfastness

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	14.3 x 8.1 x 2.2 inches
Weight	3.48 pounds
Lead Thickness	3.7mm
Core Material	Creamy – soft – water-resistant Cores
Count	120
Brand	Creative Art Materials

This is a video for you to look at an overview of Caran d’Ache Pablo Colored Pencil Set. Let’s see it now!

8. Derwent 72 WaterColour Colored Pencils

(Best for Detailed Drawings)

The Derwent is a famous brand that produces quality watercolor pencils for all levels. Derwent 72 watercolor, colored pencils for professional artists, is also one of them.

Its soft wax cores help you blend and layer colors well. Moreover, the diameter of corn is 3.4mm and has a 6.9mm hexagonal barrel coverage.

With an acceptable price for 72 quality pieces, you should invest in your professional painting career one set like that to unleash your creative masterpieces.

Key Features:

• Easy to sharpen
• The cores are so hard with 3.4mm and hexagonal barrel, comfortable for you to paint without fear of broken lead
• The pigment can transfer to the paper quickly
• The pigment is not permanent, so you need to add water to move and adjust colors, even after it has dried

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	16.9 x 1.9 x 9.5inches
Weight	3.09 pounds
Lead Thickness	3.4mm
Core Material	Watercolour Cores
Count	72
Brand	Derwent

See more about 72 WaterColour colored pencils of Derwent with the video below:

9. Stabilo Carbothello 60 Colored Pencils

(Best for Realistic Drawing)

These colored pencils of Stabilo CarbOthello include 60 vibrant chalk-pastel ones. With this type of pencils, you should blend in dry or smudge them by either fingertips or a blending stump to gain a variety of artistic effects.

If you need to color on dark backgrounds and delicate papers, these chalk-pastel pencils are great for your tasks.

Besides, the pigments also create the right colors when using a brush and water. These premium chalk-pastels owns high pigmentation and excellent light-fastness. Therefore, they are perfect for use on thin paper and strong color gradations in application.

Primarily, they are non-toxic, blendable, light-resistant, and shatterproof as well. Overall, these chalk-pastel pencils are available for artists with unexpected creativity.

Key Features:

• This set includes 60 colors in various shades
• They feel like charcoal when using
• You can blend and smudge them together, partially aquarelle
• The pigmented colors are high
• You can use it in the wet or dry state
• The thickness of the diameter, lead diameter up to 4.4mm

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	13.2 x 8.1 x 1.4 inches
Weight	1.79 pounds
Lead Thickness	4.4mm
Core Material	Chalk-pastel Pencils
Count	60
Brand	Stabilo

In this video, you will see an honest review of 60 Stabilo Carbothello colored pencils box and how you can look them on different types of paper. Let’s see now!

10. Prismacolor 36 Colored Pencils

(Best for Blending)

This is another special colored pencils set for professional artists of Prismacolor. They include 36 packs of art stix woodless colored pencils.

When using these colored pencils, they will make you feel smooth with thick blends and creamy color.

Featuring the same supple leads as premier soft core pencils but stripped of the wooden case to reveal the thick, 0.25-inch core, they are ideal for mixing, smooth layering, and fast performance.

Besides, the unparalleled quality of pigments makes it possible to cover immediately or even sharpened into a point. Therefore, you can effortlessly move between forceful lines, delicate blends, and lush layers.

Key Features:

• The cores are thick and soft without the wood case
• They don’t need sharpening, but they can still be painted in both large areas and details
• The leads are robust with a 0.25-inch circumference helping you draw smooth coverage
• The pigments are richly saturated and high lightfast
• There are 36 premium Art Stix colored pencils

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	12.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
Weight	8.8 ounces
Lead Thickness	0.25-inch
Core Material	Soft Cores
Count	36
Brand	Prismacolor

Let’s see this video to learn more about tips & techniques when painting with Prismacolor Premier Art Stix Woodless Colored Pencils:

11. Derwent Lightfast 36 Colored Pencils

(Best for Layering Techniques)

With the features of Derwent Lightfast Colored Pencils, you can easily become a professional artist.

First of all, they can create vivid pieces of 100% quality lightfast with oil-based cores. Besides, your drawings are difficult to change colors and fade for long-lasting pieces of art.

Second, you can sharpen the cores to an excellent point for detailed drawing and layering techniques. Next, these colored pencils are highly blendable to give your painting a paint-like effect.

Moreover, you can see more of the 36 colored pencils for professional artists of Derwent below.

Key Features:

• The material of the core is the oil that will produce vibrant colors and are resistant to color changes in the long run
• This set gets 100% lighfast
• They can blend well and mix to create paint effects
• This tin box has 36 colored pencils

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	0.6 x 7.8 x 14 inches
Weight	1.3 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Revolutionary oil-based core
Count	36
Brand	Derwent

If you’re still skeptical of the great blend and layer of Derwent Lightfast Colored Pencils, the review video below will give you the most honest answer!

12. LYRA 72 Colored Pencils for Professional Artists

(Best for Graphics)

Lyra Rembrandt colored pencils are oil-based ones that can blend well and smooth, so they are suitable for pro artists, graphic artists, designers, and architects.

With 72 diverse colors, you can unleash your creativity without being limited by the number of colors.

In addition, its leads also have brilliance, light fastness, water resistance, and particular smoothness to fit with all your requirements. These pencils can achieve exact contours, brilliantly colored areas, and delicate merges. However, some tips are easily broken.

Another highlight is that they can be applied to paper and cardboard, even synthetic materials like wood, and textiles.

Key Features:

• These are great for graphics, design, and art
• The material of The box container is Metal
• They can resist water, lightfast, and Brilliant color
• The leads are so smooth to paint
• You can use on paper, cardboard, synthetic materials, wood, and textiles

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	13.2 x 0.8 x 7.4 inches
Weight	1.72 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Water-resistant Cores
Count	72
Brand	Lyra

Because not the colored pencils set is on the top of the list, not everyone believes in their quality. Check out the review in this video for more information about LYRA 72 colored pencils for professional artists!

13. Caran D’ache Luminance 40 Colored Pencils

(Best for Portraits)

In my opinion, almost any ordinary artist or painter wants his paintings to get intense and vivid colors. Therefore, Caran D’ache Luminance Colored Pencil Set of 40 can be a perfect choice for you.

Besides, they are good UV-resistant while helping to reduce lightweight issues specifically. Although they are wax-based cores, thanks to average wax bloom and smooth buttery, they are similar to specific oil cores.

If I let me talk about one thing I don’t like about this set, it seems that 40 colored pencils are not enough for what I need.

Key Features:

• Colors are high lightfastness and smoothness
• Made in Swiss
• This set includes 40 psc
• Blending and layering to create various effects
• The Pigments get purity-intensity and can protect against UV rays

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	5 x 1 x 1 inches
Weight	1.19 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Soft Wax-Based Cores
Count	40
Brand	Caran D’ache

This is the video Caran D’ache Luminance 40 colored pencils for professional artists overview you can see!

14. Prang 50 Colored Pencils

(Best Budget)

If you are looking for a pro colored pencil set with middle-school price, Prang 50 colored pencil is for you.

With rich 3.3mm core guarded by real wood, you can layer smoothly unmatched on the page. Moreover, your ideas can be maximized thanks to the intense pigments, which is easy to mix and create unique shades with vivid colors.

There is only criticism in this set that the range of color in the label shows a tendency toward earth-tones. However, its primary colors are candy or neon colors.

Key Features:

• The colors can be blended to make the picture richer
• The cores are long-lasting, durable and resist fading
• The radius of the core is 3.3mm
• The quality of the wooden case is good to sharpen easily
• This set includes 50 brilliant colors, and AP certified non-toxic

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	7.4 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
Weight	11 ounces
Lead Thickness	3.3mm
Core Material	Smooth core
Count	50
Brand	Prang

This video displays details about Prang colored pencils. You can see it now!

15. Sela Art 54 Colored Pencils

(Best Overall)

This is 54 pcs professional art pencil set by Sela Art. They own all the pencils you need to create perfect masterpieces.

This set includes 10 sketching pencils, 10 colored pencils, 10 metallic pencils, 10 charcoal pencils, 10 watercolor pencil and four accessories.

The special thing is that each pen in this set is carefully designed to have good quality, which helps you use drawing, layering, sketching and even office application. In addition, they are also arranged scientifically in a very fashion box.

In my opinion, this is a great pencil set for professional artists that you need to reference.

Key Features:

• This set has 50 colors including ten sketch, ten metallic, ten charcoal, ten color, and ten watercolor pencils
• It comes with four extra accessories
• It can be a perfect gift
• They have a variety of colors and a full range of pencils you need to draw

Product Specifications:

Product Dimensions	9.6 x 17.5 x 1 inches
Weight	2 pounds
Lead Thickness	N/A
Core Material	Colored, Watercolor, Charcoal, Metallic, Sketch Pencils
Count	54
Brand	Sela Art

If you are hesitant to choose this Sela Art 54 colored pencils, please watch the review of it in this video!

How To Choose Good Colored Pencils for Professional Artists

In this section, I have summed up and clearly separated all the factors you need to consider before deciding to buy a colored pencil set for you. Read on it!

Lively Colors

Lively color means that vibrancy of a colored pencil makes. For example, some people need more layers or darker strokes from that pencil to create needed color brightness, while others need soft strokes to create lively colors. Therefore, it depends mainly on the artist’s interests and projects.

Various Colors

The selection of various colorful colored pencils sets will help artists have more choices in the process of artistic creation. A box of colored pencils for professional artists can be up to 48 different shades or more, while others may have less than ten colors in a box.

Lead Quality

The next factor that you should consider when buying colored pencils is lead quality. Unlike conventional pencils made from graphite, the lead of colored pencils is a combination of binder and pigments.

Most of them are hard enough for artists to draw comfortably. However, if you use too much power, it will also be broken.

In addition, to choose good quality leads, you should also search for famous colored pencils manufacturers.

Pencil Color Binder

Binders of colored pencils are usually either oil-based or wax-based. The leads of the oil-based binders are harder, so they are suitable to draw the picture alive, while the leads of the wax-based binders are commonly softer to work on a large canvas.

Pencil Color Size

This will probably depend on your previous pencil usage habits. If you used to love holding short pens, you might be comfortable holding short colored pencils. However, professional artists often prefer to use regular-sized ones because both regular pencils and colored shafts can be broken.

FAQs

There are the most frequently asked questions about colored pencils for professional artists. Let’s see what you wonder is!

My Top Pick

In general, each type of colored pencils I’ve reviewed has its advantages, disadvantages, and functions. You need to understand your purpose, interests, and factors to consider to buy the best for you.

It is ARTEZA 72 Soft Wax-Based Cores Colored Pencils For Professional Artists, which I have used for a year, and I’m pleased with saturated colors and durable wax-based cores. They helped me to make my painting projects perfect.

You can refer to my top pick, and leave your comments below if you have any questions! Thank you for reading all my writing.