Read up on the best tools and resources for realistic colored pencil drawings!
I definitely have a reputation for hoarding art supplies. I have to try them all. I’ve definitely had some supplies that I hated, while others I now can’t live without. While these are what I would consider the best colored pencil supplies, I encourage you to experiment and try out anything that you’re curious about. This list is what I’ve found to work best for the way that I work.
The problem with colored pencil is with so many different options out there, it’s hard to know what you should buy, especially if you’re on a budget and don’t want to risk spending money on something to “try it” and then find out you hate it.
It was life-changing for me to discover these amazing supplies for realistic colored pencil drawings.
I specifically like how these supplies make it easier for me to apply my favorite colored pencil techniques. Yes, you still have to learn proper technique to get the most out of these supplies, but that’s the fun part about drawing; learning new things!
This post will look at my top favorite colored pencil supplies! This list is NOT exhaustive! There are so many colored pencil brands and supplies out there. I’ve gathered my top favorites, but you do NOT need everything on this list! Even if you just get yourself a set of 12 Polychromos pencils, you’ll be on your way!
Some of the links to the supplies in this post may be affiliate links, so I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase from my links!
The Pencils
If you’re the type of person who finds themselves lost in a sea of different pencil brands or if you’re loyal to one exclusive brand, you may get some new inspiration or clarity from this list.
#1. Faber Castell Polychromos
When I bought my first set of Polychromos, I (like many other artists), was used to working primarily in Prismacolor. I started hearing about how the Polychromos have a harder lead, making them ideal for fine detail
Some of my favorite features are:
- These pencils are STURDY. They won’t break in your sharpener or snap on you when working
- They have a wide range of colors (their largest set is 120), and they are all lightfast except for two of them
- These are three colors from this set that I cannot live without
- Black
- Indigo Blue
- Caput Mortum Violet.
Check out the Polychromos pencils here
#2. Derwent Lightfast
If finding purple colors that are actually LIGHTFAST, is more your thing, you will find a match made in heaven between you and these Derwent Lightfast pencils.
What I love about these pencils
- They are all completely lightfast (hence the name)
- Their dark blues and purples are completely out of this world
- They blend, burnish, and layer beautifully.
The best part is that these pencils have the BEST purples and blues that I’ve seen in any colored pencil set
- Violet
- Nightshade (my all time favorite)
- Deep Blue
- Denim
- Dark Indigo
I will admit, that if I had to choose one brand of colored pencils to work in for the rest of my life (an artist’s worst nightmare), I believe that these would be my choice.
Check out the Derwent Lightfast pencils here
If you’re needing some quick help for swatching your pencil colors, I invite you to check out The Swatch Vault! These printable charts include 10 different brands of colored pencils, including their lightfast ratings
#3. Caran D’Ache Luminance
The gorgeous color palette is what first drew me in, but the thing that made this stand out is their range of neutral colors, which are perfect for wildlife drawings, as well as portraits. These pencils are all completely lightfast as well. As a result, I’m able to be confident that my drawings will last a long time and no longer find myself worrying that my work might fade in a few years due to me not using all lightfast colors.
Some characteristics of the Luminance pencils
- They apply beautifully to the paper, making it easy to layer, which is how I like to work
- They burnish BEAUTIFULLY, making these pencils my go-to for drawing skin or blurry backgrounds. They also work well with solvent.
- They sharpen to a fine point, making them good for detail work
…without that gritty grainy feel that so many newer colored pencil artists complain about.
For example, they just recently came out with a companion color range, called the “portrait set.” There were two colors in that set that I fell in LOVE with, and ended up buying a ton of extras..
Additionally, their white pencil is one of the best opaque whites out there. I live and die by my white pencils. Even if you can’t afford a full set of these pencils, grab their white. Here are some of my must-have colors from the Luminance range
- White
- Dark Indigo
- Dark Flesh 40%
- Violet Grey
- Middle Virdgris
- Light Cobalt Blue
Check out the Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils here
Papers
Are you completely lost on picking the right paper for your colored pencil work?
Choosing the right paper can be extremely daunting, especially because there are so many brands on the market, and with a slow medium like colored pencil, you really don’t want to be throwing spaghetti at the wall and trying out paper randomly
Here are my top 3 papers that I recommend for colored pencil artists. I have worked on all three, and they are amazing.
#1. Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Boards
Before I start, I will admit that this is my all time favorite paper! I love Strathmore and use their papers all the time, but this is the one I currently reach for
Strathmore definitely set out to create a paper that not only is high quality, but it’s mounted on a board so it’s sturdy and won’t bend!
Check out the Strathmore Mixed Media Boards here
When you first start out in colored pencil, or if you’re switching over from another medium such as painting, choosing the right paper can make a big difference in getting realistic results in your colored pencil drawings
Here is a bit more about this paper
- It is a mixed media paper so it can take both wet and dry media very well
- It’s mounted, so if you’re shipping your work, using this paper will help keep the artwork from getting damaged in shipping
- I can get such amazing detail and color saturation with this paper. I’ve become spoiled and now no longer want to use anything else!
#2. Strathmore Toned Grey or Toned Tan
This toned paper by Strathmore is definitely the most affordable paper choice on my list. It comes in a spiral sketchpad, and it’s quite popular among teenage artists because it’s so accessible and affordable.
If you prefer to work on a toned surface, you will enjoy using the Strathmore Toned paper. It comes in three colors: grey, tan, and blue. I prefer the grey, and it’s my go-to whenever I want to work on a toned paper for colored pencil.
Check out the Strathmore toned papers here
#3. Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper
Hot Pressed Watercolor paper is generally used for watercolor, but I love it for colored pencil. It’s especially great for artists who work in a lot of layers (like myself), but who don’t want an overly textured surface.
With watercolor paper, you can use various colored pencil techniques (layers, burnishing, solvent, etc), and it’s smooth enough to get fine detail but textured enough so it takes a good amount of layers. I am very picky about the papers I use for colored pencil.
I am a huge fan of watercolor paper because it works wonderfully with both wet and dry media. If you’re not someone who is comfortable using solvent, for example, you’ll still get wonderful results with this paper.
Check out the Arches watercolor paper here
Want a more comprehensive guide to choosing your papers? Check out this blog post all about choosing the right paper
Erasers
Erasers are not just for erasing mistakes. They’re an excellent drawing tool as well. I have a few different erasers that I can’t live without, and I use them in all my drawings. They’re great for lifting out highlights, creating texture, and more
#1 Tombow Mono Zero Eraser
This is a tiny stick eraser that is so great for cleaning up edges and erasing smudge marks. It comes with a refillable barrel that you can replace with the eraser as needed. I find myself reaching for this more in my graphite or charcoal work, but I always use it in my colored pencil drawings as well
#2. Ink Eraser
This eraser is a must-have for me for my colored pencil drawings. It’s a rougher eraser, and you can lift off areas of the paper where you may have burnished too hard or can’t get more layers. It actually adds a bit of texture back onto the paper so you can go over it with more color or lighten the area up with an opaque white pencil.
#3. Afmat Electric Eraser
Struggling to lift out detailed white highlights in your colored pencil drawings? Perhaps you’re working on clothing or jewelry and need to bring back some detailed highlights.
I love this electric eraser! It comes with two size eraser tips; a smaller one and a larger one. I tend to reach for the smaller one because it’s easier to control, but they both work beautifully.
3. Kneadable eraser
This looks like clay or sticky putty and it can be molded into different shapes. I use it for lightening up the graphite lines from my line drawing after I’ve used transfer paper. It’s also great for removing smudges. Like the tombow mono eraser, I use this more when lifting up highlights in my graphite or charcoal drawings
Miscellaneous
There’s always a few miscellaneous tools in my colored pencil arsenal that I always need nearby when I’m working. Maybe they don’t fall into a specific category, but they are must haves for me. Here are some of my favorites.
#1. Solvent
Are you struggling with your blending in colored pencil? Are your hands getting sore from layering and burnishing?
Solvent (also known in the art world as Odorless Mineral Spirits, a.k.a. OMS) will speed up the process for you.
When I first started working with solvent, I was doubtful my ability to use a paintbrush, because I am NOT a painter, but I discovered:
- It speeds up the blending process a LOT, and helps you get better color saturation
- It’s perfectly safe to use in your studio (this is coming from someone who is asthmatic and allergic to everything), since it is odorless, and I keep a sealed lid on it when I am not actually blending.
- You don’t need much skill with a paintbrush. I have a few different sizes of the Filbert shaped brushes (any brand is fine), and a flat brush for detail. I love the Simply Simmons brand, but you can use any brand you can get your hands on
That being said, I have developed a paintbrush hoarding addiction. I probably own just as many paint brushes as an artist who actually paints.
Solvent is also very low cost, and it lasts a long time. I use it in all my colored pencil drawings, and a bottle lasts me more than a year.
#2. Swordfish Pencil Sharpener
Do you struggle with getting sharp pencils? Or do you try to not sharpen them as often so they last longer.?
There’s a lot of noise out there about the best pencil sharpeners. I’ve used an electric sharpener for a long time, but since I primarily work in pencil mediums, my electric sharpeners wore out within a few months.
Other artists swear by the little hand held sharpeners. I have a hand held sharpener that works wonderfully, but I’ve seen several artists on YouTube using this crank handle sharpener.
At first, I was like…nope! I don’t want to have to turn the handle to make my sharpener work.
But, then I saw the results these artists were getting, and I decided to try it. And…oh, my gosh! I’m hooked! I never want to use another sharpener again
The only downside is that this sharpener is not made in the U.S. (where I live), so I couldn’t get it on Jerry’s Artarama or Dick Blick, where I usually shop for my supplies.
My main reason for trying this sharpener was because I needed something that would sharpen my pastel pencils without breaking them. Now, I use it for everything.
As for my favorite hand held sharpener, I love this Staedler one. This gets you a really fine point as well, and it’s my go-to for sharpening my thicker pencils which don’t fit into the Swordfish sharpener. This one is sold in any craft store.
#3. Transfer Paper
By now, you must be a total colored pencil superstar, but if you still need a tool to help you get an accurate line drawing quickly, transfer is the one for you.
With the help of transfer paper, Lisa went from struggling to freehand her outlines and ending up with poorly proportioned drawings to quickly being able to trace her reference image onto her drawing paper using transfer paper.
Here’s how you can use it
- You place the graphite side onto your drawing paper and place a printed copy of your reference image over it, and trace over the reference image
- The lines will transfer onto your drawing paper. You will still need to do some touch ups because the lines will be extremely sketchy but your main shapes will be there
- Transfer paper comes in both black and white, so if you’re working on dark paper, you can still use this method
It’s especially great for those of us who struggle with creating accurate line drawings. Even those with years of art experience, will sometimes struggle with this foundational principle (an accurate outline) that will make or break your drawing.
Not sure if you should try tracing? Check out this blog post here, where I dive deep into this helpful method and why it is actually not cheating
Quick Recap
I totally don’t expect you to run out and go buy everything on this list.
I know how expensive art supplies can be (especially colored pencil supplies), and I certainly didn’t have all these supplies when I first started. I built up my colored pencil supply collection over time. I named my 3 top favorite colored pencil brands, but you can get ANY one of them and you won’t be disappointed. You can also get amazing results with Prismacolor pencils, which are a more affordable option.
Do you have any tools and resources to share? Drop them in the comments below so we can all see or come say hi over on Instagram!