Customer Reviews

Polychromos Color Pencils by Faber Castell- Set of 60

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Although the desire to buy the deluxe set of 120 runs deep in your veins, avoid the temptation. The set of 120 contains many near doubles and plenty of cast-offs. The set of 60 will take you pretty much wherever you want to go. If it doesn't, plenty of online art retailers are offering the "open stock" option to help you personalize and complete your set.

Faber-Castell professes that this Polychromos line is both smudgeproof and waterproof. I'm not sure if the waterproof claim is factual, but I have experienced their smudgeability. However, this slight tendency towards smudging is nothing much to be concerned about. Polychromos leads are very strong and deserving of their 'unbreakable' title. (I recommend sharpening them with an x-acto knife to customize your point and to save lead that would otherwise be wasted in using a twist, crank, or electric sharpener.) Since the leads are hard, I wouldn't advise using them on "plate" or extra-smooth drawing surfaces. They are best suited for surfaces with medium tooth. If delivering hard pressure with colored pencils is your thing, toss away your Derwents, Pablos, and Prismacolors because Polychromos pencils are oil-based and will not taint your finished work with "wax-bloom". Polychromos has some of the widest color range I've ever witnessed in top-quality colored pencils (especially in greens). In this set of 60, you'll meet the dud, Van Dyck Brown, and possibly 2 others (at most) depending upon your personal preference. Some pencils in this set are VERY close in hue. While you'll probably make good use of them, you can eventually weed a few out to make room in your set for a more varied color collection. All in all, I guarantee that you will be quite happy with the set.

These were a gift to my daughter who is a theatrical costume designer, while they may be a toy to young people, they are artist's tools for her.