Customer Reviews

Prismacolor Thick Lead Art Pencils, 120 Color Set (3602TN)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a painter, I am a BIG color person, but it's not always possible to have your paints, medium, turpenoid, easel, canvas/paper, and a multitude of other necessities on you. So when it comes to portable color, I love me some Prismacolors. They produce rich color that blends easily and smoothly. Then the most exciting part is wiping the finished product at the end with a kleenex to reveal the shiny finish. They're so great! Worth every penny! Careful not to drop them on the floor, tho, cause then the lead breaks and then a whole pencil may be lost. I have had this problem on many an occasion, where I sharpen but then the pencil lead falls out and I have to sharpen again. At any rate, prismacolors rock.

(Note: The image that this shows, is NOT the cover image of the box itself.)

I bought these about two weeks ago, and had used them for the first time in a long time. Prismacolor lives up to their name. They're the best colored pencils I have ever come across, and with the 120 set, you reach an all new set of colors that seem unreachable in the other sets.

If you buy this, I'd suggest the colorless blending pencils. They work tremendously well in blending these wonderful pencils, bringing out color like never before.

I've been using the Prismacolor pencil brand for years; my first boxes were the Verithins, which I also really recommend (although they do not come in such a large quantity like this). I have always liked Prismacolor for their pencils, since they give a good, smooth color and they don't break very easily (unless you have too fine a tip that you press down just way too hard on).
If you treat them gently, they will last you for years. And you can find filler colors at places like Guiry's really easily.

Before I begin talking about these pencils, I would like to say that I consider myself a good artist; so when I got these pencils (especially for the price) I had extremely high expectations for them. And for the most part, they met those expectations. They have a wonderful texture, and the variety of colors is fantastic. I would have used them for anything I was planning on coloring. Except for one crucial problem: ALL of the lead in every single pencil is broken throughout the whole entire pencil. Which, if anyone is truly planning on using the pencils, is sort of detrimental to using them. Every singe time I sharpened them, the lead that I was sharpening would fall out , broken farther down in the pencil before I could even use it. There are even some pencils that I ended up sharpening down until they were only a half an inch long before giving up trying to use it, never getting an opportunity to actually color with the pencil.

This infuriates me, since I spent so much money on the set and now over half of it is completely useless. I love the colors, and the texture, but I probably will not buy this set again.

I have been doing illustration work for my personal enjoyment since the 1980s, and I have been using Prismacolor Premier colored pencils for nearly 15 years. I have to tell you that these pencils are a pleasure to work with. I use them mainly for doing biological and scientific illustration, but I use them for other things as well. I was introduced to them by a professional biological illustrator who's guidance was, use only the best. Of the colored pencils I've used over the years, these are the best I've found.

Prismacolor Premier colored pencils have a soft lead, so soft that you need to tread lightly as you apply them, or the lead is easily broken. On the other hand, the soft lead makes these colors much easier to blend once they are on the paper, and allow you to put down your colors layer by layer and produce the effects you are after.

I find that for my work a good companion investment for these colored pencils is an electric pencil sharpener, because a sharp lead allows you to put the color down onto paper with greater precision, and gives better results.

I have used these pencils on a variety of surfaces ranging from drafting velum to mat board to Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads - 14 x 17, Bristol Pad, 20 sheets, Vellum, and Canson Mitientes 122 Flannel Gray - 19x25 Inch Sheet which comes in many colors, as well as hot press and cold press board, 300 lb. water color paper, and a variety of other art boards. Of course, colored pencil works best on a surface that has at least a moderate tooth (paper surface roughness), because once the tooth is filled with lead it is extremely difficult to put down more color.

If you are interested in trying out colored pencil, I highly recommend Prismacolor Premier pencils. And, I recommend that if you are serious about your artwork that you invest in at least the 48-pencil set, and once you get going, if you are like me, you will soon want the 120 or 136 pencil set.

Word of warning: Make sure that you handle these pencils carefully, because if you drop them on a hard floor the lead can break inside of the pencil, ruining it.

5 stars all the way! You will enjoy these pencils as long as you realize that you can't power them onto the paper, and that the lead will wear down quickly because they are so soft. Enjoy!

I bought these for my kids when we started homeschooling because I wanted them to use a higher quality colored pencil during our art lessons. Sure, they cost about a million dollars (unless you buy them at an office supply store that is going out of business), but the quality is worth it.

I love that my kids (now 9 and 11 years) appreciate the difference between quality supplies and junk supplies. They are content to "just use an old Crayola" for jotting down a note, but if they are working on something that matters to them they always ask if they can get the Prismacolor pencils out. (Yes, they have to ask first) It's never too early to teach children how to enjoy a medium.

ABOUT SHARPENING: the pencils won't break if you are content with a shorter tip. Also, don't use a regular pencil sharpener, they are way too harsh. My daughter has excellent results sharpening Prismacolor pencils with a sharp pocket knife. It's actually very gentle.

What more can I say about these color pencils? It's Primsacolor. Excellent quality, a bit pricey, but if your serious about your art, this is the way to go.

This product gave me exactly what I wanted. A professional set of pencils at a reasonable price. It came fast and without hassle

These colored pencils are very expensive as compared to some other brands, but for me they are very worth the price. Many cheap colored pencils have very hard/waxy leads. The colors don't blend together well and almost seem like they don't want to "adhere" well to the page. Not so with the Prismacolor colored pencils. A softer lead means that the colors come off very bold and rich. You don't have to press as hard or go over the same area as much as you would with a cheaper brand.

I bought a set when I took art classes in college, and then as I use up a color I just buy the individual color I need rather than replacing the set. You can buy them singly at most craft or art stores.

Save the cheaper pencils for your kids to play with, the serious artist needs better tools.

this product was delivered well and i am very happy with the quality.i love these pencils.