So… You know how artists will sometimes review art supplies? Compare and contrast brands, list pros and cons… that type of thing? Well, I haven’t ever really done that. When I find something I like, I stay with it. If I enjoy the process of using it in my art, and I am happy with the outcome, I really see no need to try out other products. If you ask me what colored pencil brand I use for my art, I would wholeheartedly recommend Prismacolor. I could list all the reasons you should invest in a set, and I could give you pointers as to how to use them. I could even tell you some of the peculiarities of specific colors in the set. I love those pencils! However, if you ask me how they compare to another brand, I really couldn’t say. One day, I should probably try some other brands… just because. But for now, I honestly have no interest in it. All that being said… Our Experiencing Art class (ages 5-10) has forced me to audition multiple brands.
Penguin Parade - watercolor, watercolor pencils, and colored pencil on watercolor paper
You see, with our younger students, I want art supplies that are inexpensive, yet still can achieve a good result. They can’t be costly, because I need to be able to replace them easily. (At this age, things break much easier, and you end up with as much paint on the kids and table as you do on the actual piece of art. I want to instill a love of art in these kids, not a fear of wasting paint.) But the supplies still can’t be “cheap”. I always use the supplies that I get for these classes myself. If I can’t use them and get a decent outcome, I am not going to ask my students to use them. In the picture above, I used two different brands of colored pencils, two brands of watercolor, and one set of watercolor pencils. Keep reading if you want my take on these art supplies.
Crayola Watercolor Pencils
For the first penguin, I used Crayola Watercolor Pencils. I actually really like these pencils! The pack of twelve has a nice color range, they mix well, and can be extremely vibrant when needed. As for downsides, I don’t particularly like the black as it only takes a little to go very dark. This can be hard for younger artists who are still learning how to control the amount of pressure they use when coloring. Some of our students have carefully added a hint of black to their artwork because they want just a bit of gray, only to realize after adding the water that they now have a dark charcoal shade. It is, of course, a wonderful pencil if you are wanting something very dark. I also don’t understand why they include a white pencil in the pack. Our students are never allowed to use it! If they want a lighter color, they learn to apply less pressure to the pencil, allowing more of the white paper to show through. All in all though, I would definitely recommend these watercolor pencils for younger artists, or even someone who is just wanting to have fun. They will not perform the same way higher quality watercolor pencils do, but I still enjoy using them!
Crayola Colored Pencils
The next one I used Crayola Colored Pencils. Again, these pencils have a nice range of colors, mix relatively well, and can achieve a pretty good intensity. My biggest complaint with the pack of twelve is the lack of a pink. We really don’t need the “Red Orange” pencil. If any of our students need that color, they can easily mix red and orange together. However, the missing pink pencil has been a bit of a problem. We tried mixing red and white together, but it wasn’t the greatest result. I have had to add a pink pencil into a set of pencils that would have otherwise been adequate. Other than that, I really don’t have any complaints about these pencils. Crayola offers a nice, inexpensive option for colored pencils for the young artist.
Crayola Watercolor
With the third penguin, I once again used the Crayola brand, but this time it was the Watercolor set. There are eight colors in the set, and I love how vibrant they are. Having said that, it is hard for me to recommend any kid’s watercolor sets, unless it really is for a (young) kid. The reason for that is because you really can’t layer very well at all. If you attempt to add another layer of paint over an area that has already been painted (even if that section is completely dry), you will often end up lifting the first layer off without adding anything to it. Extremely frustrating for me, but usually younger kids don’t even notice, they are just having fun watching the various colors bleed into each other. As an art teacher trying to expose children to various types of art, I want to also lay a good foundation of how to work with multiple mediums. Because you have to use kid watercolor sets in a very different way than you would regular watercolors, I really only use these sets for specific projects.
Prang Watercolor
This next one was done with Prang Watercolors. This set also contains eight colors. What I said above about kid watercolor sets applies here as well. In some ways though, I think the Prang watercolors may have been slightly easier to work with when it came to layering. I was able to get the darker shades by (carefully) putting down about three layers of paint and it still looks like watercolor. With the Crayola brand, I had to put the paint on very thick to get it dark and it dried with a shiny, almost waxy look (it’s hard to see in the picture, but you can kind of make it out under the wing). I do have a problem with some of the colors in this set though. The orange is very muted so it’s best to mix colors if you want something brighter. The brown is very dark and grayish, and the black isn’t black. It’s really more of a very dark gray/green. It’s not a huge problem for me personally, as I like mixing my own colors anyway. However, for a younger artist who is only just learning how to mix the colors they want, it is a bit challenging.
Sargent Colored Pencils
And the last penguin was done with Sargent Colored Pencils. I initially bought these for our younger art class because the reviews seemed to imply that they were better than Crayola. After one semester of using them, I went back to Crayola. These pencils aren’t as vibrant as I would like, so the outcome tends to be slightly muted. They are also very brittle. I was constantly resharpening the pencils because the tip would break while a student was drawing. With Crayola, I usually only have to worry about the tip breaking when someone drops their pencil on the ground. Their color selection in the set of twelve is good though. They have pink! And they do blend pretty well. They really aren’t a horrible pencil, and you can still accomplish a decent drawing with them. I would just personally recommend Crayola over Sargent, if you have the choice. In my opinion, you have to work harder to get a satisfying outcome with these pencils. If I can find something else that is still inexpensive, and yet easier to use, why wouldn’t I go with that?
So, there you have it. I like Crayola Colored Pencils and Watercolor Pencils, but I am not in love with either the Prang or the Crayola Watercolor sets. I am open to testing other brands, if anyone has recommendations!
(Alright, how was that for reviewing and comparing/contrasting? Did I do alright?)
~Elisabeth~