Artists often ask, “What do you consider a colored pencil?” The quick answer is, “Anything called a colored pencil by the manufacturer.” More specifically, this is our definition:
- A colored pencil is a type of pencil constructed of a narrow, pigmented core within a cylindrical wooden casing. Unlike graphite, charcoal, and pastel pencils, colored pencil cores contain both waxes and oils and varying proportions of pigments, fillers, and binders. They cover the drawing surface with hard, dry, semi-permanent layers of color.
- Colored pencils include woodless colored pencils, cores for mechanical pencils, and colored pencil cores in stick form. Pigment in pan form is not considered a colored pencil.
- Watercolor (more correctly water-soluble) pencils are simply colored pencils with cores which dissolve when wet.
We suggest choosing reputable, high-quality colored pencil brands from reputable suppliers. Inexpensive brands are of poor quality for lightfastness and pigmentation. While they are allowed, you should avoid using them if you care about the permanence of the colors in your artwork.
BUYER BEWARE: Advertising and packaging may claim a product is “professional” grade and lightfast, but sadly, that is not necessarily true.
