JustBeginning
Beginner's guide

So you're getting into colored pencil art

Colored pencil is one of the most forgiving mediums to start with: no mess, no drying time, portable enough to draw on your lunch break. The catch is that cheap pencils fight you, and the right paper makes a shocking difference. Here is what actually matters for your first year, and what you can skip.

By Colin B. · Published June 14, 2026 · Last reviewed June 14, 2026
artist hands working on colored pencil artwork on paper

Photo by Jayshree Sharma on Unsplash

The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

  1. Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils 48-Set — Prismacolor Premier 48-set: waxy, blendable, and the standard starter set for colored pencil artists.
  2. Strathmore 400 Series Bristol Smooth Pad 9x12 — Strathmore 400 Bristol Smooth: the right paper makes your pencils glide instead of scratch.
  3. Prismacolor Premier Colorless Blender Pencils 2-Pack — Prismacolor Colorless Blender: the single tool that makes layered pencil work look polished.
Budget total
$40
Typical total
$110
A Prismacolor Premier 48-set and a pad of Bristol smooth paper gets you started around $50. Add a colorless blender pencil and a long-point sharpener and you are at $70. Upgrading to Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils runs $110-150.

We earn commission on qualifying Amazon purchases — see our affiliate disclosure. Price tiers and budget totals shown above are editorial estimates; actual Amazon prices vary.

At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

CategoryTop pickPriceWhere to buy
Colored PencilsPrismacolorPrismacolor Premier Colored Pencils 48-Set$$ See on Amazon →
Drawing PaperStrathmoreStrathmore 400 Series Bristol Smooth Pad 9x12$$ See on Amazon →
Blending ToolsPrismacolorPrismacolor Premier Colorless Blender Pencils 2-Pack$ See on Amazon →
SharpenersKUMKUM Automatic Long-Point Sharpener 2-Step$ See on Amazon →
Light BoxHuionHuion A4 LED Light Pad$$ See on Amazon →
Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Do not buy a 72-count set from an unknown brand to start. Those cheap pencils have hard, gritty cores that resist blending no matter how much pressure you apply. A 48-set of Prismacolor Premier costs about the same and works dramatically better.

Paper matters more than most beginners expect. Colored pencil works by embedding pigment into the surface texture of the paper. Regular copy paper is too smooth; rough sketch paper fills too quickly. Smooth Bristol is the standard, and it is cheap.

Wax-based pencils (Prismacolor) and oil-based pencils (Faber-Castell Polychromos) behave differently. Wax blends easily and builds soft gradients fast; oil holds a point longer and takes more layers before waxing out. Start wax, then try oil once you know what you are chasing.

The gear

What you actually need

colored pencil lined up on top of white surface

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Colored Pencils

Your pencils are the most consequential purchase in colored pencil art. The medium is entirely about building transparent layers of pigment and then blending them, and cheap pencils have hard, gritty cores that resist blending no matter how hard you press. Professional pencils fall into two main types: wax-based pencils (like Prismacolor) blend effortlessly and forgive beginners; oil-based pencils (like Polychromos) are stiffer but hold a sharper point and do not wax out. Start with a wax-based 48-set. You will know within a few months whether you want to step up.

Colored Pencils — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

Wax-Based

Blends fast and smoothly. The default beginner choice. Best paired with a colorless blender pencil.

Core
Wax binder
Blending
Very easy
Lightfastness
Moderate

Best for Beginners, smooth gradients, tutorials that reference Prismacolor

Tradeoff Wax bloom after heavy layering; points more fragile than oil

↓ See our pick
Oil-Based

Harder core, holds a sharp point longer, and takes more layers before waxing out.

Core
Oil binder
Blending
Moderate
Lightfastness
High

Best for Detailed realism, artists who want more control over layering

Tradeoff Stiffness surprises beginners coming from wax pencils

↓ See our pick
Professional Grade

Highest lightfastness, creamiest cores, and the highest price per stick.

Core
Premium pigment
Blending
Exceptional
Lightfastness
Museum-grade

Best for Serious artists doing finished work meant to last

Tradeoff Price is prohibitive for learning; buy open stock selectively

Best starter
Prismacolor

Premier Colored Pencils 48-Set

$$

Our rating

The go-to wax-based starter set for colored pencil. Thick, creamy cores blend and layer beautifully, and 48 colors is enough to mix nearly any hue you need. Tutorials on YouTube nearly always assume Prismacolors, so following along is easy. The one quirk to know: heavy layering can cause wax bloom, a slight white haze that wipes off with a soft cloth.

What we like

  • Waxy, creamy core blends effortlessly with a colorless blender
  • 48 colors covers virtually every mixing base a beginner needs
  • Enormous tutorial library online defaults to Prismacolor

What to know

  • Wax bloom: heavy layers leave a white haze (wipes off with cloth)
  • Fragile cores break more easily than oil-based pencils when dropped
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Castle Art Supplies

Colored Pencils 72-Set

$

Our rating

If you are genuinely not sure whether colored pencil will stick, this 72-count set costs under $20 and gives you enough colors to explore. The cores are softer and less consistent than Prismacolors, but they hold together for practice work and first studies. Graduate to Prismacolor once you are sure you like the medium.

What we like

  • Under $20 for 72 colors, genuinely enough to explore the medium
  • Decent for practice work before committing to premium pencils

What to know

  • Inconsistent quality; some colors weaker than others
  • Cores resist blending compared to Prismacolor at the same pressure
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Faber-Castell

Polychromos Colored Pencils 24-Set

$$$

Our rating

The upgrade most colored pencil artists land on. The oil-based core holds a point far longer than wax, takes many more layers before waxing out, and is significantly more lightfast. The switch from Prismacolor to Polychromos feels like jumping from a mass-market pen to a quality fountain pen: a real difference with a real adjustment period.

What we like

  • Oil core holds a point much longer than wax-based pencils
  • Takes far more layers before waxing out, enabling deeper realism
  • Significantly more lightfast than Prismacolor Premier

What to know

  • Stiff core takes adjustment if you are coming from Prismacolor
  • More expensive per pencil than wax sets (~$3 each open stock)
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Caran d'Ache

Luminance 6901 Colored Pencils 12-Set

$$$$

Our rating

The benchmark for lightfastness in colored pencil: extraordinarily smooth and creamy, with a permanence rating that makes museum-quality work possible. A 12-stick set runs about $65. There is no reason to start here, but if the hobby takes hold, you will end up buying a few open-stock colors eventually.

What we like

  • Benchmark lightfastness: museum-grade permanence per stick
  • Exceptionally smooth and creamy, among the finest pencils made

What to know

  • Eye-watering price per pencil ($5-8 each for open stock)
  • Overkill for learning; the quality requires real technique to use
See on Amazon →

Drawing Paper

Colored pencil is surface-sensitive: the paper you choose changes everything. Too rough and your pigment fills the texture in two passes and goes nowhere. Too smooth and nothing sticks. Smooth Bristol is the standard for realistic colored pencil work because it has just enough tooth to hold many layers, and the surface is consistent pad to pad. Once you have the hang of white paper, toned tan paper opens up a different way of working: you can use both dark shadows and bright highlights (white pencil) in the same drawing because the mid-tone is built in.

Best starter
Strathmore

400 Series Bristol Smooth Pad 9x12

$$

Our rating

The reference standard for smooth colored pencil work. Just enough tooth to hold many layers without filling in two passes, and the weight (270 g/m2) means it does not cockle under heavy layering. Almost every colored pencil tutorial assumes you are working on Bristol or something equivalent. Start here.

What we like

  • Consistent smooth surface accepts 8-10 layers before filling
  • 270 g/m2 weight resists warping under heavy pencil pressure

What to know

  • Pricier than generic drawing pads; cost adds up on large formats
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Canson

XL Bristol Smooth Pad 9x12

$

Our rating

A step down in price from Strathmore 400, and a reasonable paper for practice work. The surface is marginally rougher, which means you will fill the tooth a bit faster on detailed passages, but it is still far better than regular drawing paper for colored pencil.

What we like

  • Meaningfully cheaper than Strathmore 400 for practice sessions
  • Still smooth enough to layer and blend properly

What to know

  • Rougher texture fills faster; not ideal for highly detailed realism
  • Less consistent sheet to sheet than Strathmore 400 series
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Strathmore

400 Series Toned Tan Pad 9x12

$$

Our rating

Toned paper changes what is possible in a colored pencil drawing. On tan paper you use light pencils for highlights and dark pencils for shadows, with the mid-tone provided by the paper itself. The result feels more dimensional faster. Great for portraits and animals once you are comfortable working on white.

What we like

  • Mid-tone background lets you use white pencil for bright highlights
  • Warm tan flatters portraits and animal subjects naturally

What to know

  • Requires unlearning white-paper habits; color relationships shift
  • Less commonly available in larger sizes at local art stores
See on Amazon →

Blending Tools

Blending is what separates colored pencil work that looks scratchy from work that looks polished. The two main approaches are dry blending with a colorless blender pencil (precise, forgiving, mess-free) and solvent blending with odorless mineral spirits like Gamsol (more dramatic, almost painterly). Start with the colorless blender. It is immediate and adds no new materials to manage. Once you have burned through a few drawings, try solvent blending for smoother gradients and richer color saturation.

Best starter
Prismacolor

Premier Colorless Blender Pencils 2-Pack

$

Our rating

The simplest way to start blending wax-based colored pencils. Press the colorless core over your layers and the pigment softens and fuses without adding any color. It is precise (pencil-width control), completely mess-free, and works anywhere. Buy the 2-pack: the tip wears down quickly on textured surfaces.

What we like

  • Precise pencil-point control over exactly where blending happens
  • No liquids or cleanup: perfect for a portable drawing setup

What to know

  • Tip wears down quickly; sharpen often or use both ends
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Gamblin

Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits 4.2 oz

$$

Our rating

Dip a cotton swab in Gamsol, press it over your layers, and the pigment melts into a smooth, painterly wash in one pass. The transformation is dramatic: work that took ten careful layers suddenly looks like an oil painting. Works with both wax and oil-based pencils. A 4 oz bottle lasts years of casual use.

What we like

  • Transforms layered pigment into a smooth wash in one pass
  • Works on both wax-based and oil-based colored pencils

What to know

  • Requires ventilation, even for the odorless formula
  • Hard to control on first use; solvent spreads beyond the intended area
See on Amazon →

Sharpeners

Colored pencil points matter more than in graphite work. A dull point lays down too much pigment in too wide a stroke, and a broken core wastes an expensive pencil. Cheap plastic handheld sharpeners grip soft wax cores too aggressively and snap them constantly. A two-step long-point sharpener (like the KUM Automatic) first strips the wood casing, then sharpens the core separately, giving you a longer, more controlled point with far fewer breaks. For high-volume use, a quality battery-operated sharpener with a helical blade handles soft cores without the drama.

Best starter
KUM

Automatic Long-Point Sharpener 2-Step

$

Our rating

The standard recommendation from colored pencil instructors worldwide. The two-step design strips the wood casing in the first hole, then sharpens only the core in the second, producing a long clean point without snapping. It solves the frustrating breakage problem that makes cheap sharpeners useless for professional pencils.

What we like

  • Two-step design strips wood first, then sharpens core without snapping
  • Produces a longer, more precise point than single-blade sharpeners

What to know

  • Two-step process takes a moment to get used to
  • Blade dulls after heavy use; replacement blades available separately
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
General Pencil

General's Long Point Pencil Sharpener

$

Our rating

A single-blade long-point sharpener that costs under $4 and does better than a random desk sharpener. You will waste slightly more core per sharpening than with the KUM, but it is a real long-point tool for a budget price. Good for practice pencils or sets where you are less precious about waste.

What we like

  • Under $4 and meaningfully better than a standard desk sharpener
  • Produces a real long point good for detail work

What to know

  • More wood and core waste per pencil than a two-step sharpener
  • No auto-stop; easy to oversharpen into a very fragile tip
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Derwent

Battery-Operated Pencil Sharpener

$$

Our rating

A quality battery-powered sharpener that handles soft wax cores without breaking them, unlike cheap electric sharpeners that destroy Prismacolors on contact. The auto-stop prevents over-sharpening. Worth the price once you are working through pencils quickly during long sessions.

What we like

  • Auto-stop prevents the over-sharpening that breaks soft wax cores
  • Consistent results across wax and oil-based pencil brands

What to know

  • Batteries drain quickly with regular use; keep spares on hand
  • Bulkier than a pocket sharpener; not great for travel drawing kits
See on Amazon →
person holding black and gray paper

Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

Light Box

A light box lets you trace a reference sketch or printed photo onto your good drawing paper without ruining expensive Bristol by roughing out a composition in colored pencil (which barely erases). You sketch or print your reference on cheap paper, lay it on the light box, place your Bristol on top, and trace the lines lightly in colored pencil. It is not cheating: every professional illustrator uses one. You do not need one on day one, but most colored pencil artists add a light box within their first month.

Best starter
Huion

A4 LED Light Pad

$$

Our rating

A4 size, USB-powered, thin enough to slip into a folder. The Huion A4 is the consensus recommendation for colored pencil artists who want a light box without spending $60. Brightness is adjustable, the surface is scratch-resistant, and it runs off any USB charger you already have.

What we like

  • USB-powered from any wall adapter or laptop charger
  • Adjustable brightness handles both light pencil sketches and printed photos

What to know

  • Light bleeds at edges on maximum brightness setting
  • A4 size limits you to 8x11 paper or smaller
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Artograph

LightPad 930

$$$

Our rating

The step-up option with a larger working surface, more even light distribution, and a build that does not flex when you press. If you work larger than A4 or do detailed tracing for hours at a time, the Artograph earns its higher price through better ergonomics and longer-lasting even illumination.

What we like

  • More even light distribution than budget pads; no bright hot spots
  • Rigid surface does not flex under drawing pressure

What to know

  • Pricier than budget pads for a tool used occasionally rather than daily
See on Amazon →
Going deeper

Your first 10 drawings in colored pencil

There is a real learning curve in colored pencil, but it does not announce itself. Your first drawing will be scratchy. Your fifth will start to loosen up. By your tenth, you will see what the medium can actually do.

Read the guide →
Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

  • A 120-color mega-set on day one — You will use maybe 20 colors in your first 10 drawings. A giant set is confusing before you know what you are mixing. Start with a focused 48-set and buy open stock once you know what is missing.
  • Watercolor pencils — A separate medium with a completely different technique. Do not mix them into your learning until you have solid dry colored pencil fundamentals.
  • Fixative spray — Useful for sealing and protecting finished work, but not something you need while practicing. A sheet of glassine paper laid over your drawing protects it fine in the interim.
  • A drawing tablet or digital tools — Colored pencil has its own following precisely because it is tactile and physical. You do not need digital tools to be good at it, and they will not help you learn the medium.
  • A separate eraser for every color — One kneaded eraser handles all your lifting and correction needs for the first year. Specialty erasers are for advanced highlight techniques, not beginner mistake-fixing.
First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

  1. Order a Prismacolor Premier 48-set and a pad of Strathmore 400 Bristol Smooth. · Buy
  2. Pick up a 2-pack of Prismacolor Colorless Blender pencils while you are at it. You will want them by day three. · Buy
  3. Watch a basic pressure and layering tutorial. Lachri Fine Art and Mimi Bondi on YouTube are both excellent starting points for beginners. · Learn
  4. Do a value scale as your first exercise: draw a long rectangle, then fill it from very light to very dark using just one pencil and varying pressure. Learn what the pencil can do before adding color. · Action
  5. Draw something simple from a reference photo: a piece of fruit, a flower, an eye. The goal is 50 deliberate layers, not photorealism. · Action
  6. Try a 3-4 color gradient blend on a scrap of Bristol: lay two colors side by side and blend the overlap with your colorless blender. This is the foundational technique for everything else. · Action
FAQ

Common questions

Do I need to draw well before starting colored pencil?

No. Colored pencil is one of the most forgiving mediums for learning form and shading at the same time. The slow layering process builds observation skills naturally. Start with simple subjects like fruit or flowers and work from there.

What is the difference between wax-based and oil-based colored pencils?

Wax-based pencils (like Prismacolor) blend easily and are forgiving for beginners. Oil-based pencils (like Faber-Castell Polychromos) hold a sharper point and take more layers before waxing out. Most beginners start with wax and migrate to oil once they know what they are chasing.

Can I use regular drawing paper?

Technically yes, but smooth Bristol works dramatically better. Regular drawing paper has inconsistent tooth that fills quickly and is harder to blend on. Buy one pad of Strathmore 400 Bristol Smooth and the difference will be immediately obvious.

How long does it take to finish a drawing?

Simple subjects take 2-4 hours. Realistic portraits or animals with fine detail run 10-40 hours. The slow, layered build is part of the medium's character. Colored pencil is not a fast art form, which is also why the results feel so satisfying.

Can colored pencil mistakes be erased?

Partially. A kneaded eraser lifts light layers; a firm eraser like the Tombow MONO removes more. But you cannot fully erase dark or heavily layered areas. Plan your light values first and reserve bright spots before building up pigment.

What is wax bloom and how do I fix it?

Wax bloom is a white haze that appears on heavily layered wax-based work after a day or two. It is caused by the wax binder migrating to the surface. Wipe it gently with a soft cloth to remove it, or seal the piece with a light coat of fixative spray.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

  • Lachri Fine Art (YouTube) — The most-watched colored pencil instruction channel. Lisa builds realistic drawings step by step and explains her technique layer by layer. Start here for basics.
  • Mimi Bondi (YouTube) — Excellent tutorials for beginners. Clear explanations of pressure, layering, and blending. Very approachable subjects and teaching style.
  • Colored Pencil Society of America — The major organization for serious colored pencil work. Their annual juried show is a great benchmark for what the medium is capable of at its highest level.
  • r/ColoredPencils — Active community with beginner advice, WIP critiques, and gear recommendations. Good for specific product questions and quick feedback on your work.
  • Colored Pencil Magazine — Online publication with technique articles, artist interviews, and step-by-step tutorials. Better suited to intermediate artists than absolute beginners.
artist actively working on detailed colored pencil artwork

Photo by Guillermo Vuljevas on Unsplash

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