Pencil Comparison: Crayola, Black Widow, Faber-Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor Premier

Deirdre Gamill-Hock
Jan 13
2 min read

Updated: Oct 12

Let's compare the results of four popular brands of colored pencils.

The four popular brands that we will use for this comparison:

A Pencil Comparison of Similar Colors

For this pencil comparison example, I used a page from "My Coloring Companion" by Global Doodle Gems.

Faber-Castell Polychromos has the best match for "industry-standard" colors.

Prismacolor Premiers are a close second when matching "industry-standard" colors.

The Black Widow series features a unique color palette and is limited in certain color ranges. However, they are expanding their color range regularly and may fill in the gaps with future sets.

Crayola had the most distinctive colors, making it challenging to match them to standard shades. As a less expensive brand, I wonder if this could be due to the use of less expensive pigment sources.

Yellow, Red, and Blue

I applied three to four shades of similar colors from each brand to a different corner of a mandala from "Simple Kaleidoscopes Adult Coloring Book" by Ligia Ortega.

I printed the mandala on Neenah Exact Vellum Bristol Premium Cardstock (67 lb). This paper is slightly thicker and has a smoother texture. It works well for both mixed media and blending pencils.

I used my preferred, colored pencil style - tiny circles with many light layers. I blended the yellow, red, and blue shades to achieve other colors.

Crayola

An inexpensive pencil, lightweight with a smooth, standard-sized barrel.
It has less pigment than other brands, so more layers are required to achieve smooth coverage.
Not as scratchy as some of the other, less expensive pencils.
Since these are considered student-grade, I expect the colors to fade over time.
Overall, I was pleased with the result considering the price of the product.

Black Widow

Mid-range pencil, lightweight with a standard-sized, hexagonal barrel.
Nice pigment saturation.
Smooth application.
Require fewer layers than Crayola pencils to achieve a smooth look.
Unique colors.
Not my favorite barrel shape, as it tends to cramp my fingers, but overall an enjoyable pencil with nice coverage.

Faber-Castell Polychromos

Artist-grade pencil with a smooth, slightly heavier, and larger barrel.
Rich pigment color saturation.
Applies smoothly.
The soft core makes it easy to lay down a thick first layer, which can make it harder to blend subsequent layers.
The colors are less likely to fade with time, which is essential if you plan to display your pictures for years.

Prismacolor Premiers

Artist-grade pencil with a standard-sized, smooth barrel and soft core.
Rich, saturated color.
Applies smoothly but tends to develop a "wax bloom" when applied too heavily.
Limited color fading over time.
Requires frequent sharpening to maintain a sharp point.

Pencil Comparison Conclusion

Any of these pencils will get you beautiful results for a coloring hobbyist, so buy what is in your price range and practice your techniques. Ultimately, the best pencil is the one that you like best.