Best Coloured Pencils for Beginners

Beginners are told to buy the best pencils they can afford, which is unhelpful advice if you have never drawn with coloured pencil (colored pencil in the US). What a new artist really needs is pencils that are easy to blend, reasonably priced and forgiving, so pressure control, layering and colour mixing can be learnt without frustration.

Below are the sets we would start with, how big a set to buy, what to avoid, and three exercises that build the essential skills. When you outgrow them, the best coloured pencils for serious artists is the natural next step, and the complete coloured pencil guide fills in the background. The pencil set quiz narrows the choice, how many coloured pencils you need settles set size, and coloured pencil drawing for beginners shows what to draw first.

The short answer

Set	Feel	Good for
Derwent Chromaflow	Vibrant, soft, easy to blend	Learning layering and colour transitions
Prismacolor Premier	Creamy and smooth	Learning blending and soft shading
Faber-Castell Goldfaber	Firmer, more controlled	Detail work, and an introduction to the feel of Polychromos
Derwent Coloursoft	Velvety, rich and soft	Painterly effects once you are comfortable

Sharpened coloured pencils lined up on cream paper.

Our beginner picks

Derwent Chromaflow

Chromaflow is vibrant, soft and easy to blend, which makes it a good place to learn how pressure changes colour. The pigment is bold, so results look encouraging quickly. It is our first suggestion for someone who wants to practise gradients and layering. Compare it against the rest of the brand in our Derwent coloured pencils reviewed.

Prismacolor Premier

Premier pencils are creamy and smooth, and they are famous for ease of use. If you want to learn blending and soft shading, they are forgiving and rewarding. As with most soft wax pencils, they can develop wax bloom under heavy layering, and the points wear down faster, so keep them sharp and press lightly. The wax versus oil-based guide explains why.

Faber-Castell Goldfaber

Goldfaber is firm enough for detail and soft enough for shading. It is a great introduction to the feel of Polychromos, and a sensible pick if you know you like sharp points and control. It is less buttery than the softer sets, so large areas take a little longer to cover.

Derwent Coloursoft

Coloursoft is velvety and rich, great for soft blending and painterly effects. It is a step up in richness, and many beginners enjoy the laydown. It suits those who already have the pressure basics.

How big a set should you buy?

Smaller than you think. A set of 12 to 24 pencils lets you mix most colours by layering, which is a skill you need to learn anyway. A giant tin encourages you to grab a ready-made colour instead of mixing, and the extra pencils often sit unused.

A better plan is a small set plus a strong white. A good white matters most on toned paper, where it is your highlight tool. Add colours singly as gaps appear. Our guides to how to match and mix colours with pencils and the colour wheel show how far a small palette can go.

Coloured pencils standing in a speckled ceramic pot.

What to skip

• Children’s pencils and very cheap sets. Low pigment means you press harder, flatten the paper and get muted colour.
• Enormous tins. Quantity is not quality.
• Water-soluble sets for your first drawing. They are wonderful, but they change the technique, so learn dry pencil first.
• Thin, cheap paper. It wears out under layering. Spend the saved money on a heavier sheet with some tooth; see the best paper for coloured pencils.

Three first exercises

1. A value ramp. Draw a strip and shade it from the palest tone to the darkest with one pencil. Start with light pressure and press harder gradually. You are learning how many steps one pencil can give.
2. A two-colour blend. Layer a yellow and a red in overlapping strokes to make an orange, then reverse the layer order to see how it changes. This is how you mix on the page.
3. A sphere. Shade a simple ball with a light source, a core shadow and a cast shadow. It teaches form, and the value in drawing guide explains why value matters more than hue.

A frequent beginner mistake is pressing hard too soon, which flattens the tooth and limits future layers. Keep early layers light and build. The step-by-step method is in how to layer coloured pencils, and you can plan tone with the value study tool.

What good beginner pencils have in common

Whatever brand you pick, a good beginner pencil has three qualities. It blends easily, so you can see immediately how layering works. It is affordable enough that you will not be afraid to use it. And it is forgiving, meaning a heavy-handed mistake does not ruin the sheet. These are the pencils that help new artists understand how coloured pencil behaves: how pressure affects colour, how layering builds depth and how blending creates smooth transitions.

Notice what is not on the list: the largest colour range, the highest lightfastness rating or the most expensive tin. Those matter later. Right now the goal is mileage, and mileage comes from pencils you enjoy picking up.

A sensible first-month plan

Rather than trying to draw a masterpiece, aim for repetition with small, finishable studies.

1. Week one. Swatch your whole set on your practice paper and label it. Draw value ramps with three or four pencils.
2. Week two. Blend pairs of colours, then try mixing a colour you do not own, such as a green from a blue and a yellow.
3. Week three. Draw simple rounded objects: an egg, an apple, a mug. Focus on light, mid and dark shapes before adding colour.
4. Week four. Choose one small subject with a reference photo and layer it slowly, keeping early layers pale.

Working on a reference you can compare against, and drawing it a little larger than you first planned, makes it easier to see mistakes. If you want to transfer a subject accurately, the grid drawing tool helps you get proportions right before you start colouring, and how to practise drawing daily suggests ways to keep the habit going.

Common beginner questions

Do I need blending tools? Not at first. Layered pencil strokes do most of the blending, and a paper stump or tortillon can wait. The cleanest results come from patient, light layers.

Should I use white paper or toned paper? White is simplest to read while you learn colour. Once you are comfortable, try grey paper for glossy subjects; see why use grey paper for coloured pencil.

How soon should I worry about lightfastness? Only when you start selling or exhibiting. Until then, enjoy the pencils and learn. The topic is covered in coloured pencil lightfastness explained.

Sharpener and eraser basics

A poor sharpener snaps soft cores. A decent one makes practice more enjoyable and saves pencils; see best pencil sharpeners for coloured pencils. Coloured pencil is harder to correct than graphite, so learn what lifts colour in best erasers for coloured pencils.

Looking after your pencils

Good habits protect a small set and keep it working for years. Store pencils flat or point-up in a tin or pot, because dropped soft cores can fracture inside the wood without any visible sign, and the core then breaks every time you sharpen. Sharpen before a session, not during a tense moment mid-shading, and keep a spare rag or tissue for wiping the point. Take care with the white pencil in particular, since it picks up other colours from the paper, and wipe it clean on scrap paper before adding highlights. A tidy set is also a faster set: line pencils up by colour family so you can find the right one without breaking your flow.

When to upgrade

Move to artist-grade pencils when your technique is ahead of your tools: colours turn muddy, wax builds up, cores snap or you cannot get enough layers. Professional versus student coloured pencils explains the trade-offs. For a wider learning path, read drawing for beginners: where to start.

The short version

Buy one small set of Chromaflow, Premier or Goldfaber, a white pencil, a decent sharpener and a heavier paper. Practise value ramps, blends and spheres with light pressure. Upgrade only when the pencils limit you.