This is great to see, thank you for sharing your lightfast tests! I'm really impressed with the Polychromos ofcourse...well they are my favourite. But I think Prismacolour Premier did quite well too, especially if you consider their cost. They're very affordable on Amazon (not sure about their prices in-store). FC Classic colour pencils held up fairly well don't you think? Except the pale colours, all the colours did great. And these are super cheap too..I do enjoy using them. Been using them since my school days. Now crayola was very interesting to see, impressive how well they held up. One would think Prismacolor Scholar would do a bit better considering their price but still not a bad deal overall. Good to see some scholar grade pencils doing well lightfastness wise.
Hey. For the budget pencils, Crayola did the best, but it is probably not a fair comparison when you compare a 24 set to 48 and 60 sets. Scholar did ok, but they are not cheap for me to get. Premiers are nearly the same price and inexpensive, so I would always choose premier over scholar simply because of the lightfast results and the color intensities. I was a bit disappointed in the FC Classics, as the classics are not cheap for me to buy, and I really like them for drawing with. I like the feel, how they blend and sharpen. Overall, from what I have tested, if you want your art to last, use artist grade pencils. I picked up some UV spray which I will play around with at some point and see how well that works.
Thank you for this test! I am so glad, because I have the biggest sets of both brands. I want to sell my artwork and wonder if both are good enough or I should buy the Derwent Lightfast for example. But they are very expensive. But now I am confused! The test shows I can’t trust the labeling of lightfastness on the pencils. Because the colour „green light“ is rated with three stars... And „pink madder lake“ two stars. A youtuber made a test for 7 days in direct sunlight to get quick results. She compared some red hues of different brands. The Polychromos „scarlet red“ was disappointing although rated with three stars. Cheaper brands did better. I don’t understand that 😟
Do all the prismacolour have the same lightfast rating, or are thrones that faded a lower rating? Not sure if this data is stated, but it would help if it were.
@@RelecFilms Thanks. A number of folks have done similar videos showing similar fading. W/out the lightfast info included, we can’t determine if it faded b/c of a low-value lightfast rating or if it’s just not that great a product. That said, ideally Prismacolor releases a set of their top tier lightfast color pencils. Lightfastness is important to a lot of us out here, and it’d be awful nice of them to pack ‘em all ip in a single box. Thanks for the video! Nicely done. Thanks also for replying!😎
i'm listing just the colors that you mentioned to have faded. according to the lightfastness chart released by prismacolor following ASTM D6901-06: grade V (poor lightfastness) -yellowed orange -blush pink -limepeel -apple green -lilac -light cerulean blue IV -pink II (this is supposed to be very lightfast, i'm disappointed that a grade II would fade in 6 months) -ginger root faber-castell polychromos uses *** rating: ***(three-star, supposedly the most lightfast, disappointed that a 3-star would fade in 6 months. supposedly good for 100+ years) -light green -medium flesh -light flesh ** (two-star, supposedly good for about 25+ years) -pink madder lake
The 100+ year ratings for the Faber Castell are in tested under Museum Conditions. I would assume this means no exposure to sunlight. My test of putting them in a window is probably the equivalent to 50 years of Museum exposure per year. From all the tests I have done, Faber Castell has performed the best with Prismacolor Premier a close second. I've searched, but been unable to find the lightfast chart for the Prismacolors, if you have a link, please post it. Of course the FC are all labelled, so it is not difficult to avoid the 2 star pencils. I'm also curious as to how the colors are affected by humidity. Our winters are super humid, but we don't see much sun. Yet I can still notice fading from the tests I did only a few months ago.
right, i didn't think about that. very important point that i completely forgot. still, if the other higher rated colors did not fade, i think the II-rated that faded should not be a II but maybe a III, or any I that would fade if most I's don't fade. same with a 3star-rated or a 2star-rated that would fade should be a 1star-rated
@@maggyfrog I don’t understand this, too. I can’t trust this system. Look at the tests Judith Crown made of some expensive brands. There is no logic in the System. Polychromos claimed with 3 stars fade away completely, the yellows, reds and purple are gone
Easy ones first. Yes you can buy UV protective glass picture frames. You can pick them up from Amazon or Michaels if in the US or Canada. Krylon makes a bunch of fixative sprays with UV resistance. I would probably go into your local art store to ask which one works well with colored pencil. I would also spray it on a test piece prior to spraying it on anything you want to protect. Leave it for a few weeks and see if it has any negative affects on the piece. The test piece should be the same paper and pencils you used for the archival work. Now the tough one, assuming you mean will colored pencil drawings fade in the dark. The correct answer is probably yes. But I would guess it depends on many factors. Which pencils, what type of paper, how much time, temperature, humidity.... A good quality artist grade pencil (Polychromos) isn't going to fade in the dark, over my lifetime at least. Cheaper pencils might, I store most of my art in a room that sees no sunlight. I should go back and check to see if any of the prismacolor scholar or faber castell classics have faded.
I have written to you before and I was just watching this video and you are a neighbor to me. I live in Washington state also. but I am in Yakima. Helloooooo Neighbor!!!
Lisa Bellinger - hey Lisa. I was just down in Washington state for a short visit. Although no where near Yakima. I'm hoping to get back down and see the Mariners play this summer.
Thank you so much for doing this! You are the only person I have seen that has. :) Have you tried the Koh I Noor colored pencil or know anything about their lightfastness? I only find vague references.
Your Welcome. I haven't used Koh-I-Noor Colored Pencils. Yet! They aren't common where I live and to buy them I would have to pay a premium price. As for lightfastness, they have results for their polycolor pencils posted at www.kohinoorusa.com/sellsheets/polycolor.pdf It may take a while for the pdf to open. For artist grade pencils, I wouldn't be happy with their lightfastness. Over 25% of their 72 pencils rate in the 1 to 2 stars. This doesn't mean I wouldn't buy them, I just wouldn't want to be paying near Faber Castell Polychromos prices for them.
Thank you, great review!
This is great to see, thank you for sharing your lightfast tests! I'm really impressed with the Polychromos ofcourse...well they are my favourite. But I think Prismacolour Premier did quite well too, especially if you consider their cost. They're very affordable on Amazon (not sure about their prices in-store). FC Classic colour pencils held up fairly well don't you think? Except the pale colours, all the colours did great. And these are super cheap too..I do enjoy using them. Been using them since my school days. Now crayola was very interesting to see, impressive how well they held up. One would think Prismacolor Scholar would do a bit better considering their price but still not a bad deal overall. Good to see some scholar grade pencils doing well lightfastness wise.
Hey. For the budget pencils, Crayola did the best, but it is probably not a fair comparison when you compare a 24 set to 48 and 60 sets. Scholar did ok, but they are not cheap for me to get. Premiers are nearly the same price and inexpensive, so I would always choose premier over scholar simply because of the lightfast results and the color intensities. I was a bit disappointed in the FC Classics, as the classics are not cheap for me to buy, and I really like them for drawing with. I like the feel, how they blend and sharpen. Overall, from what I have tested, if you want your art to last, use artist grade pencils. I picked up some UV spray which I will play around with at some point and see how well that works.
Do you continue your lightfast test? It would be interesting to see the Polychromos results after 3 years
I will try to post a summary in the comments and pin it! Been a struggle lately to find the time.
@@RelecFilms thank you, that would be very helpful
It's a shame the flesh tones overall are slightly faded for those that like to do portraits!
Thank you for this test! I am so glad, because I have the biggest sets of both brands. I want to sell my artwork and wonder if both are good enough or I should buy the Derwent Lightfast for example. But they are very expensive. But now I am confused!
The test shows I can’t trust the labeling of lightfastness on the pencils. Because the colour „green light“ is rated with three stars...
And „pink madder lake“ two stars. A youtuber made a test for 7 days in direct sunlight to get quick results. She compared some red hues of different brands. The Polychromos „scarlet red“ was disappointing although rated with three stars. Cheaper brands did better. I don’t understand that 😟
Excellent . . . very helpful. Thanks!
Do all the prismacolour have the same lightfast rating, or are thrones that faded a lower rating? Not sure if this data is stated, but it would help if it were.
They have a chart.
www.dick-blick.com/pdfs/20508color.pdf
@@RelecFilms Thanks. A number of folks have done similar videos showing similar fading. W/out the lightfast info included, we can’t determine if it faded b/c of a low-value lightfast rating or if it’s just not that great a product.
That said, ideally Prismacolor releases a set of their top tier lightfast color pencils. Lightfastness is important to a lot of us out here, and it’d be awful nice of them to pack ‘em all ip in a single box.
Thanks for the video! Nicely done. Thanks also for replying!😎
Thanks for your work
i'm listing just the colors that you mentioned to have faded.
according to the lightfastness chart released by prismacolor following ASTM D6901-06:
grade V (poor lightfastness)
-yellowed orange
-blush pink
-limepeel
-apple green
-lilac
-light cerulean blue
IV
-pink
II (this is supposed to be very lightfast, i'm disappointed that a grade II would fade in 6 months)
-ginger root
faber-castell polychromos uses *** rating:
***(three-star, supposedly the most lightfast, disappointed that a 3-star would fade in 6 months. supposedly good for 100+ years)
-light green
-medium flesh
-light flesh
** (two-star, supposedly good for about 25+ years)
-pink madder lake
The 100+ year ratings for the Faber Castell are in tested under Museum Conditions. I would assume this means no exposure to sunlight. My test of putting them in a window is probably the equivalent to 50 years of Museum exposure per year. From all the tests I have done, Faber Castell has performed the best with Prismacolor Premier a close second. I've searched, but been unable to find the lightfast chart for the Prismacolors, if you have a link, please post it. Of course the FC are all labelled, so it is not difficult to avoid the 2 star pencils. I'm also curious as to how the colors are affected by humidity. Our winters are super humid, but we don't see much sun. Yet I can still notice fading from the tests I did only a few months ago.
right, i didn't think about that. very important point that i completely forgot.
still, if the other higher rated colors did not fade, i think the II-rated that faded should not be a II but maybe a III, or any I that would fade if most I's don't fade. same with a 3star-rated or a 2star-rated that would fade should be a 1star-rated
pdf's online:
prismacolor:
www.scribd.com/document/351428870/Prismacolor-Soft-Core-Colored-Pencils-Lightfast-Color-Chart
polychromos:
support.fabercastell.com/helpdesk/attachments/25001638396
Thank you. Faber Castell was easy to find, but I did quite a bit of searching and failed to come up the the Prismacolor Color Chart.
@@maggyfrog I don’t understand this, too. I can’t trust this system. Look at the tests Judith Crown made of some expensive brands. There is no logic in the System. Polychromos claimed with 3 stars fade away completely, the yellows, reds and purple are gone
Do pencils fade if kept in the dark? What about displaying them with a uv protective class? Or is there a lightfast fixative that can be sprayed?
Easy ones first. Yes you can buy UV protective glass picture frames. You can pick them up from Amazon or Michaels if in the US or Canada. Krylon makes a bunch of fixative sprays with UV resistance. I would probably go into your local art store to ask which one works well with colored pencil. I would also spray it on a test piece prior to spraying it on anything you want to protect. Leave it for a few weeks and see if it has any negative affects on the piece. The test piece should be the same paper and pencils you used for the archival work. Now the tough one, assuming you mean will colored pencil drawings fade in the dark. The correct answer is probably yes. But I would guess it depends on many factors. Which pencils, what type of paper, how much time, temperature, humidity.... A good quality artist grade pencil (Polychromos) isn't going to fade in the dark, over my lifetime at least. Cheaper pencils might, I store most of my art in a room that sees no sunlight. I should go back and check to see if any of the prismacolor scholar or faber castell classics have faded.
Can you give an update after 4 years by just replying here?
I will. Just need to set aside some time to review the charts. I will post a comment and pin it. Try to get it done this week!
I have written to you before and I was just watching this video and you are a neighbor to me. I live in Washington state also. but I am in Yakima. Helloooooo Neighbor!!!
Lisa Bellinger - hey Lisa. I was just down in Washington state for a short visit. Although no where near Yakima. I'm hoping to get back down and see the Mariners play this summer.
I thought you said you lived on the coast over by Seattle? My Daughter lives in Seattle.
Lisa Bellinger - Vancouver
Oh in Canada?
Lisa Bellinger - Yes.
Thank you so much for doing this! You are the only person I have seen that has. :) Have you tried the Koh I Noor colored pencil or know anything about their lightfastness? I only find vague references.
Your Welcome. I haven't used Koh-I-Noor Colored Pencils. Yet! They aren't common where I live and to buy them I would have to pay a premium price. As for lightfastness, they have results for their polycolor pencils posted at www.kohinoorusa.com/sellsheets/polycolor.pdf
It may take a while for the pdf to open. For artist grade pencils, I wouldn't be happy with their lightfastness. Over 25% of their 72 pencils rate in the 1 to 2 stars. This doesn't mean I wouldn't buy them, I just wouldn't want to be paying near Faber Castell Polychromos prices for them.