Are Prismacolors a SCAM?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- In the classroom, it's Prismacolor Scholar pencils - but they seem super close to the more expensive Premiers. Are they the same pencils in a different package? Is this a SCAM or are they legit? Find out more!
MUSIC:
“It's My Lucky Day!” by M.D. Campbell
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© 2018 M.D. Campbell (aka Me & Boris the Bull)
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GEAR:
• Spectracolor pencils
• Berol Prismacolor pencils
• Crayola colored pencils
• Prismacolor Scholar pencils
• Prismacolor Premier pencils
• generic waterbrush
• Crayola watercolors
• Strathmore series 200 watercolor paper
• Copic Multiliner pen
For lightfast info, check this link to the Prismacolor Lightfast Chart:
tinyurl.com/yb...
I hope this video was helpful in some way. Please "subscribe" to the channel, and feel free to leave comments, thoughts or questions below. Thank you and cheers!
When I was 18 my family couldn’t afford to buy me expensive art supplies but they would get me
Stuff here n there. My dad works at waste management, and he used to get to look threw the trash coming from different stores, one day he came across the set of 79 Prismacolor pencils, he was so excited to bring them home to my mom and I, some were broken but they were able to fix them up. After using crayola and roseart pencils I was so mad that I had never experienced real art supplies.
That is so awesome!! I can imagine how excited your dad must have been, to be able to surprise you with high end pencils. Love love love your story. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Wet Paint your dad is soooooo sweet! I’m glad you got the opportunity to use higher quality supplies- especially without the crazy price!
Wet Paint: You are blessed that your parents were supportive of your art interests. My mom was very supportive of my art and would buy any art supplies I needed (key word-needed. I didn't get everything I wanted LOL). My father was not supportive and told me I was going to become a secretary because they always had work. I've had more than a few jobs but never once was I a secretary LOL. But I've read some sad stories on these drawing and art videos about lack of support from loved ones. So I'm glad to read a story about people being supportive. Don't forget to thank them.
Man, thats awesome! Good for your dad! Hope you thanked him well. That's pretty awesome that he remembered and brought that home thinking of you and your hobby/passion.
God be with you and your loved ones, amen.
Another difference between the two is the lightfastness - the premier pencils are fade resistant, while the scholar ones are not. For some reason that tends to bump the price of art materials up.
Tiny Bird It bumps the price because some pigments are more expensive to produce than the cheap dyes. But if you do some research you'll quickly find that prismacolors are not all lightfast.
Tiny Bird there are still a lot of prismacolor pencils that are not lightfast enough to use
Tiny Bird prismacolors aren’t lightfast
Really?! I thought the scholar had even worse lightfastness.
Some of the pencils aren't though, like the purples are less pigmented and a lot of the mixing isn't the same.
I am grateful for folks taking their valuable time to watch! Thank you!
M.D. Campbell great informative video! I just bought the prisma premier and they are a world of difference from crayola pencils! I was thinking of doing a review on my channel! Liked and subbed can’t wait for more videos! :)
I clicked "Like" and I am not even interested in art as an activity (as opposed to looking at art). I thought your test was thorough and unbiased. The ratio of "Likes" and "dislikes" suggests that you have got it right, although I am probably not the best qualified person to judge. I arrived at this video whilst looking at videos about making plastic from milk!
Great video! I think the down votes are unhappy people who just want to share their misery, you can't improve perfection. I love this technique and can't wait to try it, the fish are so beautiful!
Thank you so much, STICKYArt Channel! I appreciate your time and kind words! Just subscribed to you as well! Cheers! :)
Thank you so much, Susan! I'm sincerely grateful for your feedback and your time checking this out. I've heard of "serial haters" on TH-cam, so I guess it doesn't surprise me. I just think it's a missed opportunity to help me improve the content and the channel. Ah well! :)
Most of the time, student vs artist quality is more about lightfastness, which was not discussed in this video. That said, I long ago stopped using “Newsprint” because every now and then, I’d fall in love with something I did on newsprint. I’ve held onto those newsprints a very long time. They are not doing well, and they are stored in archival boxes and getting good conservation treatment. So.. there is no point in comparing artist vs student without taking lightfastness into consideration.
Thank you!!! I thought all comments would touch on this point but surprisingly enough I had to scroll a lot to find this... Lightfastness is always the main difference between artist and student quality materials, all materials...
I did wonder why he missed that out. To be honest though I've heard it said often that prismacolours have notoriously bad lightfastness anyway.
lightfastness ? you mean the more expensive pencils are more UV-resistant ? thought that only mattered for the paper used
Excuse my ignorance as I am not an artist in the slightest, but what is lightfastness?
Much appreciated.🙏🏻
Means the work won't fade when exposed to light for a long period of time.
I've had lots of experience with both Scholar and Premier. The main difference i see is layering. i do realistic photograph like pictures with a harsh burnishing technique. Premier is great for this. Scholar on the other hand does NOT like to layer well and tends to have an uneven pigment that causes scratches on my paper that cant be erased. The man in this video didn't demonstrate this technique at all, so of course he didn't see that much of a difference in the two. OVERALL if you want a strong even coverage using lots of pressure to create photo realistic artwork, Premier is DEFINITELY the a worthy investment, b/c you can't used the same technique with any other pencil without ripping the paper (trust me I've tried). BUT if you just want to do the classic pencil techniques using light strokes that show the texture of the paper (like the man in this video), get scholar b/c there's really no noticeable difference.
hope this helped someone!
The man in the video was merely presenting a more casual comparison, not a specialized focal comparison. Still, he appreciates your feedback, sincerely! ;)
Depends which type of paper you use.
@@MDCampbell Blending and layering is the bread and butter of the Premier pencils. That's why we pay extra for them.
Thank you for writing this!
Thanks for this information. I paint in every genre. The thought of not smearing when blending portraits is a must. Your experience that the Premier blends well and does not smear. Well, the results justify the cost. When you are a World renowned artist, you use the very best.
Prismacolor premier are pretty cheap on amazon.15 bucks for the 48 set.
Wow, In my Country the cost is 67 USD
I bought a pack of like 120 or something for like 30$ or something when my local Michaels was charging 70$ for like 80 or so. Been using them over the past year and love them.
40% off 1 item coupon at Hobby Lobby
$25 at Wal-Mart actually for the 48 pack www.walmart.com/ip/Prismacolor-Premier-Colored-Pencils-48-Assorted-Colors/15064164
I got all 150 for $84 on Amazon.
Wow, man! I wish I had access to an art room like that at my high school. I hope your honors students know how fortunate they are. And getting a chance to learn under a practicing pro can't be understated either. Good for them. As for the pencils. Great review! Only other reason I can think of to choose the Premiere pencils would be lightfastness, a fine artist preference to be sure but an important one for any art that might hang.
Great video! Loved the fancy graphics too, very well done. I have prismacolor from the early to mid 1980s because my art teacher had my mother get them for my lessons and they were Berol, they were great pencils, I still have some stubs from them! I have stanfords form the late 1990s that I also loved. I was dismayed at all of the bad reviews they had recently but had been tempted by the low price for the prismacolor premier on Amazon so I ordered a small set to compare between my moldie oldies and the new ones and it seems that they have corrected whatever growing pains they had when they moved their factories from USA to Mexico and all seems to be right as rain with them. I was so pleased that I ordered the 250 set on amazon when the price dropped to $59 and I also grabbed a couple 36 sets for $10 each at AC Moore when they had a special to have on hand for gifts. I wish I grabbed more LOL! That is a lovely gift with a sketch book or coloring book I think.
It makes sense that the Scholar is a good pencil. It is good to make your student grade good so when a child grows up they stick with the trusted brand. For instance Sennelier's La Petite Aquarelle is fabulous and I can hardly tell the difference between the artist and student line. If the student line was relable you would trust the artist line and keep people brand loyal. Also I think the harder way in the Scholar will keep the pencils from breaking as easily especially with kids who are more likely to drop the pencils and shared supplies take more abuse that personally purchased and owned supplies. I am really glad you liked these, I feel like they have gotten a bad rap. Tell your students that Amazon usually beats all other prices for the Prismacolor premier pencils. Great review!
"Fancy graphics!" lol! Best part is that I found a typo in the Scholar bullet points and had to go back and redo the whole bunch, which set me back a good hour of post-production! LOL! Your point about brand loyalty is really important, which was one of the primary reasons for doing this comparison. Many students in the class were talking about, "the Scholar pencils are crappy school pencils and we should be using the Premier ones cuz they're WAY better!" and "I'm going to buy the Premier one's at AC Moore this weekend." I told them to hold off and let me just test them out and find out exactly what the differences are - obviously, that led to making the video. Best part is, though, they listened, and I did an in-class demo to show the kids the difference. Most of them are just fine, now, using the Scholars and I told them if they really became good with those, then maybe step up and buy something a little higher quality.
Anyhow, thank you so much for taking your time to watch and such fantastic feedback! It really means a lot to me! I really do miss my old Spectracolors and used them like no other art supply I've had. I hope you're doing great, my friend! Thank you and stay well! :)
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich ..I was at acmoore last week in Augusta they still have those 10$ sets.
Naomi Campbell thanks! I'll check Bangor!
I say own both like me. Scholar’s for the initial underlying layer’s (cheaply done) and finishing layers for the Premier! Besides Premier is not really that expensive in the world of professional quality pencils and you can get them at great prices!
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich ... Prisma premeires comes in 150 not 250 😉
Anybody else hear "adorable metal tin" when he actually said "a durable metal tin"?
Yeah, I caught him say that, too. What a goof. ;)
Yes!! Lol.
I heard adorable
But yall know what he ment so why dis him when all he try to do is help yall be buggin and be hating for no reason
@@michealrivera8524 umm...I don't see how anyone is dissing or hating on him.
Did I miss something?
Seems to me this is the same dilemma faced by musicians. Do you buy a guitar for around $500 or a guitar around $2500? The $500 guitar sounds great, but the $2500 guitar sounds a little better. But does it sound so much better than it's worth paying 5x more? And who notices anyway? Whether it's art materials or guitars, it's the artist who notices the difference, not the audience. Both your fish drawings looked fantastic to me, but if I had to choose, I'd go for the student quality one - but then who am I to judge?
Funny, a lot of folks told me they liked the Scholar fish better. I did, too. As for guitars, I have a $50 acoustic my brother gave me when I was about 12 when he quit playing. It's been my sole acoustic guitar for almost 40 years, now. I've bought others, like the $3000 CF Martin, which I ended up selling because I never played it. You're totally right - the artist knows the difference and even though the action on my $50 guitar is way too high, it still plays the way I love to play. Thanks for the great feedback and checking this one out. Cheers and best wishes! :)
Same for clothing... Do I buy the $2400 Zegna suit, or the $5800 Kiton?
@@MartenFerret Neither.
If you plan on putting your art on display instead of dark drawer, lightfast (premier) is better because regular ones fade. If you're a student it's best to go with medium quality affordable ones as you'll be learning and making mistakes.
O material profissional tem uma legenda. São estrelas. Cada estrela a mais significa que a cor será preservada por 25 anos. O ideal são três estrelas, no mínimo. Há matérias profissionais com mais estrelas que outros. Material profissional é composto basicamente por pigmento e aglutinante. Os artistas do passado faziam seus próprios materiais. Eles não tinham ateliês ou estúdios e sim oficinas. Ali tinham ajudantes de vários níveis e eram extraídos os pigmentos e depois da fabricados seus materiais e arte. Fazer um material profissional, significa usar os melhor pigmentos possíveis. Outra coisa importante é saber que nos casos de alguns materiais escolares, são usados apenas corantes, por exemplo guaches, aquarelas e outros. Alguns pigmentos (puros)são tóxicos e por isso devemos ter cuidado . Um artista deve usar produtos profissionais. Não seria honesto vender uma obra, sabendo que pode descolorir por causa da incidência da luz.
From my experience with prismacolor is I cant sharpen them to save my life. The slightest bit of sharpening and they break, A brand new pencil is about an 2 inches long before I can actually use it.
A recommendation on that from one of the coloring channels I watch: lay pencils on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let cool. Another problem with the sharpening is that the "lead" isn't straight in the barrels - quality control issue. I wanted to hate the Premiers and resisted buying, but....I just put up with the problems.
You can also microwave em for like 10 secs or so as long as they don't have the metallic on the side.
Microwaving them is not recommended for several reasons...super heating the wood, even for a few seconds will cause the moisture to evaporate from the wood, resulting in split shafts or cores sliding out. Also some of the pigments may contain properties that do not respond well to being heated like that...and some contain actual metal. The manufacturer recommends leaving them on a warm windowsill for a couple of hours, then an overnight cooling down.
This tip helped me a great deal, and my leads stopped breaking. th-cam.com/video/Qf-4a4vZYtE/w-d-xo.html
Nobody answered this so I will. Get their pencil sharpener. Okay now there's the scam. But it's true, the Prismacolor sharpener works really well imo.
I got the 72 pack of premier pencils on amazon for $20, supplies is so much more expensive in stores
Hi lost.gemstone! Yes, it's rather ridiculous how much retail stores will mark prices up. I referred my students to make any purchases online, as many of them wanted to go to the retail store at the mall. I know some will, but it will just show them how much of a difference in price there is. Thank you for watching and stay well! :)
my art teacher always tells us that if we want supplies for a way more accessible price to just go to the manufacturer or distributor's site (like going directly to dick blick's own website rather than going to the store or using amazon)
I wish I knew this before my semester started. I bought the 24 premire pack at an arts and craft store for like $40-53 or so and that was with two coupons...
My local art store charges over $100 for a set of 72. They have the same set at Dick Blick for about $34. A full set of Caran D'ache is available online for about $230, and when I saw the price tag in-store (over $350) I left without buying anything.
bruhhh thats a DEAL, should have bought a few and sold them for $30 each later on
I teach art, and recently had a HUGE box of very old, very dirty art supplies donated from a basement. To my amazement and excitement, when I got everything cleaned and sorted, I had a large number of Venus Spectracolor AND Berol Prismacolor. So glad to see you included them, they still work great even after all this time!
Thank you for teaching - I have such respect for anyone who takes on the role! That is simply amazing about the treasure you uncovered! Those two pencil brands are just fantastic and glad to know they still work great! Thanks so much for your time watching and your lovely feedback! Made me smile! :)
I wish I had that hand study project when I was in AP art in high school! So fun! I had to buy the metal tin ones when in school.
I have a collection of spectracolor from my dad's art stash that I have wanted to mess with more in a video. This was a neat way to show the comparison of so many types of pencils :)
Thank you, Jennifer! We spent the day going over perspective drawing and how to relate the hand, spacially, to objects in the environment. A lot of blank looks from students! lol!!! I hope all is well on your end and that you are doing great! I have a LOT of catching up to do on other channels, so I'm looking forward to stopping by very soon! Thank you for checking this out and for your thoughts! Stay well! ;)
M.D. Campbell Wow! You actually learn Them something in art class? In my art class we made potato stamps (something most of us had made in kindergarden)
Jennifer Charlee Art I wish have that now
One thing you didn't address was light-testing for colorfastness. The pro-grade pencils are almost always tested for colorfastness, which of course, adds a few pennies to the cost of the pencil. Crayola, despite actually being used by a few fine artists, has been happy enough with their "bread and butter" sales to schoolkids that they've never bothered to test their products for colorfastness.
Hi Wendy, thank you for checking this out and your feedback. In the video comments (above) I provided a link to Prismacolor's lightfast chart so viewers could review the official ratings direct from Prismacolor. I wanted to address it, but it's not always easy to get the best results, especially due to weather conditions, location, and even the kind of window glass, as they can all affect results. Plus, it would have taken months. I hope the chart is helpful. Cheers! :)
I use the colored pencils at home for therapy for PTSD.
Crayola pencils are horrible.
Sargeant are much better and cost more.
My favorite is definitely Prisma.
They "flow" instead of being harsh.
The best thing is that you can blend them to make the results look like a painting.
This is SUCH an interesting comparison! Seriously. I’m again loving those side-by-side strips that you cleaned up because they’re unbearably useful. It was also really informative and cool seeing the two fish in greyscale. Wow Mark, these reviews are so cool! And I love the time you put into the explanation of the history, and that you happen to have predecessors to compare these with.
As for me and my experience, I’ve pretty much only used random prismacolors and random crayola and I know I prefer the smoothness of the prismacolor pencils (because after being an elementary school teacher for a year and pretty much exclusively using crayola I had no idea how good I’d had it with prismacolor until Eve sent me a few in our box swap videos). I don’t think I’m into colored pencils enough to spend $60 on a set like that, but I did personally buy a set for $24 because it had like 24 pencils and I’m also a hoarder of metal tins. I think if colored pencils are one of your main mediums, just like with watercolor, it’s worth it to put in for the good stuff. I have plenty of student grade paints that perform well, but every time I go from using my Student paints back to my pro paints I’m reminded of how much better the pro paints move and how much more vibrant and lovely the pigment load is. Those things end up being important to me because how much pleasure vs. frustration a medium gives me to use makes all the difference in the final product. I think you can tell when an artist is just having fun making a piece, and the feel of the medium itself, even if it’s only slightly superior, adds up to help deliver joy.
Anyway, seriously, I’m loving your comparisons. Please don’t stop making these investigations because they’re way cool.
Thank you so much, as always, Meow Meow Kapow! You're point of view means a great deal to me, so reading your thoughts makes me really happy and glad I spent the time putting this together. It really was bugging me when using the Scholar pencils because they felt so much like the older Berol pencils I used to use. But, as I learned, the Premier's definitely faired on the higher-end side over the Scholars and I was glad to at least confirm that to myself. Now I know. It's also good because now I can have an educated/informed opinion when a student asks, "I want to buy new pencils, what do you recommend?" As for the importance you mentioned regarding student vs. artist grade materials, I am right there with you - I've perhaps become a bit of a snob when it comes to using cheaper supplies, though I still do (can't help it!). But, like you said, it's about the fun and exploration in being creative and not always about the materials. I often have fun just messing around, whereas sometimes I get tentative using really expensive stuff. Anyhow, thank you again for such amazing, wonderful and support words. I really appreciate your time and kind thoughts! Cheers! :)
M.D. Campbell I do also agree that sometimes you need the cheaper supplies to just have fun and mess around. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but when I’m getting too anxious or my flow is jammed up or whatever, I usually pull out my prima watercolors because they’re bright and colorful and fun and stress-free because of the cost. I think I’m the colored pencil world, the Student line can fill that niche. They might even be worth having as a supplement, or to do color comps with, or to individually get colors you won’t use that much but want to own. I don’t know if lightfastness is a concern with colored pencils, but that may also be a factor to consider in the long run....but my prima marketing watercolors aren’t lightfast for beans so it’s not like that really matters overall, especially when you just want to have fun. =>.
Hobby Lobby just got rid of their Prismacolor pencils and were replaced by Master's Touch, a Hobby Lobby brand. Could you do a comparison on those two. I work there and customers have asked.
That's a shame that they won't offer both, if for nothing more than the customers. The nearest one to me is about 40-50 miles away, so it's unlikely I'll be stopping by, but if I do I'll definitely look into it.
We do carry the Scholar ones. We still have not revived all of the new art supplies but I will check again.
You can still order those on their site, but i suggest the 40% off cause the price is ridiculous!
@@kittkatt032 40% is a joke for prismacolor. they are very experience at hobby lobby anyway. So when you get the 40% off in reality your buying them for the same price that you can order on Amazon.
My Hobby lobby still sells Prismacolor premier. The highest count I saw at Hobby Lobby was the 48 count. I saw them there this past weekend (Jan 18, 2020).
I used Crayolas but last year I started using Prismacolors. But then I used them together and they are great. Crayola is good for smooth solid areas like maybe glass but Prismacolors take a longer time to get smooth. They each have their own specializations, but really both can be used for anything.
The 150 package for the premieres are not a tin but a card board box.
I would say the scholar pencils dont break as easily as the premiere making them a better choice to travel with. Also I don't feel as guilty using the scholors in coloring books to practice. The premeire do come up to 150 colors while the scholors are only 60 pencils. I'm not 100% and correct me if I am wrong the scholors cannot be bought in open stock while the premeires can be. The premeires have gotten so low in price point they are almost as cheap as the scholors but I like to tos my pencils in a bag so I prefer a pencil that is less likely to break.
I own both sets full sets btw.
Last point who keeps pencils in their original box anyway lol
Me ;)
Me
I wish I would have had you as a high school teacher! It would have saved me hundreds of hours of trial and error learning! Great videos
Thank you, Adeline Bird! That's such a lovely thing to say. I appreciate your thoughts and your time watching! ;)
Loved this Mark, really interesting to hear the differences and the colour tests you did made it so clear to see. Great to see your classroom too! Have you used derwent pencils? They are pretty popular over this side.
Hi Melanie! Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and for your kind thoughts. I'm thoroughly enjoying the classroom experience and have some really amazing young people to work with. They were the real reason I decided to make this video, too, based on our conversations about "the best" art supplies. As for the Derwent pencils, I have only invested in their watercolor pencils, so far. They are terrific, but I honestly haven't explored deep into the wc pencil market at this point. As for their regular colored pencils, do you like the Derwents? How might they compare to Prismacolor, in your opinion? I'll definitely look into them, as I hadn't considered them! Another brand is Prang which I used years ago, but was not especially fond of. They were fine, but once I tried the Spectracolors, all others went to the bottom of my art box! lol! I hope you are doing great, my friend! Stay well! :)
I would like an opinion about the Derwent watercolor pencils. I bought a set, also the inktense. I was under the impression that they could be used as is, or add water. I didn't do my homework. The colors are not what they should be unless water is added. I'm interested in the non-watercolor Derwent pencils as compared with the Prismacolor Premier. If either you, Melanie, or M Campbell have a comment, experiment report, etc. Thank you!
M.D. Campbell the derwent Drawing colored pencils are so soft and thick. Very easy to apply and burnish
Great video Mark! 😁 Awesome side by side comparison. I have been using prismacolor for years & I still love them. On black Friday I got the 150 set for $49 on amazon. Even though I still had my 120 from back in 2006, for that price I had to grab them. I think I easily paid $100 for my first 72 set back then. I do hope you didn't pay $60 for your 48 set. Last I looked you could get the 72 set for around $24 on Amazon. I picked that set up at Xmas for my daughter in law. 😃 I hope you are having a blast teaching & doing well my friend. 🤗
Hi Valerie! Thank you so much. Luckily, I didn't spend much on the 48 set I bought, as I had a manufacturer's coupon (from Sanford) that with my teacher's discount, cost very little. Whew! Glad to know you have your eyes on the landscape of good deals and can take advantage of great art gear when you find it. Doing great on this end and trust you are all well there, too! :)
This answered the many questions I have had about the Prismacolor pencils. I like the informative approach that you took to explain why and how. (Wish I had had you as an art teacher in school!). I am definitely going to share this with fellow color pencil pushers!
Interesting comparison! It only made me miss the older pencils more though... The Berol, Canadiana and Laurentien pencils that used to be everywhere around here! I still have a few that were hand-me-downs but yeah. There's a lot of nostalgia into the mix!
I think the Scholar fish came out smoother than the Premier one, as if the harder leads were easier to control, perhaps?
Thank you, Eve! I definitely miss the "old days" of art supplies and feel very nostalgic for my youth when I indulge in using some of my old art supplies. Unfortunately, I got rid of many, many things throughout my life, like inks, gouache, and airbrushing gear, which part of me desperately wishes I'd held onto, now. But, c'est la vie! Now is the time to explore what I have and what I've never tried! As for the Scholar fish, I'd have to agree with you. I definitely think the harder wax makes an artist have to work a little harder to achieve the desired effect. Luckily, not too much with these! I hope you are well on your end! Cheers, my friend! :)
Eve Bolt - Bolt's Vault i found u
This is something I've noticed in general with Prismacolor Premiers. They never come out smooth even if you blend them with something like Baby Oil. Even the Faber Castell Classic Colors come out smoother than them on paper. Of course, the Prismas do make up for the lack of smoothness with their vibrancy, I think.
Try using rubbing alcohol to blend.
Wow! I loved the way you showed the differences in pencils. I have not used the highest grade pencil yet and after seeing this I'm not sure I would go out and spend the extra money. Thank you.
Hmm interesting!! My color pencils are $2, and my students use Crayola (they're in elementary school haha). Other than that, I don't know very much about color pencils at all LOL!
Having both of those pencils, I’m no expert, but I can tell the difference in how the pencils feel.
I am not an artist and have only ever really used cheap colored pencils. Therefore, I never liked using colored pencils. However, for Christmas this past year, my MIL gave me a package of Prisma Color Premier and I fell in LOVE!!!😍😍😍 I never knew pencils could be that good! I was coloring everything I could even offering to color some of my son's workbook pages for him!!! Great video, now at least I understand why I like them so much! For the most part, I am more into the fabric and cosmetic art forms personally. I can't draw a stick finger to save my like, but can crochet you a beautiful snuggly afgan or trendy fingerless gloves! 😀
Snuggly afgans and trendy fingerless gloves are nothing to shake a cheap colored pencil at! I have many friends that are skilled in the weaveworks, which is something I have no experience with and admire greatly. I remember when my mom used to knit blankets for the elderly - she couldn't draw or paint, either, yet she crafted some of the most amazing things which she just gave away to people less fortunate. I always remembered that, so thank you for helping me to find that memory today, and for checking this video out! So glad you liked it, Alison Self, and that you've fallen for your colored pencils! Enjoy them, even if you only use them once in a while. Cheers! :)
Hi there.
I am what is known as a heavy-handed colorist. I color for the sheer pleasure of it. I gotta tell you, I had a lovely easel box of what was called, "Berol Verithin's", back in the early '70s. (No, I'm not old!). I have 1 or 2 of them still. I also had an inexpensive set of water based markers. My parents, my mom mostly, being creative people, wanted to nurture my love for coloring when I was 10 or 11. I still have some of the books I used back then. Boy have coloring books changed! Yes. I'm in heaven.
I bought a set of 24 Prismacolors, and sure, the pigments are intense, but I must be the queen of smear. I may try them at some point, but I think that I will stick to oil based pencils. That said, I have many of the "cheap", student or children's brands of colored pencils. So, I participated in an all-book coloring challenge, and made the decision to use a different set of pencils for each page. The Prismacolors page is VERY vibrant. But, I like a few of the sets. CraZart, Leisure Art, Crayola, Crayola Twistables, Prang, Loew-Cornell, Staedtler, Marco Raffine', Timeless Creations (by CraZart), iArtker, Funlavie, Lelix, Feela, Wanshui, Positive Art, Prismacolors, AND, Whirling watercolor (similar to Crayola Twistables), Art Magic Watercolors. Like I said, a few sets. Yes, some of these sets are hard, some smooth, and a couple soft.
To make it fair-ish, I colored every page using the same simple technique, and placing colors in similar design elements. My simple, silly technique, was go in hard, to get as much pigment on the page, and burnish well. I discovered that I don't mind the slightly harder leads. The Loew-Cornell set I have is at least 15 years old, and the worst to use. I actually got discouraged for the first time. It is SO hard. Nope! I can honestly say, I hate them. (too strong?)
I think you should "play" with the Crayola Twistables. Softer than tradional Crayola pencils. Once they are burnished, they are unchangeable. But, the pigments are fantastic. I love their reds! That is a great page.
Anyway, there are some good pencils that aren't so hard. You can get beautiful results, maybe not Prismacolor results, but definitely good choices.
(I did the same thing with the 2 watercolor pencil sets, no water, and got 2 of the prettiest pages.)
Love to see how you would use any of the sets I mentioned.
Thanx,
Mindy
The 68 dislikes are prisma color employees
How so? He says in his video that the Premiers are not a scam, so I don't see why a Prismacolor employee would dislike him proving that the Premiers and Scholars are not exactly the same and it's not a scam.. lol.
Akiko Fujishima dont try to justify this hilarious comment. its just REALLY FUNNY to say "the people who disliked this are blankity blank lol"
SüccoJones so true
LOL
trash - What do you mean, "The 68 dislikes are Prismacolor employees?" Did you actually watch the video? M.D. Campbell didn't say they were a scam at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. This guy gave Prismacolor Premier glowing reviews. He said they were nearly "artist grade." He said there's a clear, distinct, and noticeable difference between Prisma Premier colored pencils and ordinary colored pencils you'd normally buy such as Crayola colored pencils and such. When he did the comparisons, he was constantly talking about how the Prisma Premiers were superior to all except the 1980s Spectracolor, which he admitted were his favorite colored pencils he's ever owned. When he did the Fish Comparison drawing, he talked about how he immediately perceived a (positive) difference in not only the feel of the pencil on the paper, but the brightness of the colors.
So, with all that being said, I simply fail to see or understand why "Prismacolor Employees" would have been the people to dislike this video. Generally, people post this sort of stuff when the video or whatever it is they're commenting on speaks negatively about something. For example, let's say someone created a video explaining how the band "U2" is totally overrated and shouldn't be considered one of the greatest Rock & Roll bands of all-time, and that video happened to have, oh, let's say 38 "Dislikes." In that scenario, it would be completely understandable for someone in the comment section to post some cliche comment like, "Welp, apparently 38 butt-hurt U2 fanboys watched this video and got triggered," obviously implying that all of the dislikes were from U2 fans. It makes sense because it's a video portraying U2 in a negative light, thus one would expect U2 fans to disagree with, and "dislike," the video.
However, in this video, it is actually a positive review. He's saying the Prismacolor Premiers are NOT a scam. Therefore, there is no reason for a "Prismacolor Employee" to be upset or offended and "dislike" this video unless the Prismacolor Employees are either disgruntled employees and so they hate Prismacolor or, for some odd reason, they happen to hate the products they make, but I don't think either of those scenarios are very likely.
Another huge point (which many have already mentioned) is Premier also comes in a set of 150 pencils (box, not tin), whereas Scholar does not.
Plus, shopping around online helps too. I bought my 150 pc. Premier set years ago via Amazon for *way* less than what Blick's or Michael's sells them for. However there are risks going through Amazon, as some reviewers have received duplicate trays, or the box got jumbled around during shipping and the lead cores ended up breaking (which by the way, super glue works perfect for gluing a broken tip back into the pencil - You are welcome for that tip).
The *only* Prismacolor thing I bought "in store" was my 200 pc. Prismacolor Duel Tip Brush Marker set. Even then I ran into complications, as I *always* make a color swatch of all the colors, and the very first color put down, the brush tip crumbled it was so dried out - Luckily Blick's was nice enough to replace those that were dried out for no expense (except for the $20 in gas it cost me to travel back out to the cities, lol) ...
Since I was 12 yrs old, I've always, always wanted a set of Prismacolor Colored Pencils, and as an artist I strive to have a complete set of whatever it is (aka go big or go home, lol). I feel that working with the Premier set has helped my work a lot, as they do blend very well, that doesn't go without saying, that you should know what your're doing before going out and just blowing a ton of money on some pencils. I didn't get these pencils until I was 31 yrs old and that was more because my budget as a starving artist never allowed me to be able to attain them.
Anyways, that's my two penny's on the situation. As for Prismacolor Markers vs. Copics ... I also choose Prismacolor, Copics are messy, they lay *way* too much pigment down (are extremely wet) from my experience with them, they also don't blend as well as expected.
Another product I'd recommend are Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Water-based markers (Which I use for water coloring) - Which can be found on Amazon as well for a reasonable price.
P.S: I've always wanted to be an Art Teacher! ^_^
Hi Mrs Murder! That 150 piece set must be fantastic! Wow! So many colors! I love that you've been able to acquire some terrific supplies and experience both the positives and negatives of them (ugh! broken pencil cores! Nice super glue tip!!). Prismacolor and Copic dominate the market, and not without good reason, but there's a lot of other products out there that may work just as well or close to them, though they don't get the attention. I'll have to look into the Kuretake markers, as I've never seen them before. Thank you so much for your feedback and for checking this one out. And as for being an art teacher, it's sincerely a wonderful experience! Cheers! :)
M.D. Campbell ^_^
It is nice to have a lot of colors to be able to work with, but you are absolutely correct in the fact that there are products aside from the super expensive ones that can do nearly identical work.
My daughter Sage is an aspiring artist, and I've given her my old set of generic markers I ordered off EBay (knock offs of Touch Fives) and she loves them, they may not be "brush" tips, as they are chisel & fine tip, but she cherishes them nonetheless. She also loves to ask me that "If you die mom, can I have all your art stuff?" (A ball of sunshine she is) ... Lol, she's worried I'll leave it all to her siblings apparently. But she's managed to make wonderful art with all my old stuff like Crayolas, generic paints & clays, etc.
Yeah I discovered the super glue (or even fake nail glue) works awesome for broken tips, it beats having to get up and microwave the pencil every time one breaks, lol.
As for the Kuretake pens/markers, I know they come in a couple different size sets, they really are fun to work with - I wish we could post pictures on here as I'd share what they are capable of, but alas we can't.
But thank you for the response :) and reading my novel of a comment(s) that I tend to write, lol.
Gosh, I wish I had real artprojects in high school ‘in my time’ about 25 yrs ago. The only thing I can reminder was to draw the other half of a image. I choose a image from Anne Geddes - baby. I was really proud of it! My teacher didn’t believe I drew it myself… 🤦♀️😭 He said I wasn’t creative. That made me so insecure and I never drew again…until two years ago. Now I draw whole portraits and…I am a teacher (not in art) and I never (!) made of will make a comment about the art from a student. When a student shows you his/her artwork (drawing, painting, singing, dancing or acting) the student shows you his vulnerability and trusts you with his personal art.
Instead of making a (stupid) comment I will ask ‘What’s the story behind it?’ I’ve had the most beautiful and personal conversations with kids from the age 12-18 yrs old. 💛 and because of a simple question I got a good relationship with them.
So, dear people, if you are thinking of becoming a teacher (or you already are)…Just ask about the story behind it and feel proud that the child has that kind of trust in you when he/she shows you Art.
PS. I would’ve loved to have really good pencils back then. All we had was three graphite pencils and an eraser 🥲
Ah yes, the art supplies of our youth were not quite where they are today, are they? We didn't have the internet to introduce us to such incredible tools. I remember reading a watercolor magazine back in art school and there was some brand I'd never heard of. I tried to find it everywhere, but all the local stores had never heard of it. Later, I would realize it was M. Graham and now, it's available and I adore it! lol!
As for comments made by teachers, well, I live by the adage, "question marks open conversations while periods close them." I've taught that to students, peers, and even my kids. I like your position of, "what's the story behind it." I have a way of looking at a piece of art and analyzing it very quickly, pulling out specific areas of a piece and challenging the artist to walk me through their thinking process. For example, "this dark area here is really interesting and pulls my eye right to it - what was your thought process in that area?" Based on their response, I can then offer my opinion, if they're interested to hear it. I never offer my opinion without offering it first. If they reject it, I say okay and move on.
Thank you so much for checking this one out and leaving such thoughtful feedback and discussion! I am grateful! Cheers! ~ Mark
My experience has been much like yours, but I appreciated your structured testing and commentary. Have Premiers (and FCs) for my art & keep the Scholars for the grandkids.
Thank you, Anne Henderson, for both watching and your thoughts. I will say, if the grandkids get the Scholars, they're going to be very happy! They're really good colored pencils, for sure!
For my own personal use, I use the premier--soft,easy to blend,dont break easily, intense color as you showed. But for students the scholar pencils are a really nice substitute. They do break easily though and it seems that if the pencil falls on the floor, the entire stick of color inside the wood will break in several places. Then when the students sharpen the pencil, pieces inside keep breaking off. This makes it difficult to sharpen and get a fine point. The plastic blister pack, designed to stand as a triangular holder IS WORTHLESS. Its so flimsy and teenagers attempting to stand it as it displays pencils, become frustrated as it spills the pencils no matter how delicately it is handled. I dont use Crayola --too hard and students have difficulty blending them. Blick student grade are close in quality to the Scholar but still a bit hard and the color intensity isnt there. Bought a small pack of the premiere just so students could understand the difference but the price is too inhibitive. Students really respond to the softness of the scholar pencils and are very happy with their quality.
Thank you so much for watching, la wilder and for the thoughtful reply! I'm having the same experience where students are happy with the results of the Scholars. ;)
I don't own a ton of art supplies, but I do have the Prismacolor Scholar 60 set and the Prismacolor Premier 72 set...the Scholar pencils really are quite good, and I use them as much as my Premier set.
I do the same thing, Aaron Henderson! I use both the Scholars and Premiers, together. For the work I do, it just works well! Thanks for checking this one out! ~ Mark
I've been using my post-NAFTA Prismacolors lately, and the experience has both reminded reminded me of why I used to love Prismas and why I came to hate them. I received my birthday presents today, and I broke one of my Prismas in the Official Prismacolor Sharpener I unboxed today. I also noted how much better my $1.65 sharpener performed with my new Tombow Irojiten as opposed to the Prisma. The quality of the wood casing *matters*. Just sayin'.
Anyway, since I can't stand to throw my remaining Prismacolors away, but I couldn't square it with my conscience to give them away to an unsuspecting innocent, I'm going to use them up on coloring books with low-quality paper before going back to my Polychromos. Meanwhile, I'm going to silently mourn the wonder that was the Prismacolor Premium Colored Pencil before they closed down their proprietary factory in the U. S. and out-contracted their manufacture to the lowest bidders.
Well written, Astrin Ymris! The quality of the wood _definitely_ matters! Cheaper materials produce cheaper results. I will mourn with you, for sure! lol! Thank you for watching and for the very thoughtful comment! Cheers!
You should try the Dick Blick brand pencils use them in college they're actually pretty nice I like them more than prismacolor
I just saw a review today where the Blick brand pencils came in #1 out of 33.
I think the scholar line is brighter while the premier are darker. Sort of like a different lighting level. There is enough differences in the two fish to make visual comparison more subjective than should be. The grey scale shows all sorts of differences that make a comparison not really valid.
Thank you, Robbob9933. I got similar feedback from folks on Facebook, too. I have to agree. ;)
As both a newbie to watercolor and a parent who’s trying to support and interact with my child who adores and is so good at various art mediums I truly appreciate and enjoyed this video. It’s filled with so much info for history and things so applicable to my experiences now.
Thank you so much, Kim Daniel, for both watching and for the kind feedback. It's nice to know that the work that I'm doing here has a positive impact and is relatable to someone like yourself. I hope your enjoying your creative journey with watercolor and your child is exploring as much as possible. At some point, they'll feel like they've explored everything, and that's where kids are fortunate (more than us) to have things like TH-cam to introduce them to all kinds of new things. Thank you again and best wishes! ~ Mark
I would love to see a similar comparison using Scholar and Premiere on Artist quality paper, with Artist level watercolors and brushes. This was amazing! Loved it!
Thank you so much, NightValeBunny! I appreciate your time and thoughtful comment. I haven't done a direct comparison, but I often use both pencils in my work (based on need) and in videos. I'll try to make note of it in future videos. Stay well!!!
Wow! I wish you was my art teacher way back when I was in high school. The sbs art teachers were always so much better at teaching art. I have tried most of these color pencils and for my money and my use of the media, I have chosen Crayola. Prismacolors do lay down colors easy but I can't justify the cost. There is a brand that is really better than Crayola and just about as good as Prisma but the cost per pencil is lower than Prang. Their name is Raffine. The down side has nothing to do with the quality but because they come from China, waiting for delivery is very long. Thank you for your video Mark. I enjoy watching and learning from you. Hugs!
Hi Connie! Hugs right back to you! Thanks so much for watching and for your valuable insight. I had a set of Prang years ago, but wore them down to tiny nibs and eventually threw those away. I am not familiar with Raffine but will definitely look into them! And as for being your art teacher back then, it would have been my pleasure, for sure! :D
I wish you had a different English teacher. It's , "I wish you WERE my art teacher....
I've seen Raffine colored pencils on both Jerry's Artarama and Amazon, but sadly not in open stock. :-(
I just bought a 72 set of prisma premiers for 24.95. Thats not a bad price point at all. Some places over charge about 50-75! Ridiculous! But you need to look. Amazon has them.. and blicks (great prices too) and groupon has them for about 25.00 too. It was worth 25.00 for me to get the 72 piece premiers. I like the waxy feel. I hate that dry pencil feel. Like nails on a chalk board. Ugh. Hope this helps others.
Definitely some great deals out there! I've found several, too. Thanks for the heads up! Cheers! :)
I’ve had this video in my Watch Later for YEARS and I honestly can’t believe I’ve never watched it until now. I’ve been out of high school and therefore out of art classes and the studio for a few years now, and you’ve reminded me how fun and exciting learning can be.
Excellent review. This was very helpful to me. I bought the Scholar pencils because they were significantly cheaper and I'm new to Adult coloring. I'm happy to hear that the Scholars are considered to be a good choice for any artist. I've had success with them.
I really appreciate your feedback, Richard Baker. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Also, enjoy your new exploration with adult coloring. It's an absolutely fun way to meditate and block out the world while you explore your creative side. I'm happy for you! Cheers! ~ Mark
Nice video! I was able to get the Prismacolor 72 set on sale for around 30 bucks, otherwise I would have probably bought the Scholar pencils.
I dunno, egg, I think the set you got is probably a better bet than the Scholars. That's the same as I use on a regular basis and I have no regrets. Enjoy them and thank you for checking this one out! :)
I'd be curious to see other blending techniques and layering different colors with each other, I think that's where the differences are likely to get much more pronounced. However, I think one big drawback on the Scholars is availability in open stock and the other big drawback is color choices, 150 vs 58 is quite a difference.
Thank you for checking this out, John. I agree. I think if I were to do a tutorial, as I do in the classroom, it would be ideal to showcase techniques and how to use them. Perhaps that's something for a future video! :)
That explains why the prismacolors I fell in love with in the 90's seem to work different from the ones I have now. My set I had back then was over $1700, and were wonderful....they don't seem to work the same now
Oh my, that's really a lot of money, Melissa! But, yes, I do agree things are different now. Funny, we ordered pizza from Papa Gino's (not sure if they are where you are), a chain in my area. I worked for them in high school and always loved their pizza. However, 30 years later and it was awful. Nothing like what it used to be. I wondered if it was _me_ that changed, but my wife agreed and said it didn't have the same "kick" it used to have. Unfortunately, so many companies and so many of their products fall into that "make it cheaper and faster" philosophy and we, the consumers, have to accept it or go with something else. For me, I went with Polychromos and I'm happier. Thank you for watching and leaving your thoughts. Cheers! :)
I have had to stop using the Premier line due to extensive breakage problems. The quality of the manufacturing of the pencils has changed over the past 5-10 years. While the Premier definitely has the best pigmentation, if the pencil is gone in 10 strokes why bother? Check the bottom of the pencil. If the wood casing is merged into the pigment, don't buy the pencil. It will break easily. I have switched to Polychromos and Luminance. I don't care how expensive they are because if I don't use them, I need to give up doing colored pencil drawings.
Gotta love the Polychromos! Thank you! :)
Great video. I've been using my Prismas a lot lately & am really disappointed in them. Out of 120 (?), i had over 40 that were damaged & now more the leads are breaking while I'm using them for no reason. I've bought every sharpener every colorist has recommended. The lead is centered in most of the pencils too. I love to color with them but so frustrated. It's too late to return them. I don't really like my Polychromas. Think I'm going back to Crayolas like I started with!!
Hi Nanci. Sorry to hear about the poor experience with Prismacolors. I remember hearing that if your pencils continue to break when sharpened, to lay them in direct sunlight for 10 minutes to warm the wax. Some people recommend microwaving them for a few seconds, too, though I've never tried it. When the wax becomes too brittle, it obviously breaks easier. I had that problem, too. Thank you for watching and leaving your thoughts! I always say, go with what works best for you! Cheers!
Great comparison! Loved that you got into the history of it! I have the 24 col-erase set. Don't know how they compare but they're cheap and nice for sketching.
Thank you, Grace!! I always appreciate your time and thoughtful feedback! Cheers! :)
You can really appreciate that difference in pigment and soft lead when you're working with them all day, your hands don't get tired or cramp up so easily, especially if you're spending a week on a piece. Thanks for doing the comparisons and making this video, it definitely answered the question.
You are welcome, toomanythings, and thank you for taking your time to watch and leave thoughts. I appreciate that! :)
Great comparison and review! You know, I have a pack of these and I never used them because I thought they were shit. But now, I will certainly break them out and have a go. Thanks!
Hi John! Yes, I understand that. I thought Scholars were going to be cheap, but after using them I was surprised. Always worth revisiting if you have them, as you have nothing to lose but time using them! lol! Cheers!
Very useful, thank you. I'm wondering if there may be a difference in how lightfast the pencils are? Do they age differently if exposed to daylight?
Hi mpsensha! The lightfast ratings for Prismacolor pencils are kind of all over the place, based on their pigment. Some yellows are great and resist fading, while many deeper violets respond poorly to light and fade quickly. There's a lot of info out there on specific ratings, but like I said, in my experience, it's been kind of a mish-mosh of results, which is why I rarely display colored pencil artwork in locations where sunlight is abundant (and I love lots of sunlight! lol!) Cheers and thank you for watching and chiming in! :)
I have some of the same Prismacolors I used when I got my illustration degree in 1988. They were state of the art back then because they seemed to be the only company concerned with light fastness and color stability. They replaced or removed many colors over the years due to oxidizing pigments and fading color. It's not the best medium for longevity and illustrators are told they don't need lasting artwork.Yet think of all those students who's mothers will hang up their art.Is there some way to test for lightfastness? I have a drawing that's been hanging for 30 years and it suffers only from the oxidation problem. I've moved on to other media but my kids now use that set of Prismacolors.
There are differences in lightfastness among the brands. The Colored Pencil Society of America asked Caran d'Ache to create a 100% lightfast line of pencils and they are called Luminance. They are very expensive, each pencil is $5.40. However, your drawing will last just as long as the pilot paintings of the Old Masters. You can get lightfastness data on all the pencils from the Colored Pencil Society of America.
So true! If having your hard work displayed is important to you, I'd stick with a brand that openly tells the user their lightfast ratings. I personally like the Polychromo's (Faber Castell) b/c each color pencil uses a star rating system. It's quite simple to easily see which pencils have the best lightfast quality. Of course, if just starting out as a student learning how to draw and simply learning coloring techniques, save the more expensive brands like Polychromos (oil based) for later on down the road. Just a thought....
I have to say, to me they feel completely different. The cheap Prismas feel a step above old map pencils to me.
Been using prismas and pencils since the early 90’s and still use them today for my career.
I'm with you, Sean Ozz, in that I continue to use them for my work, as well, though I have made the transition to Polychromos which I find even better. Thank you for checking this out and your feedback! Hope all is well! :)
M.D. Campbell I’ve transitioned mostly to an iPad Pro now. It is so quick to rework something for a client before going into the medium I use most. (Tattooing)
Airbrushing comes in second for me though prisma colors will always have a special place in my heart. Lol
I can totally understand that with the tattooing craft. I admire anyone who works on skin - I imagine it to be a tricky canvas, for sure. Of course, I left my own tattoos to the professionals! lol! And yeah, airbrushing... man. I spent half my career with my Iwatas, Azteks, Paasche, and Badgers. Not sure i could ever get back into now, though... not when Adobe has made things so much easier! lol! Cheers!!
M.D. Campbell the tricky part is it ages differently than canvas or paper. So many new artist don’t take that into consideration and are now doing art on people as if it’s paper and there is a slew of new tattoo art being produced that’s going to just age so badly in the next ten years. Lol
M.D. Campbell I just skimmed your channel. Some good stuff. I’m going to have to come back when I get some free time and check more out.
my experience with colored pencils has shown that the prisma pro in the tin are definitely harder to sharpen in a mechanical pencil sharpener or electric. the softer lead breaks too often. I also prefer to use a blade and make my own tip depending on what I need, light pressure, and layers is the key, using a tortillaone to blend is necessary. also storage has a lot to do with breakage. Drop that tin on the floor one time and you can bet the insides of the pencil is toast along the entire barrel. In art school we were told to store our pencils in a cloth wrap up case similar to brush carrier. I buy what is on sale and best suits my needs with distress inks out on the market now you can use those to bump up the intensity. You just have to label your work mixed media.
I have to agree that the best method would be with an Xacto knife to sharpen. I'm just too lazy! lol!
Great video. There may be a difference in the lightfastness of the pigments as well. The Premiers are recommended for colouring copper where the colours are heated after application.
Thank you, Dog Gonnit! :)
I think you got ripped off. I got a 72 pack for $40.
Hi jillfarkas. Fortunately, my cost was very low with coupon and teacher discount, so I can't complain. I merely mentioned that the price point for the Premier pencils can range in some retail environments as high as $60, which I think is high. I've seen them online for much less, so if i were to buy them again, I'd go online for sure. Thanks for watching and stay well! :)
It's 25 on amazon.
@@hiretheartist6618 i got for 50$
I got 72 pack for $90. Omg
:( :(
Just wanted to let you know dickblick online art materials has the 132 set of prismacolor premiers for 46.80! right now. Michaels sales and 50 and at times 60% coupon makes these expensive pencils more affordable.
This was very informative, and I like the fish!
Crayola has come out with an artist brand of color pencils, Michael's art sales for 27.99 can use 40% coupon daily on. I would like to see you compare those to the scholars. They seem to have good reviews. There is a 48 and 24 pack. I think stores only have the 24. Again enjoyed the tutorial.
That's a fantastic heads-up, becky quick! Thank you! I would definitely love to check out the Crayola pencils! That sounds really great! Also, for the lead to the 132 set at Blick (I still have a coupon for them, too! lol!). There's a lot of great deals to be found, but I'm afraid that a lot of beginners and even my students just run to the nearest store and pay way too much, not knowing any better. Anyhow, thank you so much and I'm grateful for your time watching and the valuable feedback! :)
becky quick but you can buy scholars at Joanns for 40% also
I don’t think you can use coupons on sale items unless they state they can be used on them, unless they changed their rules.
that is correct, as far as I know. I was just letting them know they can use the coupons on the crayola's or the prismacolors at michael's but dickblick sales cheaper with free shipping. Any order over 35 ships free.sorry for confusion.
I love the Dick Blick brand color pencils. There close to my old Berol artist pencils from the 80s
I watched so many colored pencil reviews. Yours is the most clear and most informative. Thank you!
That's a really amazing compliment - thank you so much Jingyi Nie! Much appreciated! :)
Excellent information. Had no clue there was even a student version. I have had the old spectra colors and the old prisma colors and didn’t know those were both gone now too. Thank you
Thank you, CuteeCupee! Amazing what can change when we're not looking, right? lol!! Cheers! :)
Wow I wish you were my art teacher in high school. My teacher was awful, our "projects" were taking images from Pinterest or Etsy and recreating them. She was lazy.
That is actually good for learning color placement and how to use references, even how some items react to light and if you recreated a landscape, it'll teach you perspective
But if you only did that yeah no, it's not much of a help
@@soursnoball1497 Totally agree! That's where I dveloped my love of drawing, but yes it was literally 4 years of copying others artwork while she sat at her desk haha.
I personally like the Caran d'ache Luminance 6901 better than the Faber Castell Polychromos. They are more expensive (40 for $90) but are totally worth it!
I've only purchased loose Caran d'Ache pencils because the prices always scared me away. At some point, I'd like to invest in a nice set though! Cheers! :)
I don’t get quality art supplies unless it’s my birthday or Christmas. I usually use markers so I can work faster. I don’t hate Crayola, for the price your paying they’re decent pencils.
Great video! I’m a huge fan of the premiers and I work with them often but I will definitely recommend the scholars to a lot of people for price point and quality.
Thank you, so much, David Seguyn! I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I want to make the leap to a full set of Polychromos pencils, but between the set of Spectracolors I still have and a full set of Premiers, I really can't justify the expense. Plus, I have several other sets, like the Scholars, that I don't use very often. Cheers! :)
Thank you for a clear & intelligent comparison study
Thank you for watching, BarbaraMerry Geng, and for your kind thoughts. :)
Mr Campbell, what brand or type of paper would you recommend to get the best out of colour pencilling? Thanks
I use Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed Watercolour paper 300gsm, (140lb) with my Prismacolor Premier pencils
@@gailkerr7404 Hi Gail, thanks for that. Where are you based? From what I can see, it's not possible to get that paper in the UK, except for Amazon and it's reasonably expensive. why do you like it?
@@bigdmac33 I'm not in the UK. Australia. Also Strathmore paper is cheaper and good to use with Prismacolor too
@@gailkerr7404 Hi Gail, thanks for that. I'll check out the Strathmore. 👍
You also have to take the difference of lightfastness into consideration. To my knowledge the Scholars have no claims of being lightfast at all. However, most of the Premiers have at least a good to excellent lightfast rating.
To my understanding, Michael, Prismacolor uses the same pigments in both pencils, just not the same amount (more in the Premier with less binders, less in the Scholars with more binders). If you look in the video description, I did provide a lightfast chart for anyone interested in that info. Cheers! :)
You missed one important factor: "Staying power". How long would it take for the colours to start to fade? One thing that I hear from a lot of pro artists is that coloured pencils will fade or otherwise change tone over time (especially if under natural light from the sun). Maybe that is where the extra cash comes in?
Thanks for your feedback, Plum Fun. This was a basic comparison. Any pigment left in direct sunlight would fade, whether watercolor, pencil, or pastel. I don't know anyone who hangs artwork in direct sunlight, without the protection of UV glass in the frame. Also, pro artists know that to prevent fading, an application of spray fixative or UV varnish is the only sure-fire way to prevent it. Just my thoughts. :)
Amazon - Prismacolor Premier 72 count is $25 in case someone is interested in them...
Ahh, 11mo later. No longer.
Awesome nice video.. and great to know that you are an art teacher.. i think it's a great job.. we can teach and learn at the same time.. and seriously i want to have prismacolors..
Get a job and work a whole 2 hours
I loved my Spectracolors in the 80s, I had forgotten all about them until you mentioned them.
Hi! The idea of a harder wax being better for beginners is sometimes heard of regarding coloured pencils for kindergartens. I suspect that may be because (sadly) drawing is sometimes considered a precursor to writing... Writing requires a harder and more preciser grip, and the development of a child's drawing is sometimes seen as progressing towards the socalled pencil-grip which uses the arm much less than the finer movements of the hand itself. A harder wax may be indicative of a (sales)culture believing writing is more important than drawing/painting... It is a sad sign of how blindly we value language and developmental psychology.
I never looked at it that way, Trond Birkeland, but I think you make valid points. Thank you for sharing your insight and for checking this one out! :)
Any true Artist will try to learn and absorb as much as possible. Your Video was well done and you have a great voice to listen too as well. I have subscribed and will be watching as many as my. Busy life allows. Lol Keep going and I say to you the ones that press dislike , who cares? You don't need to know their negative thought. Just keep doing what your doing in spite of negativity. That is my lecture for today. Lol Have a great day.
Hi Darlene Gallup and thank you for watching this one. I really appreciate your feedback, and understand the "busy life allows," trust me! lol! I also appreciate the kind thoughts on the negative feedback. Funny, most often it's easy to just ignore but sometimes it does make you wonder why some folks go in that direction in the first place. Ah well, ce la vie, I say! Thank you again and have a great day, as well! :)
Thanks Mark for this informative video.I like so much the science in the video. Very organized and well done. Myself i go for Faber Castelle. I think now we can ask you for how to Draw hand video.
Thank you for watching and your feedback, ismail! I agree that the Faber Castell are an excellent brand and what I'd be more inclined to recommend to anyone looking for an artist grade pencil. As for the hand drawing... hmm! Cheers! :)
I would love that hand lesson too! I have a hard time drawing hands and would love to teach my daughter as well since she is interested in drawing.
I appreciate a pencil with a softer pressure necessary to lay down the pigment. I am a senior artist and it does make huge difference if you have a bit of arthritis and strength issues to deal with. This video was great. Thank you and God bless you too!
The price difference can be diminished if you wait for a sale and use a 40-50% coupon at Michaels.
Absolutely. I think that's true for most retail box stores, too. I just went "college kid shopping" at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and brought four coupons with me... good grief, what a huge difference! I wish we didn't have to play that game, but it is what it is! :)
I'm more of a faber castell girl but that's mainly because that's what everyone in my country grew up with. That red packaging for their student grade products is so familiar and synonymous to colored pencils that it's honestly a little awe inspiring how much they've dominated the market here
Thank you so much for your “real world” comparison, if you will. You compared them with Crayola, the mainstream favorite especially in schools, and you showed how they hold up in use with different mediums and in combination with other products. The info on the morphing of the Prismacolor pencil was great, too. Especially for a colored pencil newb like me, this comparison was fantastic - the price difference going from scholar to premier is astronomical and I really appreciate seeing the difference in a side by side comparison. I still want to experience the difference in the feel of the softer pencil and how that affects blending, but I feel more at peace keeping my scholars and investing a lot of time with them rather than feeling that time is “wasted” somehow.
Thank you so much for checking this out, Megan Tanju! I'm happy it was helpful and insightful, in whatever way it was for you. I agree with you and I think anyone who works with the Scholars will be just as happy as anyone who works with any other colored pencil that is well-made. I continue to use Scholars, too, in many projects, in conjunction with the Premiers. Stay well! :)
I always thought everyone used copics (I don't have any) because when I color with pencil or crayon there's still paper showing.
You can always use them in whatever way you enjoy, Matt. Some people use colored pencils on their own, with the paper showing through, or like me, I use them over a watercolor or ink wash, so the color shows through, not the paper. But, it's all in personal preference. I have Copics, but rarely use them anymore. Sad, because they're heckuva expensive! lol! Cheers!
Thank-you for the information. I started with a set of Eagle Berols from early 70s, I aquired some Berols in the 80's and finally a large set of Premier Prismacolors in 2000.Quality has changed so much, I loved the old ones so muchmore and it's such an expense to try new ones. My kids now color and draw, as well as grandkids...they get the Crayolas...lol.
However, as some are advancing as they age I wanted to get a nicer set, now I know which ones. I am a graphite artist and trying to move into color. The Premiers still are not fully satisfying, so I tried watercolor pencils, still not happy. Many said to switch to Faber Castell Polychromos, are those the same as Spectracolors?
Thank you for checking this out, FaerieGranma! I appreciate your time and your feedback! I only have a few Polychromos (never bought a full set), and while I'm not sure they'd be your cup of tea, they are definitely a step up from all the major brands. Spectracolors were made by Faber Castell, years ago, but then, I believe by Berol who rebranded them as Design Spectracolors. Unfortunately, they are no longer available.
I like the fact I can use color on color and blend with the same pencil when filling in color dimension and contouring detailed high lights ✌
Why would someone ‘not like’ this video? I thought it was great. I love colour pencil reviews and this was really informative. Thanks.
Thank you, Claire Wood. It's often tough to tell why some folks "dislike" but it's doing so without any feedback that I wonder about. As of now, 52 people have "disliked" the video, which doesn't bother me in the least; however, it would have been nice of them to at least let me know why so I can address it going forward. Reasons vary and I get it. You can't please everyone. Cheers! :)
I do not understand why anyone would dislike this Video . It is fantastic!
I'm grateful for your time watching and such a lovely comment, Darlene Gallup. Thank you.
I loved this vid! You used the scientific method to explain all of it.
As an aside, I've used the Premier line for years now. A local art store supplies the individual pencils for our artist community. But, the store is moving and they're ridding themselves of their inventory before moving (a few blocks away). I just loaded up nearly every color in the 150 color line for 40% off! What a killing, restocking my Premier line of pencils!!
Thank you so much, Alpha Geminorum! I'm glad you liked the video! As for the 40% deal... that's a great find! I came across a small mom & pop art shop closing a few years ago and bought out their remaining Schmincke watercolors for nearly 75% off. Unfortunately, many of the tubes I bought were old and unusable, but of the several that were good, they were worth the find! lol! Cheers! :)
Usually, the main difference between student and professional grade pigmented media is that the student grade is of questionable colorfastness while the professional grade is completely colorfast. A three-month sun-exposure test (bars of colors from each type of pencil, with half of each bar covered in lightfast material, eg. aluminum foil) would show the difference, or you could do it in a couple of weeks under a UV lamp.
I am also a high school art teacher and I have had the same question. I do think that the premier are easier to blend - especially when using many layers.Scholar are ok - so what I do is buy some of each so I have the quality, but I also have a wider variety of colors without having to spent an outrageous amount of money.
Maybe it's just me, but I find the Crayola pencil quite soft when compared to similar pencils in that price range. But I prefer to use Derwent Coloursoft and Drawing pencils for actual projects, and Koh-i-Noor Polycolor for details. I still use Crayola for adult colouring books.
I agree and that's probably why I've kept my Crayola's over the years. No where near as nice as the artist quality sets, but not so bad that they don't produce decent results. Thank you, muskndusk! I appreciate your feedback on this one! :)
I never buy prismacolor premier pencils in store. Amazon has the best prices. I've noticed that in store prices are way overpriced compared to amazon, so I just avoid it altogether now. I loved seeing the comparison video though! I always wondered what the difference was as well
Thank you for the video. But in the area of professional "fine art" aspirations, there is one crucial element regarding coloured pencils which was not covered - and that is : light-fastness. Price and ease of use may be of greater interest to students and apprentice visual artists but for aspiring professionals there is a more important need to assure clients that our work will not fade after it has been hanging on their walls for awhile. Thanks to the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) coloured pencils are now ASTM rated the same way oils, watercolours and pastels are. All we need do is get a lightfastness catalogue from CPSA (simply by getting a membership).
Thank you, Bernard Poulin! I appreciate your time and valuable feedback. With regard to lightfastness, because everyone's has different end-uses and environmental exposure is unique to each artist, I do not typically cover that, which is why I put a link to Prismacolor's official Lightfast chart in the video description. Cheers!
I wonder if the Prismacolor Scholar pencils are the old Berol Verithins. They were very similar to Premiers in terms of pigmentation, but Verithins had a bit harder wax. It looks like you can still buy Verithin, now under the Prismacolor brand, but the price point is similar to the Scholars - could just be a different way of marketing the pencil?
Not sure, but I do know that Berol became Prismacolor, so I would venture to guess the formulas changed very little, but like you said, the older version probably had more wax. Just a guess, of course. It's been a very weird timeline for this brand, but I'm just happy they're still around. :)
I am wondering if you have shopped for Prismacolor Premier lately. The price is much lower now than what you paid. I recently got a 72 pack for under $30. I don't know what caused the price to drop so suddenly, but I think it reflects a much improved price to quality ratio.
Retail, they are still pretty expensive, as I saw this weekend. Much too high _not_ to buy online. If you buy from Amazon or even eBay, you can get great deals.
How Have I spent all my life without this channel? i was today years old when I found one of the coolest channels ever
Thank you for such kind words! :)
Thank you for this video! It was very informative about the two types of Prismacolors. It also showed me a structured method of comparing colored pencils, which I can apply for other brands.
I still have my original set of 144 from about 20 years ago. Some are in pencil extenders and some have been replaced. They’ve been in the cupboard for the past few years after I discovered copics. You’ve inspired me to go and get them out of the cupboard thank you.
I tried these and they're good enough but I far prefer Caran d'Ache Prismalo. They're also very expensive, running into hundreds of pounds for large sets, but you have to go with what you're happy with. Great video!
Yes, MrNexus8 Seven! I prefer the Polychromos over other brands, but have avoided the Caran D'Ache because of the price. At some point, I'd like to explore them beyond the few pencils I've used of theirs. Thank you so much for checking this out and your kind feedback! :)
Given that the Premier are available at Michael's, that may push them into affordable category when using promo 40 or 50 percent off coupons.
You can get these at Joann and at Michaels. Both give deep discounts if you sign up for their mailing list. Joann usually offers 40% off almost all the time.. sometimes it's 60 to 70% off.. which makes purchasing the Premier pencils relatively economical. I'm sure Michaels does too. Check similar stores in your area, I'm sure you'll find the same discounts are available.
The formula for the premier pencils are more creamy and are softer, it doesn’t really feel like it but it is. They were easier to blend than the scholar ones when I tried them
I think it may be the quality of the wood, some are really easy to break
the premiers was really cheap back then - now they are on par with polychromos...wtf?! oO
I just really enjoy the soft waxy pencils, im not a great artist but it helps me blend and I love how much more smooth the final product is.