how to use prismacolor watercolor pencils

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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017

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Comes in a nice metal tin, with plastic trays to hold the already sharpened pencils. The size of the 36 pack is nice and covers quite a spectrum of colors. Plus, you can mix the colors pretty easy for whatever other colors you need.

I made a swatch chart for myself. The colors are very vivid and smooth (with the exception of indigo blue). I have several brands of watercolor pencils, and these are my favorite selection of colors. The colors are Black, Cool Grey 50%, french grey 20%, white, mulberry, lilac, violet, violet blue, non-photo blue, true blue, peacock blue, ultramarine blue, copenhagen, indigo blue, dark green, olive green, grass green, parrot green, true green, spring green, canary yellow, sunburst yellow, goldenrod, spanish orange, orange, poppy red, crimson red, carmine red, pink, blush pink, light peach, cream, terra cotta, sienna brown, dark umber, and dark brown.

My only issue with these pencils are the wood labels. Since all the wood sticks are the same, its hard to tell which is which from first glance, and you have to look at the point or the label.

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Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is my first time playing around with watercolor pencils and my first brand to practice with. OMG I'm hooked! It's amazing what you can do with these. I will attach a pic I did today with these pencils mimicking the tin cover it came in. Mine came in perfect condition but there is an option to purchase an open pack at a cheaper price. I used mudder water brushes (set of 6), Sakura pigma micron pens to go over some black areas, and signo uniball in coconut to go over whiskers and white areas.

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

So. I would give no stars if I could. I really dont understand what happened with this. I was so excited to get these because I am a huge fan of prismacolor HOWEVER when I was about to use this I noticed an overwhelming amount of color DUPLICATES. This is the first time I experience this when purchasing ANYTHING from prismacolor.

Upon further inspection !!! I found that out of the 36 colors listed on the back of the package, I only had 24 of the colors on there. With 11 duplicates added, that brings the "Total" count of pencils to 35. And! One color pencil that wasnt even noted on the back of the box! Giving us a total of the 36 pencils.

You are buying 24 colors of the advertised 36!!!! What the hell is going on!?!?!

I've included photos of the list I made to make sure just what colors I was missing ....

This is ridiculous honestly.

Has anyone else ever experienced this?!

ALSO NOTE THAT IT SAYS CONTAINS ONE OF EACH!

NO IT DOES NOT

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

I've been searching forever for some watercolor pencils I like. I've tried some name brands and other Chinese brands. Most have been okay but were lacking that particular something I've been looking for.
I'm a huge fan of Prismacolors and I thought I'd try these. If I didn't like their version, then I guess I don't like watercolor pencils.
I LOVE THESE! My first try was with a water brush and I was amazed at how vivid the colors looked. It didn't even look like all the other watercolor pencils I've tried. Water really brought out the colors.
The leads laid down smooth and creamy. It felt like I was using one of the Premier pencils.
I think I'm hooked. I only wish we had more than 36 colors to work with. As a watercolor beginner, I'm still playing around with blending colors so more colors would be great.

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

Flawless! 2nd time ordering!

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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I am so disappointed. I've been using Prismacolor pencils since art school in the early 80's and started using their watercolor pencils on my traditional watercolor paintings not too long after that. I've used them for years, and this year had to travel quick and light without my art supplies, for family reasons. Had some time and space and ordered a set of these. Since I'd used them for many years, I was astounded at what I received. The pencils I got were encased in really cheap wood grips. Almost half the pencil casings themselves were split and not sealed well. The colored 'leads' were minimally water soluable, and the consistency was very poor. I'd get a thin hard line and then a splotch, and then more thin hard line when running thru an even amount of water on the paper, OR when soaking the tips.

They in no way resemble what I'm used to using. If I didn't know better, I'd think the vendor had taken out the good pencils and filled the box with inferior ones from a children's set. I've had to go buy a quick set from Derwent. Next time I need the Prismacolor, I'll go shop at Cheap Joe's.

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

My artist daughter LOVES these pencils. Says they work awesome! The only problem we had was that there were 3 colors that were not correct/missing. The pencil count was correct, but she got 2 of 1 color, missing 2 other colors that were replaced with colors that were not on the color chart on the back of the box. We checked each one when she discovered the double color. She read off the number on the pencil and I marked them as she read them and we discovered the error that way. Other than that, she loves them and is using them in a class she is currently taking.

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

This set of pencils is one of the most fun art supplies I've purchased in awhile. A friend of mine recommended it after I talked about how much I have always enjoyed watercolors and shared my frustration that adult coloring books don't provide the relaxing creative outlet I crave. I've only had them for a week, but I've already used them to create some really cool art. There are some great YouTube videos demonstrating different techniques for using these, and I will definitely order again.

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