I’ve gone through more colored pencils than any reasonable person should admit to. Entire sets, individual replacements, random brands I grabbed on sale. I’ve snapped leads mid-stroke, dealt with wax bloom on pages I spent hours on, and straight up thrown out coloring pages because the pigment was too chalky to rescue.
The pencil you use changes everything. And most “best colored pencils” lists online are written by people who haven’t actually finished a full complex page with each brand. I have. Multiple times. So let me save you some cash and some headaches.
Three Brands. Everything Else Is a Compromise.
There are dozens of colored pencil brands out there. Most are fine for casual stuff. But for detailed adult coloring - the kind of pages you’ll find on Color Loudly - three brands consistently outperform:
- Prismacolor Premier (wax-based)
- Faber-Castell Polychromos (oil-based)
- Caran d’Ache Luminance (wax-based, premium tier)
Wax vs Oil: The Quick Version
Wax-based (like Prismacolor): Soft, creamy, colors lay down effortlessly. The downsides are wax bloom (that hazy white film that shows up over time) and fragile leads that snap if you look at them wrong.
Oil-based (like Polychromos): Harder core, less dust, no wax bloom, holds a sharp point way longer. Trade-off is you need more pressure for deep saturation, which can tire your hand in long sessions.
Neither is objectively better. Depends on how you color.
Prismacolor Premier
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils (72-count)
The starting point for most adult colorists, and honestly a solid one. Soft, heavily pigmented, blends beautifully. You get rich, saturated color without pressing hard, which matters when you’re coloring for an hour straight.
The pigment density is legit. Colors pop right out of the box. Layering and blending by burnishing with a lighter shade works incredibly well. The 150-count set covers basically every shade you’d ever want.
The bad: wax bloom is unavoidable on anything you want to keep (you’ll need fixative spray). Cores break easily, both in use and inside the barrel if you drop one. And quality control has gotten inconsistent over the last few years. Off-center cores happen more than they should at this price point.
Great for bold color on complex pages where you need to cover a lot of ground fast. Around $55-65 for 72 pencils.
Faber-Castell Polychromos
Faber-Castell Polychromos (120-count)
The professional standard. Oil-based, stupidly consistent. Every single pencil in the set performs identically. I’ve never broken a Polychromos lead inside the barrel. Not once.
No wax bloom, ever. What you color today looks the same in five years. The harder core holds a fine point, which is critical for tiny sections on intricate pages. Lightfastness is excellent - colors don’t fade, period.
The trade-offs are real though. You need more pressure for full saturation, and that adds up over a long session. Blending takes more work compared to wax pencils - you really have to build layers. And the color range, while excellent, skews slightly muted next to Prismacolor’s more punchy palette.
Best for detail-oriented colorists who work slowly and carefully. Around $180-220 for 120 pencils. Expensive, but they last significantly longer.
Caran d’Ache Luminance
Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 (76-count)
These are the best colored pencils I’ve ever used. Not even close. Wax-based but without the typical wax pencil problems. The pigment concentration is absurd. Museum-grade lightfastness across the entire range. And they blend with a smoothness that makes even Prismacolors feel rough by comparison.
Minimal wax bloom despite being wax-based (Caran d’Ache clearly figured something out with the formula). Smooth layering that doesn’t fill the paper tooth too fast.
The catch: they’re expensive. Around $250-300 for 76 pencils. The color count is also more limited than a 150-piece Prismacolor set. And good luck finding them in physical stores - online is basically your only option.
For serious colorists who want the absolute best and are fine paying for it.
What I Actually Use
I run a hybrid setup. Polychromos for detail work and base layers. Prismacolors for blending and burnishing on top. You get the precision of oil-based and the saturation of wax-based. Best of both worlds.
If you’re just getting started: grab the Prismacolor Premier 72-count. Best balance of quality, color range, and price. You’ll learn what you like without blowing your budget.
If you want precision and longevity: Faber-Castell Polychromos. Flawless quality control. They reward patience.
If budget isn’t a factor: Caran d’Ache Luminance. Nothing else comes close.
Cheap Pencils: The Honest Take
Arteza, Castle Art Supplies, Amazon Basics - they all sell huge sets under $30. Usable? Sure. Frustrating on complex designs? Almost certainly. Inconsistent pigment, crumbly cores, poor blending where colors just sit on top of each other, and limited layering before the paper surface is toast.
If you genuinely don’t know whether adult coloring is your thing, a budget set is fine for a test run. But once you’re hooked, invest in real tools. Night and day difference.
Paper Matters More Than You Think
Even the best pencils are garbage on the wrong paper. Standard printer paper is too thin and too smooth for serious colored pencil work. You want something with tooth (texture) and at least 80lb weight.
For printing coloring pages at home, Neenah Premium Cardstock is my go-to. Or print the Color Loudly pages on heavier stock directly.
Just Pick One and Start
Grab one of the three brands above based on your budget, snag a complex coloring page, and go. You’ll figure out your preferences fast once you’ve got quality tools in your hands.
The pencil doesn’t make the artist. But a great pencil makes the whole experience dramatically better.