PRISMACOLOR-The Artist Favorite [Quality and Price!]

truthtalks (49)in #art • 7 years ago

Every artist is most likely familiar with the popular artist brand Prismacolor.
Prismacolor, most notable for their wide range of fabulous color pencils, is an artist favorite.
Their color pencils are great for art students because they are quality pencils with an affordable price.
Their pencils sell from a range from 50 cents to over a dollar.

What makes Prismacolor so great?

You may be thinking, why would I pay $10 for a 12-pack of pencils when I can get crayola for a dollar?
Q u a l i t y.
You can feel the difference when you run a crayola across a piece of paper versus a prismacolor. The prisma glides smooth and leaves a bendable waxy layer. Crayola is more dry and tends to be less bendable. It doesn't leave the same pristine shine. You can't literally see and feel the difference.
While these may not be the best pencils out there. You get the best of both worlds. Price and quality.

Price

I understand, the price may be a concern. But compared to other master-level color pencils, they are really cheap.
a 48 pack of prisma on amazon runs for $25, KOH-I-NOOR runs for $72, and Derwent runs for $100.
Professional artists will often invest in an expensive color pencil set.
But if you are just starting out, in college, or share a passion for art. Prismacolor is the way to go.

It's no wonder why prisma is increasing in popularity. You can find them in your local superstores such as Walmart. You local craft/hobby store is very likely to also carry them. They sell them in college bookstores too.

I own nearly 200 prismacolor pencils.
I have the 132 pack, the 24-regular, and 24-portrait set.
I have also acquired quite a few ebony pencils, colorless blenders, a pencil sharpener, and chalk pastels.
Below I have shared an on-site drawing I did for a two-hour competition.I was very late but I won first place!
I really credit my pencils. Prisma blends in a way that crayola could never. Many other students used crayola. You could tell the difference in quality. Good pressure, time, and patience can help create a smooth, silky, cohesive drawing. This drawing, lacking in time, is obviously not finish to the degree it could have been. I drew from a Disney still-life and chose Minnie and dedicated the drawing to my niece.

I have also included my rendition of Salvador Dali's Figura en una finestra (Figure at the Window) of which I did for my Spanish class junior year of high school. We had to give a speech about a Hispanic artist and recreate on of their works. Needless to say, this is still hanging in my teacher's room. It's her favorite Dali painting, and why I chose it. I used griding and scaling to keep the accuracy and to stay true to the original.
This drawing is much smoother and I put about 8-10 hours into it. My speech was awful. I got caught up in the drawing. But I can't help my love for art and all things Dali :)