Caran D''Ache 80 Color Pablo Set (666.380)

These lay down color nicely like Polychromos, but these have some opacity. The pigment feels and looks like it is ground finer than any other color pencils I've used. {Note, I haven't tried their Luminance line. I may get a couple just to prevent myself from buying a whole set to try out.} These have a nice firmness that soft pencils like Prismas don't have, yet they are creamy enough; also they don't have the bloom issue. These are much easier to layer than Prismas, too. I was able to manage getting the 80 set with points or whatever they call it, which is generally sufficient for my needs, there is a good range of colors (although, if I can afford it... I have all the Prismas and Polychromos). I'm having fun doing the swatch sheets, and I'm looking forward to trying them out in my Basford collection. Maybe test out some blending first, just for giggles, and try different papers.

Our local art store sells all of the professional colored pencils individiually. So I tried them out. They're all very good, whether it's Faber Castel, or Derwent, but these came in first place for me. The entire Caran d'Ache line is excellent. I also have the Supracolor II set which are water soluble and a small set of the Luminance. This may sound silly, but the quality of the wood in these is excellent. I've had other brands where the wood chips or splinters every time I try to sharpen them. By the way, if you're going to get into this artform, you're going to need a great pencil sharpener. Here's my recommendation which you can find here at Amazon. It's by AFMAT...just an amazing product. I could not work without it. The darned thing knows just when to stop sharpening for a PERFECT point because it's all automatic. I also like that the sharpening mechanism is replaceable. This unit saves a lot of wear and tear on your hands. Happy drawing to you!

one of the best brands of colored pencil out there- you should spring for the full set and use this 80 set as back up so you can have the widest color palate possible- spendy but if youre serious about art or coloring these are the pencils you want! and if you run out of just a few colors open stock is available so you can just replace the pencils you use most and have a complete set again. There is no wax build up with this brand; I have used up to thirty layers (yes 30) of shading on card stock paper with no 'wax bloom' at all; Pablos allow you do an amazing amount of shading and blending on your pictures with the right quality paper. The colors are smooth but keep a firm lead even when sharpened to a very fine point.

I’m a painter- that’s my preferred medium- but I recently decided I wanted to expand my artistic repetoire with colored pencils and pastels. Years ago I purchased a full set of Prismacolors and hated them, then picked up some Polychromos and felt ho hum about them. When my interest in colored pencils was renewed I quickly found a deep appreciation for Polychromos. I like to work in many, many feather light layers and Polys are amazing at just that. But I knew there was more out there. Better? I don’t know, but I’m the kind of artist that really HAS to try every variation of a medium I can get my hands on until I find the one that fits just right. Enter Caran D’ Ache. Given my preference for a firmer core, I knew I would rather invest in a large set of Pablo’s over the softer and more expensive Luminance, and I expected something very similar to Polychromos, but I wasn’t prepared for how creaminess of the Pablo’s. I don’t really get all the comments about grittiness or scratchiness of Pablo’s. I find it falls somewhere between Polychromos and Prismacolor in texture- buttery smooth, with a velvet like lay down that take multiple layers. And when I say multiple I mean, I easily lay down a minimum of 20 layers. I don’t burnish- I hate burnishing- but I did give it a good test try and it’s easily accomplished with the Pablo’s but they are so creamy, and I don’t mean waxy which is how I would describe Prismas, that you really do not have to burnish if you have the patience to build up and blend thinner layers. I also find they are excellent for detail work. Not as good as the Polychromos, but close. I’m absolutely in love with Pablos, and I couldn’t be happier with my investment. I don’t consider them another brand of Polychromos, but I think the two greatly compliment each other, and work well together also. I couldn’t see myself only settling on one or the other. As for the color selection with the set of 80, it’s pretty good, but I do find that it’s short of flesh/portrait tones, which is really where my interest lies. Portraiture. I’m okay with that, because I tend to start with a foundation of pastels and I do have the range of skin tones from the Polychromos, but if you are purchasing your first set of artist quality pencils and plan to work with people and skin, I would supplement this set with a handful of shades from another line. Either the Polys or Luminance. That is the ONLY reason I have to rate the Pablo’s with four stars instead of five, and I understand it that stands true for the entire range of Pablo’s. There is a very limited number of traditional skin tones, and that’s very surprising, though I doubt it is an oversight of any kind. Still, I wish Caran D’ache would amend the palette. It’s a shame really to make such a hefty purchase on quality materials and still have to spend more to graze from another line. That said they are beautifully opaque and easy to mix with careful layering/blending techniques. The over quality is excellent. Some people may not love the hexagonal shape but it makes no difference to me. They’re very light in weight and feel which makes it even easier for me to work as I normally do in ultra thin layers. The pencils hold their point for quite a long time, and to avoid waste, after I sharpen it as well as I can in an electric sharpener I continue to maintain the sharpness with sandpaper as I work instead of sharpening it again with a sharpener. Finally, I have to say I think I found my favorite pencils thus far in my foray into the realm of colored pencils. I think they are a superb option that falls somewhere in middle of the Polychromos and Luminance price range, with a several advantages over the Polychromos and one or two disadvantages. I will recommend them to every artist I know. On one last point, I have to say if you are researching pencils for adult coloring in coloring books, these aren’t the pencils for you unless you have money to throw away. These are artist quality pencils and I believe they are most suitable and beneficial to people who are creating original artwork. There are less expensive options for coloring books that will meet your basic needs if that is your goal.

Bought these as a gift for a casual artist. He is very impressed with quality of these pencils. Far exceeded both of our expectations for quality. Not what I would consider inexpensive, but you definitely get what you pay for here. I did end up purchasing a larger set than I initially was looking for, but that was to get a higher variety of color and tone. The smaller sets didn't seem to cover the color spectrum enough. This one, so far, has met his requirements. He has used these for hours with barely any wear of the wax color. I/he would definitely recommend.

I love these pencils!! I'm a wildlife artist and work with a combination of color pencil and oil pastel. I have previously only used Prismacolor pencils, mostly because that was what was available 25 years ago when I started and I'm a creature of habit. These have a different feel to them and keep a much finer point. Very fine details like fur and whiskers are much easier to accomplish. Nice range of colors. They also work nicely together with both Prismacolor and Poly Chromos. Definitely worth the money!

Nulla da dire, eccellenti

Une belle boîte rouge cerise. Des crayons de qualité. Des teintes fortes et une large palette de couleur.

Le produit correspond aux attentes et la livraison top, comme à chaque fois. Merci

Prodotto ottimo!!!

Maravillosos! Los mejores colores no acuarelables que he tenido jamás! Nada más a decir!!!