Best Coloured Pencils for Beginners in 2026 — A Complete Buyer's Guide
The options are genuinely overwhelming — wax-based, oil-based, student grade, professional grade, 24 colours, 72 colours, tin sets, wooden sets, and every brand making a case for why theirs is the one to start with. Most beginners either buy too cheap — waxy pencils that resist blending and snap easily — or too expensive, with professional sets that feel wasted on someone still developing their technique.
This guide explains what actually matters when choosing coloured pencils, which sets give beginners the best experience at each price point, and what supporting supplies make the most difference.
What Makes a Good Coloured Pencil for Beginners
Before looking at specific sets, two properties separate a frustrating pencil from an enjoyable one:
Wax-Based vs Oil-Based
Wax-based pencils — such as Prismacolor Premier — are soft, creamy, and forgiving. They blend easily under light pressure and build colour smoothly across layers. The trade-off is a slight waxy residue that can develop over time on heavily layered areas, and cores that are more susceptible to breaking if a pencil is dropped. For beginners, the ease of blending almost always outweighs those downsides.
Oil-based pencils are firmer, hold a sharp point considerably longer, and are less prone to breakage. They are excellent for fine detail work and produce clean, precise edges. The trade-off is that they require more pressure and patience to blend than soft wax-based pencils — which makes them less immediately forgiving for beginners. Many artists eventually use both types, combining the blendability of wax-based pencils with the precision of oil-based ones.
Core Softness and Pigment Load
A higher pigment concentration produces richer, more vibrant colour with less effort. Student-grade pencils commonly use more filler and less pigment — the colour layers but looks washed out compared to mid-range alternatives. For beginners, upgrading from the cheapest tier is often the single most motivating improvement available. A set that lays down colour beautifully makes practice feel rewarding. One that produces flat, dull results makes it feel like a technique problem when it is actually a materials problem.
The Best Coloured Pencil Sets for Beginners in 2026
1. Prismacolor Scholar — Best for Blending and the Top Pick for Most Beginners
Prismacolor Scholar is the most-reached-for coloured pencil set in the art supplies market for good reason. The thick, soft wax-based core lays down rich colour immediately and blends smoothly with very light pressure — which makes the learning process feel enjoyable rather than effortful. The pigment load is meaningfully higher than student-grade alternatives, and the colour range spans 150 colours in the full set.
For beginners, the 24-piece set covers the essential spectrum. The 48-piece is the set most intermediate artists find they never outgrow — it includes expanded skin tone options, deeper neutrals, and a broader value range within each colour family. Named by Wirecutter as the best overall coloured pencil for adults in 2026, it is the recommendation we return to most often.
The one caveat worth knowing: some colours in the range have weaker lightfastness ratings — meaning certain reds and purples may fade over time when displayed in direct light. For sketchbook work, journaling, or digital scanning, this does not matter. For work intended for long-term display or sale, check individual colour lightfastness ratings on Prismacolor's website.
2. Ohuhu Coloured Pencils — Best Value Entry Point
For beginners who want to explore the medium before committing to a higher price point, Ohuhu's coloured pencil sets offer a strong entry point. The pigment quality exceeds what most budget pencils deliver, the colour range is generous, and the dual-tip design in some sets gives additional versatility.
3. Prismacolor Premier Soft Core — For Those Ready to Invest in the Experience
If you have already worked through a starter set and want to step up significantly — Prismacolor Premier's larger sets (72 or 150 colours) give you access to the full colour system professional illustrators rely on. At this level the investment is considerable, but the experience of working with 150 carefully graduated colours is qualitatively different from any entry-level set. Worth considering if you have filled at least one sketchbook with a smaller set and know this is a medium you want to develop seriously.
Read our full in-depth review: Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils Review 2026
Shop Prismacolor Premier at The Hadler Store →
Coloured Pencils vs Alcohol Markers — Which Should You Start With
This comes up consistently among beginners and is worth addressing directly.
Choose coloured pencils if you want to work slowly and precisely, you enjoy detailed or fine-line work, or you want maximum control over shading and graduated value. Coloured pencils are also significantly more portable and lower maintenance — no caps to lose, no drying out.
Choose alcohol markers if you prefer bold, flat colour, you are interested in graphic illustration or character art, or you want faster, broader coverage. The Arrtx alcohol markers and Ohuhu alcohol markers are strong entry points — dual-tip, available in sets sized from beginners to serious artists, and well regarded for blendability and colour consistency.
Many artists use both. Alcohol markers for base colour and broad coverage; coloured pencils for detail, texture, and final refinement on top. They are complementary tools rather than competing ones — and learning one improves your understanding of the other.
Read our comparison: Arrtx vs Ohuhu Alcohol Markers 2026
What Else You Need to Get Started
The pencils are the main purchase, but a few supporting items make a meaningful difference to the experience:
- The right paper. Standard copy paper is too smooth and thin — it does not hold layers well and tears easily under repeated pressure. Bristol smooth paper or a mixed media pad at 150gsm or above is the right starting point. The Arrtx mixed media pads work well with both coloured pencils and markers.
- A sharpener suited to soft cores. Manual single-blade sharpeners work better than electric sharpeners for wax-based pencils — electric sharpeners can grab and break soft cores. A crank-style manual sharpener gives the most control and produces a clean, consistent point.
- A kneaded eraser. Coloured pencil can be lifted partially with a kneaded eraser pressed firmly against the paper rather than rubbed. Not fully erasable — but useful for lightening areas before adding a new layer or correcting overworked sections.
- A colourless blender pencil. This optional tool acts as a pencil-shaped burnisher — pressing pigment into paper fibres and smoothing colour transitions. Prismacolor's colourless blender pairs particularly well with their soft-core range and is worth adding to a first order.
When Are You Ready to Upgrade
Start with a set suited to your price point and use it until you fill an entire sketchbook. By then, you will know exactly what frustrates you and what you want more of — whether that is a broader colour range, firmer cores for fine detail work, or better lightfastness for pieces you want to frame or sell. That understanding makes the next purchase a considered one rather than a guess.
Buying the most expensive set at the start is almost always a mistake. Not because the quality is not worth having, but because beginners cannot yet take full advantage of it — and the pressure of expensive materials can make practice feel high-stakes rather than enjoyable. Fill a sketchbook first. The upgrade will feel earned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best coloured pencil brand for beginners?
Prismacolor Premier is the most recommended starting point for adult beginners — the soft wax core blends easily, the pigment load is strong, and the 24 or 48-piece sets cover a wide enough colour range to feel genuinely versatile. For those who want to start at a lower price point, Ohuhu coloured pencils offer better quality than most budget alternatives.
Are wax-based or oil-based pencils better for beginners?
Wax-based pencils are generally more forgiving for beginners because they blend more easily under light pressure. Oil-based pencils hold a sharper point and suit fine detail work better, but require more technique to blend smoothly. Most beginners find wax-based pencils more immediately rewarding.
How many colours do you need to start?
24 colours is sufficient to begin. 36 or 48 colours gives you more range without becoming overwhelming. The primary colours, a selection of neutrals, black, and white cover most of what beginners need — additional colours become more useful as your technique and colour mixing understanding develops.
What paper should I use with coloured pencils?
Bristol smooth paper or a mixed media pad at 150gsm or above. Smooth paper allows clean blending; paper with more texture (tooth) holds more layers but makes blending harder. For beginners, a smooth surface is more forgiving. Avoid standard copy paper — it is too thin and does not hold colour well under repeated layering.
Can you erase coloured pencil?
Partially. A kneaded eraser pressed firmly against the surface can lift some pigment, particularly in the early layers. Deeper, burnished layers are largely permanent. This is one reason to work lightly in the early stages of a drawing — lighter initial layers are easier to adjust before committing to the final values.
What is the difference between coloured pencils and alcohol markers?
Coloured pencils offer fine control, detailed mark-making, and gradual shading. Alcohol markers lay down flat, even colour quickly and are better suited to bold graphic work or character illustration. Many artists use both — markers for broad base colour, coloured pencils for refinement and detail on top. Both are available at The Hadler Store.
Where can I buy Prismacolor pencils in Singapore?
We carry Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils at The Hadler Store — worldwide shipping from Singapore.
Shop Coloured Pencils at The Hadler Store
We carry Prismacolor Premier and Ohuhu art supplies alongside sketchbooks, alcohol markers, and acrylic paints. Authorised retailer, worldwide shipping from Singapore. Free delivery on orders over $280 SGD.
Shop Prismacolor Premier Coloured Pencils →
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Also read: Prismacolor Premier Review 2026 · How to Use Posca Markers — Complete Guide · Arrtx vs Ohuhu Alcohol Markers 2026