Posts filed under Colored Pencil

Pilot Frixion Colored Pencils Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Well, these aren't all bad. The textured coating on the body feels great and provides excellent grip, and the design overall looks lovely. That's the extent of the 'pro' column. The 'con' column lists every other feature of the Pilot FriXion Colored Pencils.

The lead is waxy and brittle with poor pigmentation. It only lays down very faint color and even that has messy inconsistency. The soft tip wears down quickly and breaks when you attempt to sharpen it.

The FriXion magical eraser does remove all color, briefly, from the colored area, but it does not remove the waxy residue--just its coloration. So you can't easily go back over the area with anything else, whether that be another pencil or mixed media. Also, after a few minutes, the color begins to creep back into the erased area.

These Frixion pigments suffer the same weakness as their pen inks--the erasure is a heat reaction, so changes in temperature to your work can also affect the visibility of your notes/sketch/journal. I tested it by putting my page in the freezer, where much of the pigment reappeared, and then also taking the page with me while I ran errands and left the paper in my hot car, where most of the pigment disappeared.

I know the Frixion line is beloved by many. I, personally, am averse to writing anything in disappearing ink. I know that, in theory, it can always be re-appeared, but it still makes me nervous. And while I understand the unique advantages of an erasable pen, an erasable pencil is ... well, most of them. And this doesn't erase any better than the others. I think it's safe to say that other pencils erase more completely, as there isn't a waxy residue left behind.

These are priced at $22 for the 12-set, and over $3 each open stock. That's over a dollar more, apiece, than many high-quality artists' pencils. That's actually a bit alarming, and way overpriced. Even if these worked pretty well, that would be expensive. But, alas, they don't, and that makes these a product that I recommend avoiding.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on June 27, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Pilot, FriXion, Colored Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Tombow Irojiten Color Dictionary Color Pencil Review

In years past, I wouldn’t have given much thought to colored pencils. Then, a little phenomenon called Adult Coloring happened, and I NEED all the colored pencils! Need is a strong term of course, but I do own more colored pencils now than I ever have, and the Tombow Irojiten Color Pencils may be the best of the bunch.

Let’s get the one negative out of the way first: They are expensive. You can buy them in two sizes, either a 30-pack Dictionary, of which there are three, for $34, or one of several 5-pack mini-sets for $9.50. Neither of those are a value by any stretch, but the 30-packs are clearly the way to go even if you just want to test them out.

And test them out I did with the Dictionary set containing the tones Pale I, Vivid I, and Deep I. Confused yet? Understandably so. Each of the three Dictionary sets comes with three 10-packs, individually boxed. The other two sets contain Pale II, Deep II, Light Grayish I, and Fluorescent, Very Pale, Dull I. These are the Copic Marker of the colored pencil world it seems.

It would be nice if each of the 30-pack Dictionaries had a name of their own for discussion and clarity purposes, but I’ll deal with it because these are flat-out the best colored pencils I have used.

I chose the set I did because it had the most variety between the three boxes contained within. Pale I is a nice spring palette with a big range of pinks, greens, and blues. Vivid I is the closest to a standard set of colors, with a rainbow of traditional leaning shades. Deep I has a great range of browns, greens, and blues that you don’t normally get in standard colored pencil sets.

From a writing and coloring perspective these are wonderful. The cores are wax, but they feel the most traditional graphite pencil-like of any colored pencil I have used, right down to the sound and feel on the page. They don’t feel waxy or sticky when laying down lines.

Is it strange to say I feel like I can control these colored pencils better than others? That’s what it feels like to me, especially when coloring in fine details. I can hit right on the edges of even the smallest details. I think it has something to do with the pencil-like edge I get from the core, as opposed to a more rounded tip. I make mental notes of this constantly as I am coloring, as if to say “Wow, this is different.”

Sharpening the Irojiten colored pencils is a breeze too. I’ve mostly used my Uni KH-20 crank sharpener, but handhelds, like the KUM Masterpiece, do the trick just as well.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the packaging, because for once, that is the first thing that caught my eye. Each Volume of the Dictionary comes in a dedicated 10-pencil box with plastic slots to hold the pencils in place, and numbering and name details for each pencil on the inside cover. The box also has an elastic band to keep it closed when stored, or on the move. These added touches help justify the price, at least a little bit.

The best products are the ones that give you joy. The Tombow Irojiten Colored Pencils do that for me, whether I’m using them, or just looking at them sitting on my desk. And that’s where they have been since they arrived. I like them so much I want them close by at all times. Plus, they fancy up the joint just with their presence.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on May 7, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Tombow, Irojiten, Colored Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Uni Pericia Colored Pencil Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I tend to think of my colored pencils as tools, not luxury items--but the Uni Pericia Colored Pencils are definitely both. Their sophistication stretches far beyond my artistic ability. I think they might be too nice for coloring books, though I can hardly believe I'm saying that. These are intended for artists and I think any artist would be delighted to have them.

The pencils only come in sets--they aren't available as open stock. And the colors offered aren't as extensive as other brands. This is a bit of a bummer, but they blend and layer so smoothly that it almost doesn't matter. The oil-based pigmented wax core can even be used with turpentine like oil paints for even more mixability. The sets come in either 12, 24, or 36 colors priced at $40.50, $74.50, and $108.00, respectively. So they aren't cheap. But the versatility of the core explains that price, I think. These aren't ordinary pencils.

The soft core goes down opaque with barely any pressure, and fades, blends, and layers like butter. It even has excellent coverage on black paper and performs better than any other product I've used on dark paper--even ones designed specifically for the purpose. The colors are lightfast and deeply saturated.

With such a soft core, I'd be a bit worried about breakage, but I haven't experienced any so far. The core is thick and sturdy, and the case is designed to prevent any trauma. The case appears pretty ostentatious at first--I thought it was a bit much--but it serves several useful purposes. The pencils snap into place and are held firmly, so they don't get knocked around. And the cover folds back and props up the tray for handy access while working. The front then folds closed and secures with a tongue-and-loop closure. It is faux leather, but is a pretty decent imitation.

The pencils themselves are designed well. The body is a good diameter--slender enough to be within a standard range for sharpeners and cases, but thick enough to prevent hand fatigue. The colors are clearly written in embossed white paint on the dark brown bodies, and the ends of the pencils are coated in the core color, for easy identification. The cores themselves are so well pigmented that the colors are easily identified from that alone.

Other than wishing I had more colors (and the skills to put them properly to use), there was nothing about using these that I didn't fully enjoy. Go make some awesome art with these, or send them to your favorite artist and watch art happen.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!