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Prismacolor Premier Ultra Smooth Colored Pencils, 72-Count

Last updated: June 1, 2023

Prismacolor Premier Ultra Smooth Colored Pencils, 72-Count
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We looked at the top Colored Pencils and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Colored Pencil you should buy.

Overall Take

These colored pencils have a thick core and are made of soft wax. They blend easily, which makes them great for developing new and unique shades. It may be difficult to create sharp details with these pencils.

In our analysis of 58 expert reviews, the Prismacolor Premier Ultra Smooth Colored Pencils, 72-Count placed 7th when we looked at the top 18 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

Bring out the soft side of any illustration or art project with Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils featuring soft cores. Inside the box you’ll find 72 colored pencils featuring creamy cores that are the artist’s choice for blending, shading and layering. Prismacolor colored pencils have pigments of unmatched quality and leads that are strong enough to be sharpened to a precision point. That means you can effortlessly switch between powerful lines, delicate blends and silky shadowing. From the Manufacturer Designed to handle detailed work for advanced students and artists, these Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils feature high grade pigments for rich color saturation. Other features include soft, thick cores for superior blending and shading, and a color coded woodcasing for easy identification. The soft cores also resist breaking. Designed with professional artist quality for every level of expertise, these pencils come in an assorted set of 72, and include a convenient tin case. What’s in the Box Set of 72 assorted Prismacolor Premier Colored Woodcase Pencils, and tin case.

Expert Reviews


What experts liked

Color coded for easy identification of pencils. Durable box stores soft,waxy pencils securely.
Silky lines let you create solid blocks or hinted shades along tight edges. You can even color over other pigments without bleeding to create even more shades.
Their soft cores make them well-suited to shading and shadow work, and they also layer well.
The pencils are well-made and easy to sharpen, and they come in a durable metal box.
These pencils layer and blend nicely.
There is no skipping and the pencils don’t make scratching noises. Instead, they are so quiet and color as smooth as butter, which is probably my favorite characteristic about these pencils.
Blends easily thanks to soft pigment. Layers colors well for complex pieces.
They blend easily, thus blending allows to achieve other colors you don’t have.
They are made of soft wax; they blend well with a buttery application.
Prismacolor art pencils feature pigments of unparalleled quality and leads that are thick and durable enough to be sharpened for precision.This empowers you to effortlessly transition between forceful lines, delicate blends and smooth shadows.
Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are of excellent quality. The softcore lead offers superior blending and a wide range of colors. These are artist-quality pencils, but they’re suitable for beginners as well — at least beginners who want to start out with the best-colored pencils available.
The colored pencils have a high quality lightfast pigment and the robust leads are thick and durable. They can be sharpened to a precision point but won’t break at all or be susceptible to chipping. You can comfortably switch between powerful lines, delicate blends and silky shadowing.
Each individual shade make blending and combining colors so easily.
You can interchange or mix a sharpener and pencils together. Replacing the colors in a set of the Prismacolor Softcore is possible. Additionally, this product comes with the most elegant colors in the market.
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These pencils have a thick core which lasts long and resists breaking.

What experts didn't like

Some leads uneven or not numbered clearly. Quality control issues with some sets.
May be a little too pricey for some artists. Can become blotchy if used with too much tip force.
I’ve purchased every sharpener made by Prismacolor themselves, and several sharpeners made by other companies. This problem is bigger when using a handheld sharpener. I found that when using an electric sharpener, there was far less breakage, both with the lead and the wood casing. With the Luminance by Caran d’Ache and Faber-Castell’s Polychromos I can sharpen my pencils with the cheapest of handheld sharpeners or the electric sharpeners and I have never had issue with breakage. The Prismacolor pencils certainly require more care when sharpening.
Not suitable for super sharp details.
The lead is fragile and off-centered.
Some models have breaking issues while sharpening.
Does not include a pencil sharpener.
Users have less control due to its round design.
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High in price.

Our Expert Consultant

Amy Markham  
Artist and art educator

Artist and educator Amy Markham is the creator of Starling, a podcast dedicated to helping artists develop depth in their creative practice. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Amy has been an art educator since 2001. Today, she teaches middle school art at a school outside of Memphis, Tennessee. Her personal artwork explores myth-making and symbolic understandings. Through her brand, Starling Creative Living, she leads others to explore art production as a method for enriching their life experience.

View our Colored Pencil buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.

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