When comparing Faber Castell colored pencils with Prismacolor, the first thing you need to know is that these are both excellent colored pencil brands. Because of the way the pencil cores are made, there are differences in the way that they are handled.
Whether Faber Castell or Prismacolor colored pencils are best is largely a matter of personal taste, color selection, and your coloring style. With that said, some differences could tip your preferences one way or the other.
Faber Castell
It is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of art supplies. Based out of Germany, they create a wonderful oil-based pencil that can be counted on to create beautiful artwork every time it is used. The company produces over 2.3 billion wood-cased pencils every year. They maintain a pinewood forest area in Brazil, planting over 300,000 seedlings. In addition, many of the Faber Castell products are refillable. They also fulfill a social component, employing 8,000 workers, frequently using recycled materials, and maintaining a children’s fund.
Prismacolor
It is a younger company, but one that also has a proud tradition of making fine writing and art tools. Based in New York, it began as the Eagle Pencil Company in 1856. In 1938, they launched Eagle Prismacolor colored pencils. This brand would divided into Prismacolor Premier Soft-core and Prismacolor Verithin colored pencils.
In 1969, Berol Ltd. Purchased Eagle Pencils, and the brand became Berol Prismacolor. In 1995, the company was purchased by Newell but continued to be a name in excellence when it comes to making pencils. However, in 2010, the company moved their manufacturing to Mexico. Subsequently, even though Prismacolor continues to be a good, wax-core colored pencil the quality of these pencils is less than was formerly true.
The problems seem to surface primarily when sharpening the pencils because the colored core is not perfectly centered inside the wooden barrel. Interestingly, the problem seems to be less noticeable when sharpening the pencils with a mechanical pencil sharpener. A solution that is somewhat functional for hand-held sharpening, is to turn hand sharpeners instead of turning the pencil. Another solution is to use a sharp craft knife to whittle the point.
Price Comparison
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- Prismacolor Verithin: $0.36 per pencil
- Faber Castell: $0.57 per pencil
It does not take a great deal of math to see that on average, Prismacolor pencils are less expensive than Faber Castell. However, these prices are a sort of general average and perhaps not as meaningful as they could be. There are other considerations besides the cost per pencil when purchasing your art supplies. They can include the number of colors per box, how the pencils shade one from another, the specific type of pencil from the company in question, and the type of container for the pencils. But, as an end comparison, the average cost per pencil is somewhat useful for the budget-conscious colorist.
Core Quality and Base Composition
Faber Castell pencils are oil-based, which gives them a slightly different appearance than wax-based colored pencils. There is less likelihood of a condition known as “wax bloom” where the wax rises to the top of the colored area causing a sort of white film. Since less wax is involved in an oil-based pencil, the likelihood of wax bloom is greatly reduced.
Faber Castell pencils have a harder core than Prismacolor, take a better point, and are excellent for hatching. This makes it easy to develop visual color mixing (as opposed to the actual mixing of colors) by using parallel marks of different colors.
However, the harder tip makes it slightly difficult to use the Faber Castell pencils to cover surfaces, but not impossible. For example, their metallic pencils do an excellent job of covering small areas and making a shiny accent for focal points of pictures.
Prismacolor pencils are wax-based. They go onto the page in a smooth, creamy texture that is difficult to beat. Their colors are bright and rich, covering the page easily.
They do not take as good a point as the Faber Castell pencils, and if the colorist is exceptionally enthusiastic about layering, they are subject to wax bloom. With that said, like all wax-based pencils, wax bloom can be mitigated by limiting layering and by using parallel lines of color rather than mixing or blending. Prismacolor can be used as pointillism as well as hatching, although the effect is not as clean as when using Faber Castell pencils. Prismacolor also has metallic color pencils, which are exceptionally attractive and go on smoothly.
Pencil Barrel Shape
Faber Castell pencils have a six-sided, hardwood barrel. Some people find this shape easier to grip than a round barrel on a pencil.
Prismacolor pencils have a round barrel that some people prefer to the edged barrels.
Who Are You as a Colorist?
Your preferences in art coloring style are going to influence your choice of colored pencil. If you like fine points and good control of your color, you will enjoy Faber Castell pencils, with their ability to take and maintain a fine point. If you prefer colors that will go on creamy and smooth, covering the page boldly, then you are likely to enjoy Prismacolor pencils.
Check out our list of the best-colored pencils HERE.
The Pencil Colors
Both companies produce pencils that have beautiful colors. Faber Castell’s pencil colors tend to be slightly muted when compared to Prismacolor’s vibrant hues, but not sufficiently different to catch the eye of most viewers. Faber Castell tends to leave more patches of white space but is better for visual mixing thanks to its ability to take a better point. Prismacolor goes on smoothly, and usually maintains a bright color over time, but can be subject to wax bloom if excessively layered.
Personal Favorite
Despite changes in manufacturing venue, Prismacolor remains a personal favorite. As a colorist and artist who likes a smooth, even color for backgrounds and even certain foreground items, I like the smooth, creamy application of Prismacolor’s wax-based pencil color. The relatively lower price is a good perk, too, because having not achieved fame as an artist, I hoard my art allowance jealously. It should be noted that in addition to being a delight when adding color to coloring books, colored pencils are excellent for making color sketches in preparation for more expensive art applications such as acrylic or oil on canvas.
With that said, I am beginning to enjoy the quality of Faber Castell, its muted colors, and even the six-sided pencil barrel. The pencils are slim to hold and they have less of a tendency to roll off one’s desk – an advantage that is perhaps a holdover from the days of using colored pencils during late afternoon free art time in elementary school. Those old desktop pencil slots never held enough pencils.
To reiterate, I prefer Prismacolor first for its creamy color, and second for its lower cost. Faber Castell is fast becoming a second runner-up for me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Prismacolor move its manufacturing to Mexico?
Like most industrial questions (and colored pencils are an industrial item, however much we might think of them as an art supply) the best answer is “It’s complicated.” Newell, the current owner of the Prismacolor brand, has a history of acquiring smaller companies and then consolidating them or moving their manufacturing to areas where there is abundant low-cost labor. Whether that was the reason for shifting Prismacolor manufacturing to Mexico is anyone’s guess. It might also have been part of Newell’s effort to garner international sales. Regardless, the move happened in 2010, so current sales of Prismacolor pencils are probably of items made in Mexico.
Are there other good colored pencil brands besides Prismacolor and Faber Castell?
Yes, there are. For example, in recent years Crayola pencils have greatly improved the quality of their pencils (which were pretty good in the first place), and several other companies such as Arteza put out excellent art materials. Prang has long been a name for excellence in watercolors and is not at all laggard in its colored pencil quality. There are also some specialty brands such as Black Widow wax-based colored pencils – made distinctive by their black barrels and colorful tin containers, featuring a black widow spider on its top. There is also Artilicious, Shuttle, and Castle, to name just a few other brands of colored pencil.
What is the best way to discover good colored pencil brands?
The very best way is to visit a local art shop. If you live near a college, there is almost always a dedicated art supply shop that will sell colored pencils individually. If that is not an option, Amazon.com is a good place to search for small boxes of colored pencils by various brands. A box of 12 pencils is a good size for exploring the general quality of a brand. In addition, there is DickBlick, an art company that caters to schools but also has professional quality art supplies of all sorts. Hobby and art stores such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or even bookstores such as Barnes and Noble can be places to acquire colored pencils. Department stores are also a source option.
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