For anyone already familiar with popular brands of art supplies, such as coloring, drawing, crafting, or painting, Prismacolor and Arteza are known for delivering quality products to the industry. But if you are new to the world of art supplies, you may be wondering, which one is better.
It depends on what kind of application, glide, and sturdiness you are looking for. Some have experienced breakage with Prismacolor because of the soft wax they are made of, and have moved to Arteza because they are firmer for detail type of work. Others who are looking for a buttery, easy application that they can manipulate, believe Prismacolor is the way to go.
Because both brands are high-end, quality supplies to use on your projects and artwork; it depends on what type of application, the quality of color, and much more. If you are unsure which brand is right for you, especially if you are new to the industry, we will describe each product’s quality that may work best for you and your projects.
Arteza
Arteza is a high-end art supply company that focuses on rapport with its buyers. What they are prideful for is that their products are created by artists for other artists who are enthused with the industry. Arteza is a company that wants to always bring quality products and supplies at competitive prices.
Product Line-Up: What is Available to Hobbyists, Artists, and Others
With the widest product lineup available, they do a little bit of everything and they are priced perfectly. They offer sets and packages of supplies for any project that you may have. The most popular line of products that are sold and packaged together are:
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- Pencils
- Pastels
- Paints of different types like gouache.
- Mediums
- Markers
- Pens boards
- Papers
- Crafting supplies and more.
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The bundle sets are very convenient, by price and what is packaged together. For example, their Ultimate Creator Bundle includes 72 pens, 48 brush pens, 6 water brushes, and a pack of two media pads that can be used for drawings and sketches.
For crafters, Arteza supports those who are into DIY-type projects, which these bundles include:
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- Color flitter
- Quality Clay Sculpting tools
- Wood Slices
- And other vinyl sheets
- Mini canvases
- Chalkboard wall stickers
- They also provide a bundle for children.
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Arteza Brush Pens
As one of the best creators of art supplies in North America, artists flock to their products once they have tried a lower-end supply. One of their most popular products is the Arteza Brush Pens. As a 48 set of brush pens that are easy to use, they have some great qualities about them as well as some disadvantages.
Pros:
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- Non-toxic
- Versatile
- Clean working environment
- Can be used with water and without.
- Transparent cap for full-color view
- The cap can be secured to the other end of the brush pen, a convenient way to keep things from getting lost.
- Flexible nylon tip
- Smooth had motion
- Elegant brush pen design
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Cons:
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- Can’t be bought individually
- Can’t be used for large washes
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With the elegant look that Arteza puts out, they can’t be beaten. Holding the pen, you will realize that it is the perfect weight to gently glide across the paper with ease. The caps being as transparent as they are, give you a peek of the vibrant color to be used. They are non-toxic and safe if they end up in the hands of children.
Performance
Because they are more water ink-based verses, a straight-up watercolor, they have a type of pigment that is more permanent once it dries. This means you can create layered artwork with sharp details, easily. This brush pen can be used to experiment with different pigments right away. You want to get a better understanding of how they perform in both wet and dry conditions. Since the tip is designed for fine details, these pens are not equipped to perform in your large washes.
Arteza Watercolor Pencils
Because Arteza is composed of humans,’ as they say that are artists, designers, and creators, this gives their company credibility on their products, like their Watercolor Pencils. Because of their competitive prices, these pencils are obtainable by any hobbyist, artist, or creator. But what makes them such high-end watercolor pencils?
Pros:
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- Affordable
- Available in two sizes to meet your needs and a variety of costs.
- Brilliant colors both dry and wet, with a vast array of colors and pigments.
- They are durable with a thick core and barrel and also have an anti-roll design.
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Cons:
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- The lightfast rating is insufficient on some colors.
- A few shades are very close in pigment and hard to tell apart.
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Coming in a beautiful tin as a set of 48 or a set of 72, are one of their highest-quality watercolor pencils. Of course, they do offer it in a Premium set as well for more of a vibrant, durable pencil. Each barrel of the pencil is the actual pigment of the pencil which makes it easier to tell which color is which.
Performance
People are pleased with the durability, color, quality, and cost of this watercolor pencil. They can be used in dry or wet situations, which give off different variants of each color. With a trained eye, some colors can be distinguished, but anyone new to this industry may have issues. They are easy to hold and glide against the paper, making it easy for detail-oriented work.
Prismacolor
Prismacolor is a brand that has an older history. Providing artists with tools and supplies since 1938, they are one of the oldest brands in the industry. Formerly known as Eagle Pencil Company, then became Berol in 1969. Which changed their name to Berol Prismacolor Pencils. Then, in 1995, the company was purchased by Newell Brands, which is what they currently operate under that name.
Product Line-up: What is Available to Hobbyists, Artists, and Others
What makes Prismacolor different from Arteza, is that you can not purchase supplies straight from their website, like Arteza allows buyers to do. On their website, each supply and product they offer will have the associated retailer that it is available in. They are commonly available on these retailers’ online websites, such as Walmart, Amazon, or Target.
Prismacolor isn’t as generous with its product line-up as Arteza is. But you will find quality selections of the following products:
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- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Graphite pencils
- Pastels
- Accessories:
- Sharpeners
- Erasers
- Carrying cases
- Sets and bundles:
- Coloring kids for adults
- Portrait sets
- Grey marker sets
- Charcoal drawing sets, etc
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Prismacolor Premier Line
These are high-quality colored pencil lines; they are highly sought after by anyone interested in doing colored pencil drawings or sketches. They are made of soft wax, like B grades of graphite. Here are a few pros and cons of these pencils.
Pros:
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- Comes in a nice tin case
- The soft wax pigment can easily be spread over different surfaces.
- Because it is so soft, it can be used to the pain or spread over a surface.
- Layered colors build up quickly
- A huge variety of colors are sold individually.
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Cons:
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- Price; but you get what you pay for: quality
- Because they are soft, they can easily break; so, you need to be careful.
- Can ruin an electric pencil sharpener.
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These pencils are soft but can be used as any other colored pencils on the market, but they can elevate a drawing. When using these pencils correctly, you can make a drawing look more like a painting. Because they are subsequent layers are added in a manner that can be described as translucent to glazing techniques used in oil paintings.
Which is Better, Prismacolor or Arteza?
Well, that is up to you. What are you looking for? What kind of project are you trying to achieve? What is your price point? These are all quality questions to ask yourself when you’re interested in buying high-end, high-quality materials for your projects.
If you are looking for durability, large, complete sets, that aren’t going to break the bank, you may want to look at Arteza. Between their product lineup, low prices, and durability, these are great for anyone who is starting or is into different types of projects, such as coloring, painting, watercolor painting, etc.
If you are more interested in creating drawings that look more realistic, detail-oriented, and express as a painting, then Prismacolor is for you. Because of their soft color pencils, the wax can be manipulated to spread or paint with, using techniques that will make your drawing look like an oil painting, rather than a color pencil drawing. They are experienced, but when you pay for quality, you get quality.
Wondering how Prismacolor stands up to Faber-Castell? Check out our article HERE.
Conclusion
Prismacolor and Arteza are the best of the best brands when it comes to art supplies. Going with either is a great idea, but people have different preferences and different projects that need a certain sort of supply. No matter what brand you go with, you will create some amazing, detail-oriented work. So, which one is for you?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best-colored pencils?
Here are the 8 top colored pencils on the market:
- Prismacolor Premier Soft Core
- Black Widow Wax Colored Pencils
- LYRA Rembrandt Polycolor Art Pencils
- Staedtler Ergosoft
- Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils
- Sargent Art Coloring Pencils
- Faber-Castell Polychromos
- Crayola Pencils
Are Arteza Colored Pencils Oil-Based?
Arteza’s colored pencils are wax-based, however, they do perform like an oil-based colored pencil. For example, they have little to no bloom, hardly crumble, and hold a point.
What Colored Pencils Do Professionals Use?
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils are used and considered to be the best, and leading colored pencils based on their quality, and are affordable. Their quality can match the most expensive colored pencils on the market, but these won’t hurt your wallet.
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