Castle Art Supplies Gold Standard 120 Coloring Pencils Set with Extras, Oil-based Colored Cores Stay Sharper, Tougher Against Breakage, For Adult Artists, Colorists, In Zipper Case

I have had this set for almost a year. I also own the 120 soft (regular wax) colored pencils, watercolor pencils, and the 50 metallic and pastel tint-- all Castle Arts and opted for the zipper case each time. I try to limit my spending on art supplies, as I am not a professional, and mainly use pencils for coloring, which I only do occasionally. So, the fact that I bought every pencil set available in a zipper case speaks to the quality, and amazing presentation of this brand of pencil! They have always come with an instruction booklet, which is individualized for the type of pencil, and is packed with helpful, useful, and informative content (some of it looks to be digitally generated, but I understand that's probably for efficiency purposes and I can overlook that minor issue for the wealth of great tips found in each book). They also have a sample drawing project...with steps to follow...but I haven't tried any of the projects because you'd likely need to be an intermediate artist or better to do those, as steps seem a little vague. Some of the sets came with pads of paper, too. As for these Gold Range pencils, I personally much much prefer the standard, cheaper soft pencil line. That said, I can see why these would be considered the "better" pencil because they're very richly pigmented. You can get some layering and blending effects, but these are like most other pencils labeled as "oil" pencils, they put down a lot of thick color. I feel like I can achieve the subtle, beautiful layering and blending effects with ease using the standard pencils, but really struggle with these. Maybe that's a me problem lol. I am probably doing something wrong, or not willing to venture into chemical solvents or whatever. I do own other "oil" pencils by Marco (Raffine), Shiperr Farben, and Brutfuner/Kalour (f.y.i. Brutfuner a k.a. Kalour et. al. makes the exact same oil pencils and produces them under about a dozen different brand names, so do some research before investing in any of the cheaper, generic pencils if you already own a set, because chances are that you'll just be re-purchading the same pencils). The Castle Arts Gold pencils are comparable if not better than any of these other oil pencils. To clarify, yes oil pencils still have a waxy binder, they just have a different formulation than typical colored pencils. I know what to expect when I open a new package of pencils that are labeled as oil pencils compared to regular pencils. I also wonder why it is that so many of the popular, highly rated generic/ cheap brand pencils are oil pencils lol, but that this set costs more than the other Castle Arts pencils that most people have better results with? As noted, these pencils have very vibrant colors, and lay down well on paper. They have a palette of colors that I like, with more purples and pinks than typical--but I noticed none of the Castle Arts line has really satisfied my needs as far as reds and oranges go. Like there's no good red. Oh well. One last thing I have to say is that I've attempted several coloring book pages with the Gold pencils, even in miniature coloring books, and taken these with me on vacation to try and force myself to use them. I have never finished a page started with these pencils. I've almost always finished the many pages started with the standard Castle Arts pencils!! Just like I almost never use any of the cheaper oil pencils I own. So, if you're on a budget, I recommend getting the other Castle Arts pencils first...or if you already have those, but are unfamiliar with oil pencils, get some of the generic oil pencils like Brutfuner just to be sure that you like this style of pencil before investing in this set. These are good for what they are...just not good for the way I personally know how to color--but, people who don't like muted colored pencils might actually love oil pencils because they lay down richer color!! It's all personal preferences.

Excellent quality pencils. Exactly as promised.

I use these oil pencils for coloring. I prefer them to the castle arts soft core wax pencils. The color is more vivid and lays down easier, which I need due to my hand having issues. If you are thinking of castle, these are better than their wax pencils overall. However, they can be used with the wax pencils on the same picture. I use mine with the pastel wax soft core set. They often have sales and I got my set for 59.99. If I had bought the set without the case, it would have been 49.99 and for these gold oil pencils that is a great deal. They are not as good as prismacolor but for the price they are well worth it. The colors are vivid and bright , In my opinion, these are the best mid-priced pencils on the market now. They blend wonderfully. You don't have that line when you color either when you are filling in a big space where the color overlaps, (If you have used cheaper priced pencils like crayola you know what I mean) I haven't had any issue with breaking cores when I sharpen them. They do leave some crumbles but I brush them away with a makeup brush and that seems to work fine. I have not noticed them looking dry at all, as some reviewers have said. If you are just looking for a good set that is a huge step above cheaper brands for coloring, this is the set you should buy. Buy them, you won't be disappointed unless you are used to high-end pencils like prismacolor, which I also own But use more for drawing than coloring, And honestly, there is not a huge difference in the prismacolor premier and these gold oil pencils. Yes the prismacolors are better, but these are fine for adult coloring they really are They also come with a card stock color swatch which is a huge help and brochures with instructions on various coloring techniques.

The oil-based Gold Standard Colored Pencils set colors much more evenly & completely without being patchy or blotchy than the original wax-based edition of this set. The manufacturer is right that the lead is more firm & it also lasts a bit longer. This set gives me more even control over the color & it goes where I put it. If the color is too dark or goes where it shouldn't, it quickly picks up with a polymer eraser & without smearing. The wax set did not perform nearly as well on any of these points. So even if you're a beginner like me, or just coloring in books, don't hold back on getting yourself the Gold Standard. It's worth it. You won't have to be a high flying artist to make excellent use of this set. According to the manufacturer, they're even non-toxic, which is good for me, because I have a pet & I worry about trace amounts getting transferred to them over time or them accidentally getting hold of a pencil. I also love that Castle Arts is knowledgeable & happy to answer questions about their product. The book style case is a huge plus & I am beginning to wish that all colored pencils came in cases like this instead of flimsy trays. Some complain about breakage during shipping, but I have had pencils break trays in shipping too. The one suggestion I have is to include graphite drawing pencils with the bundle instead of sketch paper. Recommended not just for fine artists but for all teenagers & adults who are drawn to using this media. I'm just a novice, & I can't put them down. This is a kit that everyone can enjoy.

Mycket bra olje pennor. Aldrig använt förut.

Soy una aficionada que acabo de empezar con los lápices de colores, por lo que mis valoraciones no pueden ser muy técnicas. Teniendo esto en cuenta, he de decir que el producto me ha encantado. Tanto el estuche como los lápices llegaron en perfectas condiciones, con un buen embalaje y el envío fue muy rápido. Los colores me parecen geniales. Me gusta la textura y como esta permite hacer mezclas y degradados. Se afilan perfectamente. Por poner un pero al producto, es que, si no me equivoco, no se pueden comprar lápices sueltos para poder ir reponiendo según se van gastando. Estaría genial tener esta opción, ya que siempre se utilizan más unos colores que otros.

I am still learning to draw and these pencils seemed to offer good quality without spending a fortune if my skills do not develop the way I hope. I did prepare a swatch sheet and only had one break out of the 120 and this one sharpened well and seems to be fine now. The range of colours seemed to have a lot of greys but all seem to match the colour on the end quite closely. My lack of experience means I cannot comment fully on the softness of these pencils but they do feel a little like drawing with a softer graphite pencil, a 2B or 3B feel. I have not tried blending and layering yet so cannot really comment on that other than to say that online video reviews suggest they work quite well in these respects. Overall I would say that these pencils are a very good option for anyone on a budget or a beginner like me who does not want to be let down by their equipment without spending a lot on something my skills fail to match.

Impeccable, ma soeur pour qui c'était un cadeau en n'est très satisfaite, les couleurs sont très jolies, seul bémol, prévoir une poignée de transport sur la sacoche serait pas mal !!

Jag gav den som födelsedags present. So jag vet inte vad hen täcker om den.