The best pencils for artists: Colouring, drawing and sketching

Pick one of the best pencils and your art is bound to level up. There are thousands of different pencils out there, so it can be tricky to whittle down your options. Our handy guide will help you decide which particular pencil to choose. Here, we've listed pencils for every creative task, including the best pencils for drawing to watercolour, colouring and pastels. Just use the quick links to find your preferred option.

Professionals and hobbyists are all bound to find something here that'll fit the bill. Stay with us to learn about the very best pencils for artists and designers. Want some inspiration? Check out our essential guide to pencil drawing techniques, our pick of realistic pencil drawings and our roundup of tutorials on how to draw.

Drawing

Best pencils for drawing and sketching

Blackwing boasts a very impressive pedigree in the pencil world. It developed something of a cult following before being discontinued in 1998, but then, in 2010, Palomino bought the brand. The resulting pencils are more than worthy of the Blackwing name. 

There are three main Palomino Blackwing pencil options to choose from: the Blackwing (similar to a 5B), Blackwing Pearl (4B) and Blackwing 602 (3B). The leads have wax added to them, making them super-smooth to use, and they create velvety dark marks. We gave them five stars in our Palomino Blackwing pencils review. The price you see here is for a set of 12, and it's good value for such fine quality pencils, making these our best pencils for drawing overall.

So, this is a pricey choice, we'll be honest. The Caran D'ache Graphite Line gift box really does contain fewer than 20 pencils, plus graphite sticks and accessories, at a price that could make even the most extravagant artist's eyes water, but what you're paying for here is absolute top-quality graphite. 

The Graphite Line range was developed and perfected in Caran d’Ache's Geneva workshops to explore different shades of black and to deliver thick and thin lines, gradation, flat-wash, blurring and watercolour effects. Yes, it's ludicrously expensive for a set of pencils, but we suspect that after you've tried it, you probably won't want to use anything else.

For a much more economical option, this set of Lyra Rembrandt hexagonal design pencils is ideal if you're looking to hone your shading skills. The full Rembrandt Art Design set covers 17 grades from 9B to 6H, and this smaller selection features a good, representative sample with enough options for you to be able to get creative with your shading. The pencils are encased in pure cedar wood and boast an ultra-fine graphite lead that's also suitable for more rigid technical drawing techniques.

The Cumberland Pencil Company has been making some of the best pencils available since way back in 1832, and that experience comes through in the quality of its Derwent brand. The Derwent Graphic Medium pencils make smooth, easy lines on the paper, and they're ideal for bold line drawings as well as freestyle sketches. the pencils are sold individually and in sets, and you can choose the set that best suits your own artistic style.

Looking for a different option? If you're open to alternatives to using a pencil for sketching and illustration, you might want to consider experimenting with graphite powder. Cretacolor Charcoal Powder is made using a special deep-firing method to produce a dense, rich charcoal that creates luminous light and dark shades of grey. It slides easily, smudges, blends, and rubs off like chalk.

Fixative must be used on the final artwork and is suitable for wet or dry techniques on paper or canvas. It's well worth considering if you're looking to experiment with different techniques.

• Back to top^

Colouring

Best pencils for colouring 

The Derwent Lightfast range of coloured pencils launched in 2018 to great acclaim and the range was later expanded to include 48 and 72 box assortments. The first oil-based range of pencils from Derwent, it offers super-intense but flexible colours – how firmly you press makes a huge difference in how they show.

Derwent has also taken the lightfast element very seriously with these pencils, hence the name, and the colour remains lightfast in museum conditions for up to 100 years. The pencils layer and build up beautifully, and their maple casing looks and feels great.

Another selection from the same reliable brand, the Derwent Procolour range came out in 2017. The pencils feel substantial, with a sturdy circular shaft, and the leads aren't too waxy or too brittle. They boast a high pigment level, which makes for wonderful colour gradation, even with a light touch. We gave them four and a half stars in our Derwent Procolour review.

For a much more economical option, the BIC Conté colouring pencils are a bargain. These high-quality coloured pencils are made of synthetic resin rather than wood, which means they're splinter-free if they break. They boast a 3.2mm pigment-based lead, which provides smooth, even and consistent coverage for artists of all types, and you can get them in a 12 or 24 pencil set. The colour intensity might not be as strong as with the previous sets, but for this price, you can't go wrong with this colouring set. 

These Sanford Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are among the best pencils for colouring for students and entry-level artists. They have soft, thick cores, which lay down smooth colours for superior blending and shading. The thick leads are also very resistant to breakage, so you can really lean into them and get as dramatic as you dare.

The brilliant permanent pigments are smooth, water-resistant and lightfast. Colours can be easily blended on all art surfaces to form an infinite array of hues and shades. 

• Back to top^

Mechanical

Best mechanical drawing pencils

The design of mechanical pencils hasn’t seen a massive amount of progression in recent years, but Uniball Kurutoga Pipe Slideuses really does take a leap forward for pencil design with a technical innovation that makes a difference. It has a spring-loaded clutch that incrementally twists the graphite as you write. This means that the lead wears in a uniform way, so that it stays pointed and the beautifully thin line remains consistent throughout your drawing. The innovation also helps keep breakage to a minimum. It's a very reasonably priced pencil, too.

If you’re looking for a budget mechanical pencil that still offers great quality, this Pentel 200 pack of four is a great option. These low-priced pencils might not boast any clever features, but they're nice to hold and draw with and do the job just fine. With a plastic barrel, ribbed finger grip and removable metal pocket clip, these make good pencils for professional drafting, too.

The beautiful Rotring Rapid Pro metal drafting pencil is without a doubt one of the best pencils for pros. It has a full metal hexagonal body designed to balance its weight and a circular cross-hatch metal grip. 

The cushion point mechanism allows the sliding sleeve to give slightly under pressure, reducing the risk of the lead breaking while you're writing. The pencil also has a clip and eraser under the cap. All in all, it's a brilliant mechanical pencil for designing layouts and typography.

The Faber-Castell Grip 2011 mechanical pencil has won several design awards, and the accolades are well deserved. Drawing with this pencil feels extremely natural thanks to the perfectly sized triangular barrel. The raised rubber dots allow for a super firm but comfortable grip, which is ideal when it comes to making precise drawings. 

The pencil comes in several colours (there's also silver and black as well as the blue pictured above). It boasts a handy extra-long twisting eraser and a 0.7mm HB lead.

• Back to top^

Watercolour

Best watercolour pencils

Staedtler claims to have invented the colouring pencil, and this set shows that it certainly knows its stuff. The Staedtler Karat Aquarell watercolour pencils come in sets of 12, 24, 36 and 48 (the price above is for the 24-pencil tin). They have high-pigment, break-resistant leads and a quality wooden shaft that sharpens well. 

Of course, you can use them dry, but you can add water for extra fun. Staedtler is always a reliable brand, and this set is a great option for beginners or more advanced artists alike. We gave these five stars in our Staedtler watercolour pencil review.

This set of watercolour pencils from Faber Castell is named after the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. Boldly claiming to offer over 100 years of fade resistance, they're made from the highest quality materials, including vibrant pigments and a unique binder medium. 

A sound choice for any artist, these pencils are perfect for both drawing and painting techniques. They come in tins of 12, 24, 60, or a full range of 120. The price above is for the Albrecht Dürer set of 24.

• Back to top^

Pastel

Best pastel pencils

These CarbOthello pastel pencils (yes, that is how it's spelt) offer the kind of quality we expect from Stabilo. The 24-piece set includes a decent spectrum of colours, and the pencils sharpen very well. They also offer a great range of colours for the price. 

Their dry stroke is perfect for blending, but the fun starts when you add water – and you can create some particularly interesting results by working in wet areas with dry pencils. This is a great mid-level set of pencils, but might be a little advanced for beginners. Read our full CarbOthello pastel pencils review for more details.

For colour range and quality, this set of KOH-I-NOOR Artist's Soft Pastel Pencils is another highly recommended option for pastels. The Czech company's pencils are soft, silky smooth and easy to blend. With a 7.5-millimetre barrel and a core of just 4.2 millimetres, they're fairly slim, but they still have plenty of pigment, and they're easy to control and sharpen.

Related posts:

• Best watercolour paper: Watercolour paper thick enough to hold up
• Best oil paints: Beautiful oil paints you'll want to use
• Best easels: Sturdy and stable so your painting won't wobble