Essential Colour Pencil Supplies for Beginners

My suggested 'essential' colour pencil kit for beginners

When you're starting a new hobby it's tempting, and very easy, to spend a lot of time and effort, not to mention money buying all the supplies for every eventuality. And I get it, I really do! When I picked up my pencils again in 2017, in my late 40's, I was eager to find out everything there was to know, and try everything there was to try. I found so much information, a lot of it conflicting, a lot of it opinions on the 'best' this or the 'ultimate' that! It quickly got overwhelming and expensive, not to mention wasteful!

I know now that there is no best anything, because there's only what's best for me...or you. But I wanted to share with you my list of 7 essential bits of kit that I wish I'd stuck to when I started.

Beginner Friendly Derwent Chromaflow

Your first set of colour pencils doesn’t need to be a full set, but if you want to have a nice experience while you're finding your feet it should be higher quality than kids school supplies. Higher quality pencils have so much more pigment and will blend and layer to a rich colour that you just can’t get with cheaper versions. You can tell a quality brand because they will be available as individuals as well as sets. I recommend softer pencils if you’re a beginner, like Derwent Chromaflow. Their softer cores allow for faster colouring and blending and they work well on most papers, including colouring books. They are available individually, but I recommend a 36 tin, which has a great range of colours that will see you through for some time...at least until you learn about the other Derwent pencils (or was that just me?)

THE PAPER

Paper can have a major effect on your colour pencil experience. Drawing paper or a sketchbook will accept colour pencils, but you may get frustrated with the lack of layering capacity or the look of the finished colouring. If you’ve just started and are still learning to control your pressure and the evenness of your shading, my first recommendation is Clairefontaine Pastelmat. This is a speciality paper, more like a coated card, with a gentle sanded texture on the front that grips the pigment and allows for lots of layers and a variety of techniques. The finish, after colouring, often still has some texture showing, but it’s a great one for learning on. My second recommendation is Bristol Vellum, a thick and bouncy paper with a subtle texture that holds the pigment well and still allows for lots of layers. The finish, compared to the Pastelmat will be smoother, which you might prefer. There are sooooo many papers out there, that you will need to experiment a little. But these two, I found very easy to work on.

Your bog-standard metal sharpener is fine

THE SHARPENER

When you’ve bought your first pencils, you really should invest in a new sharpener. You’ll have far fewer breakages if the blade is nice and sharp. You don’t need anything fancy. Not yet. A simple hand-held one will last a long time and will be perfect for your first pencils. I like this hefty metal Staedtler one.

TOP TIP – If you are breaking a lot of leads in your sharpener, replace the blade and see if that helps. A sharp blade shaves the wood casing more easily without causing so much stress on the core, resulting in less breakage.

Not all erasers are made equal!

THE ERASER

Colour pencil doesn’t erase well. Pigments are often staining and don’t ‘lift’ well after being pressed into the page. However, that doesn’t mean an eraser is not an essential bit of kit. My first recommendation is a kneadable eraser. This squishable, workable lump of grey-matter is great for lifting graphite outlines, or dabbing away pigment to create soft edges, even gently removing the top-layers if you need to. Dab it, don’t scrub it, and when you’re finished, fold in the grubby edges. There’s no eraser-dust and little to no damage to the surface with these. I love the Faber Castel ones best. My second recommendation is the Tombow Mono Zero eraser pen. This is a more traditional white eraser but propelled like the lead in a mechanical pencil. It’s perfect for creating lighter lines for hair and fur, for example.

THE TAPE ERASER

This deserves its own mention. It is one of the best ‘subtracting’ techniques for colour pencil. Scotch Magic Tape seems to have the best level of stickiness for removing pigment without ruining the paper. Best used on robust papers only with an eraser-guard to protect the rest of your work from accidental erasings!

THE BLENDER

As a beginner, I think Blender Pens can make a big difference to your early experiences with colour pencils, drastically reducing the frustrations around getting smooth blends quickly. They’re essentially solvents in a marker, which I like because there’s no bottle of noxious liquid or paintbrush required. I recommend the Derwent Blender Pens, one of which has a soft squishy nib which is my favourite. There are a few different versions out there all of which do a similar thing and they last quite a while.

Swatch cards with viewfinder

THE SWATCH

Something that many lists leave out is the importance of swatching your pencils on different surfaces. As a beginner you’ll not easily remember the exact colours, so having a hand-made colour-chart will save you time in the long run – and it’s a relaxing, no stress way to get acquainted with your pencils.

All of these items can be purchased for around £100 and are readily available on Amazon, Jacksons and at local art stores. You'll be up and running with everything you need for the best beginner experience. All you could add, perhaps, is some tuition...and if you would be interested in that, why not check for all the tutorials I have on offer, and remember to sign up for my 'learning list'.

Above all, have fun with the experimenting. If you love buying supplies and love working things out on your own, that's fab too. Go for it and enjoy yourself.