01. Drawing pencils
02. Colouring pencils
03. Mechanical pencils
04. Watercolour pencils
05. Pastel pencils
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
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Pastel
Best pastel pencils
Quality: professional
Lightfastness: nearly all
Caran d’Ache’s pastel pencils come with one of the highest price tags in our list of the best pastel pencils but quite deservedly so. These pencils are richly pigmented, and nearly all the colours in the 84-strong range have high lightfastness ratings. I find the texture of the pencil to be smooth as it goes down, and it leaves dense colour on the paper. They feel a bit harder than a soft pastel, and the core is quite thick. A handy perk is the hexagonal barrel, which means the pencil won’t roll away. The wood is smooth and easy to cut with a blade too. All in all, these are the best pastel pencils for professional use.
Quality: professional
Lightfastness: most pencils
Cretacolor’s pastel pencils have a smooth, chalky feel that sits a bit more on the firmer side. This makes it easy to sharpen them to a reasonably good point, and I found they keep a point for longer than many others, making them one of the best pastel pencils for adding details and producing fine lines. The colour intensity of these pencils is excellent, with the pigment going down with a nice density. They tend not to blend as readily as other pastel pencils, though they do transfer to the surface well. The core is also on the thin side, making it a little more fragile. There are 72 colours in the range.
Quality: intermediate
Lightfastness: most pencils
If you're looking for the best soft pastel pencils, Koh-I-Noor’s are one of the softest I’ve used. They're bright and blend readily, though there is some loss of colour intensity when blending. With only 48 pencils, the range is a little narrow, although it offers enough for most artists. For the price, the colour is surprisingly intense and exceeded my expectations. Most of the colour range is lightfast as well. The casing is good quality and easy to sharpen with a blade but is also narrow and strong enough to sharpen with a pencil sharpener. I found these pastel pencils easy to use and suitable for beginners and professionals alike.
