10 Best Watercolor Pencils 2020 [Buying Guide]

Your Authors and Guides

Heather
Patton

Jennifer
Trimbee

Samantha
Dewitt

How to Choose the Best Watercolor Pencils

In addition to a great watercolor palette, the best watercolor pencils can give you more freedom to create vibrant, beautiful artwork. You can use them as pencils to add vibrant details to your watercolors, or blend them with a water brush for a muted, blended effect! They’re also convenient for those of you who love to travel with your art supplies! Before diving into the reviews, here are a few key features to know about before buying new watercolor pencils.

Soft Core: Watercolor pencils with soft cores are great for watercolor painting and drawing because they blend well and help with shading and coloring in large swatches. pencils don’t blend as well, but they’re great for detail work and outlining!

Pieces: We’ll let you know how many pencils come in each, so you can grab one with the right amount of variety for your needs! We found smaller kits that are great for travel, and larger kits with tons of options!

Case: We found great options that come with their own carrying cases – perfect for travel or art students! There are also kits that don’t come with a case, which are good for people who don’t want or need another pencil case.

Pre-Sharpened: Some watercolor pencils come pre-sharpened, while others need to be sharpened to your liking before you can use them. All of the pencil kits we reviewed come pre-sharpened, so all you have to do is open the box and create!

Sharpener Included: We will also let you know if each kit comes with a pencil sharpener. Many of them come with sharpeners built right into the carrying case! If it doesn’t come with one, you may need to purchase a sharpener separately.

Water-Soluble: Finally, we made sure each kit was made of water-soluble pigments, so you can use them however you like to create beautiful watercolors! All of the pencils we reviewed can be watered down to blend and thin out the color.

Top 10 Products

Now that you know what to look for, let’s find the best watercolor pencil set for you! We reviewed a variety of brands at different price points, so you can find one that fits your artistic needs and budget. There are options here for beginners, art students, and even professional painters! If you’re pressed for time, we totally understand! We started with our Top Pick and Budget Pick, so read those first and come back when you have more time!

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils

Let’s start off with our Top Pick for the best quality watercolor pencils! This set of 36 pencils from Prismacolor is made of highly saturated colors that you can use in a variety of different ways. They make great watercolor pencils for coloring books, sketching, and adding crisp details to your watercolor paintings. When used dry, they match up with the Prismacolor palette, so you can match them with your other Prismacolor pencils and paints! The pigments are also water soluble, so you can use them with water and a brush for even more textural effects! This set topped our list because of its versatility and high quality. Each set comes pre-sharpened, so you can start painting and drawing right away. They also come with a small carrying case that keeps all of your pencils organized. We think that these are great watercolor pencils for artists, art students, and hobbyists to create a wide variety of textures in their artwork!

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Artlicious Distinct Watercolor Pencils

Our Budget Pick from Artlicious is a great option if you want to try out watercolor pencils without spending a ton. This inexpensive set of watercolor pencils comes with a whopping 50 different colors! We like that each pencil is labeled with the color name, so you can easily find the one you want without needing a specialized palette or guide. Each pencil comes pre-sharpened, and the box has a built-in sharpener to keep them in great shape as you use them. They work both wet and dry to do detail work, shading, blending or use with water and brush to diffuse colors. We also like that the wood is high quality and sharpens without splitting or splintering. The durable cores also won’t break while you color or paint with them. We think that these are a solid set of watercolor pencils for beginners who want to try something new without needing to break the bank on new art supplies!

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Derwent Coloured Pencils

If you are looking for the best watercolor pencils for dolls, fabric, and other tricky mediums, this set from Derwent is a great option for you! This set of watercolor pencils comes with 24 beautiful colors that can be used wet or dry to create beautiful masterpieces. They also mix well, so you can create unique colors to help your projects stand out! When used dry, they add vibrant color to coloring books, drawings, and add detail to paintings. Once you add water and a brush, you can blend and soften the colors to create smooth washes of paint. These colors work especially well on fabrics because they dry permanently and won’t bleed or run. We like that these use soft cores, which are easy to draw smooth lines, shading, and large swaths of color. This kit of 24 pencils comes pre-sharpened in a metal case, making them a great gift idea for painters, art students, and fabric crafters alike.

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Colore Watercolor Pencils

Another great value kit is this one from Colore. It comes with a whopping 72 different colors that you can use wet or dry to create a variety of paintings, drawings, and more. The lightweight pencils are easy to handle, and the soft cores allow the color to blend smoothly. We like that the soft cores are also break-resistant, so you won’t have to re-sharpen them very often. Finding the right color is easy because the pencil tops indicate the color clearly. This kit comes in a beautiful tin case that keeps your pencils organized and protected in your art kit or bag while traveling. Each pencil is pre-sharpened so you can use them right away with your favorite coloring book or sketchpad. The kit also comes with a brush pen you can load with water to create watercolor paintings conveniently. We think this kit is a wonderful gift idea and inexpensive enough you can get one for yourself too!

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Fantasia Premium Watercolor Pencils

Buying high-quality art supplies can be expensive for an art student, but this set of 36 watercolor pencils from Fantasia is both affordable and great for classes! We think that these are great for art students because they work both wet and dry. They will work well in sketching classes, watercolor classes, or for fun between classes! It comes with 36 pre-sharpened pencils in a metal tin that keeps them protected and organized while you run from class to class. We like that these have hard leads that still blend smoothly, reducing scratches and skips. The thicker leads allow you to blend and fill in large areas, or you can sharpen them to points for detailed work. To make them watercolors, you just have to add a little bit of water and start working the pigment in with a brush. You won’t need a lot of water, which is great for doing watercolor paintings that dry quickly and permanently!

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Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Pencil Set

This set of 120 watercolor pencils from Faber Castell is a great option for both art students and professionals alike. We like these pencils because they are high quality, concentrated pigments that are fade-resistant and can be used to create a variety of art projects for classes or professional work. It’s easy to find the right color you need because the pencil wood is colored the same as the lead. No worries about deciphering palette numbers or color names! These pencils work well dry for detail work, blending, and playing around in your favorite adult coloring book. To create watercolor effects, you have lots of options to do this. You can dip pencils directly into water for a highly concentrated watercolor, wet the paper and then draw on it, or draw on the page and use a watered-down brush to diffuse and blend the color! These also work on watercolor paper, canvas, silk, and all kinds of other surfaces, too!

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Magicfly Colored Pencils Set

If you’re looking for a great gift idea for an artistic friend or loved one, consider picking up this set of colored watercolor pencils from Magicfly! We think these make a great gift because they are high-quality pencils you can use wet or dry to create a lot of fun pieces of art! Each kit comes with an impressive 72 different colors, which your artsy friends will enjoy using without needing to mix and blend their own colors. The soft cores can be used dry, and they glide smoothly onto the page for easy blending and washing large areas with color. You can also use them with water to create beautiful watercolors that are easy to blend, mix, and diffuse. We also like this as a gift because it comes with everything you need to get started! The pencils are all pre-sharpened, and the case keeps everything organized. It even has a built-in sharpener and 2 watercolor brushes included!

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Crayola Watercolor Colored Pencils

Looking for fun art supplies for your kids to inspire their creativity? Consider grabbing a pack of these durable, easy to use watercolor pencils from Crayola! This set comes with 24 pre-sharpened watercolor colored pencils your children can use either wet or dry to play around with coloring, drawing, and painting. You can save a lot of money on art supplies for your little ones by using these pencils to replace their colored pencils, crayons, and paints! We like that these have harder cores, making them great for kids to use with coloring books and drawing projects without breaking the cores too easily when they push down too hard. If your child wants to try out watercolor painting, this is where things get fun! They can wet the paper and draw, or draw on the paper and then use a watercolor brush to move around and blend the colors. It’s a great way to get kids to experiment with art!

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Castle Art Supplies Watercolor Pencils

Next up in our watercolor pencils review is this enormous set of 72 pencils from Castle Art Supplies. We think this is a great set for professional artists and art enthusiasts who are looking to upgrade their pencils without breaking their budget. For a reasonable price, you get 72 high-quality pencils that are pre-sharpened and ready to use. They come in a durable case that keeps them all organized and protected from dings and breaking. The pencils are highly pigmented, durable, and easy to use. You can use them dry in your favorite coloring books, or use them to color in sketches. The cores are hard, so they aren’t too delicate to use dry. To create a watercolor effect, you can either dip the tips directly into water and draw or use them with a watercolor brush or pen. You can create watercolors without the mess of using a palette or tubes of paint you have to mix and blend!

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Arteza Watercolor Pencils

Last up in our reviews is this set of 48 gorgeous watercolor pencils from Arteza. This is an awesome kit to take with you on the road that the whole family will enjoy! Each pencil comes pre-sharpened and ready to use either wet or dry to create beautiful masterpieces. The pigments are bright and highly concentrated, making them great for coloring books. They come packed into a sturdy tube case, which you can easily toss in your luggage or backpack to do some drawing or painting while you travel. Another great feature is their triangular grip design. They won’t roll off of tables, making them great to use on trains, planes, and yes…automobiles! We also think that these are a good set to pick up for children who like to make art, but aren’t always good at putting caps back on markers or cleaning up painting messes. These pencils are durable, easy to use and keep cleanup to a minimum.

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About the Author

Samantha Dewitt

Expert Researcher and Writer

Samantha Dewitt is a lead researcher and writer for GeekWrapped, writing under a pen name. She gets excited about pet, baby, and science products and has over 12 years of experience.

Learn more about Samantha

Article last updated on:

September 29, 2019

See more reviews:

Best Watercolor Pencils

Top 10 Buying Guide

Our Recommendations

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils

Artlicious Distinct Watercolor Pencils

How to Choose the Best Watercolor Pencils

Top 10 Products

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils

Artlicious Distinct Watercolor Pencils

Derwent Coloured Pencils

Colore Watercolor Pencils

Fantasia Premium Watercolor Pencils

Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Pencil Set

Magicfly Colored Pencils Set

Crayola Watercolor Colored Pencils

Castle Art Supplies Watercolor Pencils

Arteza Watercolor Pencils

About the Author

TOP PICK

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils