ARTEZA Colored Pencils 72 Soft Wax-Based Color Pencils for Adults & Artists. Pre-Sharpened Drawing Set for Blending, Coloring, Shading & Sketching. Professional Art Supplies in Tin Box, Holiday Gift

I am not a professional artist but do have enough art background and experience to recognize good quality products and tools. I have sets of very expensive professional level colored pencils, as well as kid level sets. I have sets made in Europe, Asia, USA...in other words, I have a LOT of colored pencils. I have been so disappointed with the quality of my most expensive set, breakage, unable to handle pressure, rough wood interior, cost per replacement pencil, etc. In a bit of desperation I decided to try these...and they are lovely!! The color line is gorgeous, they sharpen beautifully (small hand sharpener, not a regular pencil sharpener!!), the box they come in is well made (usually I recycle the box, but not for this set). The lead is nice and thick, so for fine lines I do need to sharpen them, but they layer and blend so well!! The color name is on each pencil, which helps with remembering which colors I use. They came pre-sharpened, so the first needed sharpening is very easy. The wood inside seems to be very smooth so it doesn’t catch on the sharpener blade. The lead is on the soft side, so very fine lines might benefit from a harder lead, but they sharpen so easily that it is not difficult to get a nice thin line.I’m sold on these pencils and highly recommend them.

I own over 50 sets of colored pencils from no name dollar store sets to professional brands such as Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran d'ache Pablo and Holbein. This set of Arteza Expert pencils resembled Holbein pencils to me, in appearance of the pencils and most aspects of performance. They are waxier than the Holbein pencils. They glide across the paper effortlessly and incredibly smoothly. There is no scratchiness at all even with a pinpoint sharp tip. The pigment laydown is excellent. I really love the colors in this set and they really add unique colors to my collection, with the exception of the black not being as strongly black as I expect from higher quality pencils. It is more of a dark gray to me, than a truer black tone. These are waxier pencils, so wax bloom may be a potential issue in time, but I do not know since I have only had them a short time. I like the tin the pencils come in as it's heavier than many other brands and I like the hinged lid over two piece tins. For the price point, these pencils are amazing quality and a new favorite in my collection. I've already ordered an additional set. I highly recommend this set!!

I've been an artist since the 60's. I know, big deal, what's the point? I'm picky with mediums. Although, cheap in price, these pencils aren't cheap in quality. I can create the same quality of art with these as I can Prism, Derwent and Caran D'ache. Sure, the applications are a little different, textures different, but still create a beautiful piece.

Good quality and enjoy these for base coloring. I have both regular 72 set and the 120 watercolor set. Enjoy the beautiful colors and the pencils r comfortable to hold.

They are great! Only thing I did was put them in order when they arrived. Super colorful and easy to combina colors either others.

I am very pleased with these pencils. I am not a professional artist, just a hobbyist. I own and have used several brands of colored pencils, both professional grade and budget-friendly. These pencils perform very well in comparison with any other pencils I have used. They are high quality in both performance and appearance. The pencils are sturdy, substantial, feel great in the hand, and the colors are absolutely beautiful. The color of the barrel matches the color of the core quite well. The color laydown and saturation are fabulous. This set contains some unique colors not available in other brands I own. I tested and swatched these out as soon as I received them, and I could not wait to start using them, they were that nice. The leads are hard, hold a point, and do not break with use or sharpening - yet they lay down color with little pressure, which is great for my hands and wrists! I contacted the company to let them know my thoughts, and they were so kind when responding to me. They obviously care about what they do and about making their customers happy. Would love to see Arteza come out with a larger set some day!

I normally color with Prismacolor Premier pencils but was curious about these so decided to give them a try, the price was too good not to.How do these compare to my Prismas? They are not as soft and creamy but the colors are vibrant. These pencils fit my style in that they are great for a lot of light layers, more so than the Prismacolors in that they do not put too much color down at once. If your style is to color one thick burnished layer, these may not be for you. Because the leads are a little harder, I have had no issue with the leads breaking either during sharpening or coloring. I also don't need to sharpen as frequently as they keep their point longer. Unlike other pencils, there is very little fallout when coloring so not as much smearing of color on the page unintentionally.The downsides I have found is that they work best on color book paper, some better than other and they don't lay as smooth in my sketchbook on 75lb paper, too rough I guess. I also find the reds a bit lacking, I wish there were more of them that didn't feel so orange.I look forward to Arteza coming out with more colors!