Choosing your first set of colored pencils is a bit like picking a wand in the wizarding world-the right tools can unlock magic, while the wrong ones leave you frustrated with scribbles that don’t live up to the picture in your head.
After testing ten of the most popular sets on the market, I can tell you that the best colored pencils for beginners aren’t necessarily the most expensive or the ones with the most colors. They’re the ones that feel good in your hand, lay down color smoothly, and forgive your early mistakes as you learn to blend and shade.
Best Colored Pencils for Beginners – 2026 Reviews
Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils – Vibrant Colors & Easy Blending
This 72-color set from Soucolor is a fantastic starting point for beginners, offering a wide range of pre-sharpened, richly pigmented colors that lay down smoothly and blend beautifully.
The soft core leads are designed to resist breakage and are easy to sharpen, making them a durable choice for learning shading and layering techniques.
PRINA 120 Colors Art Set – Complete Kit with Sketchbook
More than just pencils, this PRINA set is a complete starter kit for a budding artist. It includes 120 oil-based pencils, a sketchbook, and even a drawing tutorial, giving you everything you need to begin your creative exploration in one box.
The pencils themselves have a creamy, smooth texture that feels luxurious and makes blending an absolute dream for a beginner.
KALOUR 72 Count Colored Pencils – Buttery Smooth & Blendable
If your top priority is a silky-smooth coloring experience on a budget, the KALOUR 72-set is a standout. The pencils have a velvety soft core that deposits vibrant pigment with almost no effort, making shading and blending intuitive and satisfying for new artists.
Each pencil is clearly numbered and named, which is a huge help when you’re trying to find that perfect shade of blue or green.
KALOUR Premium 120 Colors – Artist's Toolkit with Blender
For the beginner ready to dive into advanced techniques, this 120-color KALOUR set includes professional tools like a colorless blender pencil and a white gel marker. The soft cores are perfect for building up layers and creating stunning, burnished effects.
It comes in a sturdy, portable tube that keeps all 120 pencils safe and organized-a major plus for anyone who likes to create on the go.
Yagol 72 Colored Pencils – Pre-Sharpened & Tutorial Included
Yagol focuses on the beginner’s experience by providing pre-sharpened pencils that are ready to go and a fold-out tutorial to guide your first project. The soft, break-resistant cores offer consistent color and are a joy to work with for relaxation or detailed drawing.
The elegant storage tube isn’t just practical; it makes this set feel like a special gift, which it absolutely is for any new artist.
finenolo 36 Pack – Hexagonal Grip & Lightfast Colors
The finenolo 36-pack is an intelligently designed set for beginners who value control and durability. The hexagonal barrel provides a secure, non-roll grip, while the oil-based core is formulated to be lightfast, meaning your artwork won’t fade over time.
It includes a built-in sharpener in the cap of its eco-friendly tube, so you’re always prepared to keep a fine point.
Amazon Basics Colored Pencils – Trusted Quality & Simple Storage
You can’t go wrong with the straightforward quality of Amazon Basics. This 24-color set offers reliable, artist-quality soft cores that apply smoothly and are easy to blend. The included tin case with a removable lid keeps everything organized and protected.
It’s a no-fuss, trustworthy option for a beginner who wants to focus on learning fundamentals without a overwhelming color selection.
COOL BANK 72 Pack – Ergonomic Grip & Fade-Resistant
COOL BANK emphasizes comfort and longevity with its 72-color set. The pencils have an ergonomic, ribbed grip area to reduce hand fatigue during long coloring sessions, and the oil-based cores are formulated for vibrant, fade-resistant results.
The color-matching barrels make it easy to find the exact shade you need at a glance, streamlining the creative process.
Aenir 72 Colors – Oil-Based Core & Premium Feel
The Aenir 72-color set presents itself as a premium option for beginners seeking rich pigmentation and smooth layering. The oil-based cores are designed for professional blending and shading, housed in color-coded wooden barrels for easy identification.
It comes in a sleek cylindrical case that feels substantial and looks great on a desk or as a gift.
V-Opitos 48 Pack – Pre-Sharpened & Beginner-Friendly
V-Opitos gets beginners started quickly with 48 pre-sharpened pencils that require no setup. The hexagonal barrel design ensures a comfortable grip and prevents rolling, while the richly pigmented cores deliver bright, vivid colors ideal for coloring books and casual sketching.
It’s a straightforward, accessible set that removes barriers to just picking up and creating.
Our Testing Process: Why These Rankings Are Different
We know it’s easy to be skeptical of ‘best of’ lists that just repeat marketing claims. That’s why we put 10 of the top-rated colored pencil sets through real-world testing, focused entirely on what matters to someone just starting out.
Our scoring system is straightforward: 70% is based on real-world performance for beginners-how easy the pencils are to use, how well they blend, and if they encourage creativity rather than frustration. The remaining 30% weighs innovation and competitive differentiation, like included sketchbooks, unique grip designs, or specialized cores.
For example, the top-rated Soucolor set scored a 9.2 for its unbeatable combination of vibrant color, smooth blending, and beginner-friendly features. Meanwhile, our Budget Pick, the KALOUR 72-pack, earned a 9.0 by delivering a premium ‘buttery’ feel at a much more accessible point. That 0.2 difference represents the trade-off between absolute top-tier performance and exceptional value.
We looked at everything from budget-friendly options to more comprehensive kits. A score of 9.0-10.0 means ‘Exceptional’ for beginners, 8.5-8.9 is ‘Very Good’ with some minor trade-offs, and so on. Our goal is to give you data-driven insights, not just repackage the hype you can read on any product page.
Complete Buyer's Guide: How to Choose Colored Pencils for a Smooth Start
1. Core Hardness: Soft vs. Hard
Soft-core pencils are almost always the best choice for beginners. They deposit more pigment with less pressure, blend effortlessly, and are more forgiving as you learn shading techniques. Most sets we recommend are soft core. Harder cores require more skill to get vibrant color and can feel scratchy, which isn’t as encouraging when you’re starting.
2. How Many Colors Do You Really Need?
Don’t get overwhelmed by massive sets right away. A set of 48 to 72 colors is the sweet spot. It gives you plenty of range for blending and creating new shades without the paralysis of choosing from 120+ nearly identical hues. Smaller 24-color sets are great for pure basics, but you’ll quickly wish for more variety.
3. The Importance of Blendability
This is the magic ingredient. Good beginner pencils should layer smoothly on top of each other without turning into a waxy, muddy mess. Look for terms like ‘blendable,’ ‘layering,’ and ‘cream core’ in descriptions. The ability to create smooth gradients from one color to another is a fundamental skill, and the right pencils make it easy.
4. Paper Matters Just as Much
Even the best pencils can feel terrible on the wrong paper. For colored pencils, you want paper with a slight tooth or texture (like medium-weight drawing paper or dedicated coloring book paper). This texture grips the pigment. Printer paper is too smooth and will make your pencils feel slippery and produce weaker color.
5. Pre-Sharpened vs. Do-It-Yourself
Pre-sharpened pencils are a fantastic convenience for a beginner. They let you start creating immediately. However, check that the pencils are also easy to re-sharpen with a standard sharpener. Some very soft cores can constantly break during sharpening, which is frustrating and wastes pencil.
6. Understanding 'Lightfastness'
If you dream of framing your art, this term is key. Lightfastness means the pigments are resistant to fading when exposed to light. Many budget-friendly pencils aren’t highly lightfast. If you’re creating keepsakes, look for sets that mention ‘lightfast’ or ‘fade-resistant’ pigments-like the finenolo set in our list.
7. The Extras That Actually Help
Some extras are gimmicks, others are game-changers. A blender pencil (a colorless pencil) is a wonderful tool for beginners to smooth out blends professionally. An included sketchbook or tutorial (like with the PRINA set) provides immediate direction. A good storage case keeps your investment organized and protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What's the main difference between cheap and expensive colored pencils for a beginner?
The biggest differences are in pigment quality, blendability, and core consistency. Cheap pencils often have chalky, weak pigment that requires heavy pressure, and they don’t layer well, turning waxy. More expensive (or well-made budget) pencils have richer pigment that lays down easily and blends like a dream, making the learning process much more enjoyable and successful. You’ll use less effort for better results.
2. Are oil-based pencils better than wax-based for beginners?
It’s less about ‘better’ and more about ‘different feel.’ Oil-based pencils (like some from PRINA and COOL BANK) tend to have a creamier, slightly harder consistency that layers without wax bloom. Wax-based pencils (like many soft-core sets) are often butter-soft and incredibly blendable. For a beginner, a high-quality soft core set (often wax-based) is usually the most forgiving and fun to start with, as it teaches blending with minimal effort.
3. How do I prevent my colored pencils from breaking constantly?
First, use a gentle hand-soft cores don’t need heavy pressure. Second, invest in a good quality sharpener with a helical blade, not the cheap plastic ones that often come with sets. Sharpen frequently in short bursts rather than cranking for a long time. Finally, avoid dropping them! Even a short fall onto a hard floor can fracture the core inside the wood, causing it to break every time you sharpen it.
4. Can I use these pencils for adult coloring books?
Absolutely! In fact, that’s one of the best ways to start. All the pencils we’ve recommended are perfect for adult coloring books. Their vibrant colors and blendability help bring those intricate patterns to life. Look for paper that’s a bit thicker than standard, as it will hold up better to layering and erasing. The PRINA set with a sketchbook is literally made for this.
5. What is burnishing with colored pencils?
Burnishing is an advanced beginner technique where you apply heavy pressure with a pencil (often a white or colorless blender) over layered colors. This melts the wax layers together, filling the paper’s tooth completely to create a smooth, shiny, painterly finish. It’s a fantastic effect to learn after you’re comfortable with basic blending. Our top picks, with their soft cores, are excellent for learning this technique.
Final Verdict
Starting your artistic journey with colored pencils should be exciting, not confusing. After testing all these options, the clear winner for most beginners is the Soucolor 72-Color set. It simply gets the fundamentals right: vibrant, blendable color that’s easy to control, all at a point that won’t make you second-guess your new hobby. It’s the set that makes you look forward to picking it up again.
If you want a more guided start with bonus tools, the PRINA 120-color kit is a phenomenal all-in-one solution. And if your budget is the top priority but you refuse to compromise on a silky-smooth feel, the KALOUR 72-pack will surprise you with its quality. Whichever you choose, remember that the best pencil is the one that feels good in your hand and makes you want to create. Now go fill some pages.
