Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil, Multicoloured, Wooden Case Of 120, For Art, Craft, Drawing, Sketching, Home, School, University, Colouring

With my cheaper coloured pencils, I often mix and match different brands to get the results, that doesn't work well with Polychromos, because of their intense pigmentation. For that reason, it is a big plus to have a full set of Polychromos. You then have the choice between a tin set or the much more expensive box.The box is superb, as big lover of wooden objects I am very pleased with it. It opens up a dream. The circular fasteners are effortless to use, and the hinges are light and silent. The box also has long bar which good for both carrying and getting out of storage. My XXL hands can fit aruound it, so it should suit everyone. The only problem is the width of the box, which does limit where it can be stored and used. I would not disagree that it is a little overpriced, but I haven't yet seen a good alternative, for this many pencils. I found using a two layered tin awkward and my precious pencils often ended up on the floor, so I am very happy with my decision not to go for the three layered tin.If you haven't used Polychromos before, I highly recommend trying a small set first, because they are not for everyone. The high pigmentation and larger cores, makes mistakes easier to make and more obvious, so beginners would mostly be better of starting with a more forgiving range such as Marco Rafine. If you are most interested in realistic art, then you would be better off using Derwent. Derwent have similar levels of pigmentation, so I do sometimes use both together, on the same project. For getting started with colouring books, I recommend using cheaper clay based pencils or Marco Rafine, until you have a decent understanding of colour theory. The hardness of clay based pencils makes them easier to use, but they blend less well. WH Smiths, Crayola and Staedlar, can all give good results, I even sometimes use a very cheap set of Works pencils, for accurate light shading, because of their low pigmentation and hardness.

Polychromos are high quality and oil based so there is no bloom which I get with my wax pencils. The colours are bright, depending on pressure and layers, and they blend beautifully together. I rarely use a blending pencil. I've been using them for 9 months now and love the feel of the pencils and I can build colour with plenty of layers without scratching the tooth of the paper. They aren't as 'creamy' as my wax pencils but I've become used to polychromos and I prefer these now.They sharpen to a good point with regular sharpeners, without crumbling, but even more with a two point long sharpener... so detailed work is a breeze.So easy to see at a glance which colours are popular and need purchasing as free stock which are widely available. On the bottom layer there are three extra empty compartments, one with horizontal grooves for six more pencils, and the other two for erasers, pencil holders, or spare colours etc.Can't express how gorgeous this case is to keep these pencils protected! Simply stunning. It's an added bonus as it was my birthday treat... I would have been delighted with the tin set also. These pencils are a joy to use.

So pleased with this. Much cheaper than any where else. Arrived quickly and was very well packaged. These polychromos pencils are wonderful to draw with and the box is better than I expected. So nice to keep them all in order.

These pencils are absolutely perfect! Granted they are a lot of money but the are so worth it! I saved up for these for my art a-level and it was worth every penny! Would highly recommend for those who want to use them professionally!!! I started using Faber-Castell sketching pencils years ago and knew of a friend who used these but bought smaller tins and whenever she let me borrow them I was in love! And such brought on the loyalty to these perfectly made pencils! Came in perfect condition! No scratches or marks, they have been pre-sharpened and are ready to use! Absolutely beautiful product!

This was bought as a present for somebody just taking up serious colouring as a hobby. I would not begin to try and convince anybody that, as a set of pencils, it is value for money. You do get an awful lot of colours and they are top of the range Polychromos so are very much more versatile that ordinary coloured pencils, the secret lies in the presentation box and style. As a gift it is fabulous, I agree with other reviewers if you just want the pencils then buy separately....

What can you say about a product as beautiful as this? Of course the price is hefty but if you are prepared to pay this much for art materials you obviously know what you are doing. The wooden box is absolutely beautiful. The circular locking system is very intelligent, and I really like the way there is a bar at the back which can be used as a carry handle. This keeps the pencils upright and prevents the nibs from being bounced around. A rather nice touch is the fact that on the bottom section there are two empty spaces for around 12 pencils (2 x 6 slots) and this is great for keeping groups of pencils you are currently using on a project.As regards the pencils themselves. Well, they are soft and buttery. The colours are vivid and there is a huge range in each hue. They sharpen well and replacements are easy to get (although expensive) They are my first Faber Castell pencils having previously owned Derwent Artists pencils and they certainly live up to the hype.

Went the extra mile to get the box set of these, but worth the money. The box sits on my drawing table open and easy to access all of the colours as opposed to fiddly tins and boxes. Pencils are great quality and after the initial outlay are easy to replace individually when you have used a pencil up. Great buy for professional artists.