Detailed Castle Arts Colored Pencils Review and related article resources.
Adult coloring can be enjoyable if you are beginning or becoming an experienced colorist. Using colored pencils you like can be the difference between a satisfying or unpleasant experience.
This article comprehensively reviews the Castle Arts Colored Pencils set of 120 pencils. The review is subjective, based on my experience, research, and the performance of colored pencils in activities like coloring books, pages, and sheets. My review seeks to provide as much information as possible to ask the right questions, evaluate the information, and make better decisions about the colored pencils you choose and use. I will update this article as new information becomes available.
Castle Arts Colored Pencils
Table of Contents
Additional Resources. The following are additional resources you can find on ColoringButterfly.com to assist you in learning more about colored pencils.
- Buying A Coloring Book: Everything You Need to Know (Guide)
- Buying Colored Pencils? Everything You Need Know (Guide)
- How to Find Colored Pencil Reviews (50+ ColoringButterfly.com)
- Guide to Amazon Colored Pencil Reviews (Fake vs. Trustworthy)
- Guide to Using Colored Pencil Set Reviews (Step-by-Step)
Castle Arts Descriptions and First Impressions
This section provides the facts, descriptions, and my first impressions of colored pencils. I am going to provide my subjective/personal review based on my experience, research, and the performance of colored pencils in activities like coloring books, pages, and sheets and answer the question; I am focused on answering the questions for the colored pencils, “What are the basic facts for Castle Arts Colored Pencils?”; “What did you experience during the first inspection of Castle Arts Colored Pencils?.” Let’s get started.
Go to ColoringButterfly.com YouTube Channel for more videos about coloring pencils, coloring books, and more. [Return to TOC]
Colored Pencil Facts
The following are some basic facts about the Castle Arts Colored Pencils.
- Best for: Student/Hobbyist
- Size of sets: 72, 120
- Available in open stock: No, you cannot order replacement pencils.
- Lightfastness rating: No, the pencils do not have a lightfast rating.
- Cost range: Mid-range/average (.51 cents to $1.00 dollar)
- Barrel size: 7 mm
- Core size: 3.8 mm
- Type of pencil core: Wax-based core
- Barrel type: Round
- Wood: Cedar
- Where to buy online: Amazon, Aliexpress
- Made by: Castle Art Supplies
- Where manufactured: China
- Company URL: https://castlearts.com/
- Google search term: castle arts colored OR coloured pencil review [Return to TOC]
Other Castle Arts Reviews: See the following for related reviews…Castle Arts Pasteltint Colored Pencils, Castle Arts Metallic Colored Pencils
Barrel Description
The Castle Art Supplies pencil shaft is a round lacquered in a black matt finish. On one side of the pencil shaft, you will see the English name of the color (printed in
silver) followed by a narrow decorative silver band. At the end of the pencil is a color endcap representing the pencil’s pigment, and at the endcap’s center is a number corresponding to the pigment. On the other side of the barrel is the company name, “Castle Art Supplies,” followed by “Soft Series,” printed on the endcap.
Each pencil comes pre-sharpened. The writing on the pencil barrel can be a little hard to read. The endcaps’ color doesn’t always match the pigment, but that is just my minor nit. [Return to TOC]
Lightfast Rating
No rating. Lightfastness is a property of a colorant such as dye or pigment that describes how resistant to fading it is when exposed to light. Lightfast rating is essential to artists, especially when they spend long hours creating art; they will want the work of art to keep its vibrancy for years to come. The lightfastness has a lot to do with the higher cost of the pencils. [Return to TOC]
Range of Colors
The Castle Art Supplies Colored Pencils are softcore with a broad range of rich, intense, beautiful pigments that are smooth and creamy when applied. You have
the color pallet to color any theme coloring book or scene. There is a very nice distribution of colors arranged in color families and colored coded. I like the simplicity of the colors’ names; they are easy to remember and are what you would expect them to be named. I would have liked a little more red and brighter colors.
Before using the colors on a project, I recommend swapping the colors for the set (and for every pencil you own) rather than relying on the color printed on the pencil barrel. This will help you make wiser and more appropriate color choices. [Return to TOC]
Container Description
If you purchased the set that comes in the fabric-zip, you would have an added treat of a well-designed pencil case. It is as good or better than other pencil cases that you buy for the exact cost you pay for the Castle Art set of pencils. The pencils are securely held in place by individual elastic bands, so there is no movement of the pencil cores breaking. The case makes it very handy when searching for the right color. You can get the case for the 72 or 120 counts.
If you purchase the set in a tin container, you quickly notice how sturdiness and compactness of the tin. The tin is not hinged, and the plastic trays have pinch grooves and elastic strips on each side of the tray for easy removal. The pencils are wrapped in a plastic seal, so you know they are new. [Return to TOC]
First Inspection
As a habit, when I first open the box of pencils, I like first to check pencil duplications and missing pencils. Check to make sure the cores are centered. Next, I will check them for pencils for imperfections (e.g., shaft spits, broken cores, light printing).
The Castle Arts Colored Pencils were a set of 120 pencils, and I purchased the set that comes in the fabric zip; you would have an added treat of a well-designed pencil case. It is as good or better than other pencil cases that you buy for the exact cost you pay for the Castle Art set of pencils. The pencils are securely held in place by individual elastic bands, so there is no movement of the pencil cores breaking. The case makes it very handy when searching for the right color.
I also purchased the set in the tin. The tin is not hinged. The plastic trays have pinch grooves and elastic strips on each side of the tray for easy removal. The pencils are wrapped in a plastic seal, so you know they are new. The pencils can be challenging to get out of the plastic tray. I would have liked a little more red and brighter colors.
The pencils come pre-sharpened with a blunt point. In both the case and the tin, the set’s 120 pencils were accounted for with no duplications. The writing on the pencil barrel can be a little hard to read. The endcaps’ color doesn’t always match the pigment, but that is just my minor nit. I would have liked a little more red and brighter colors. Overall, I was pleased with the presentation and quality of the pencils. [Return to TOC]
Castle Arts Colored Pencils Review and Summary
In this section, I move beyond the description and facts of the colored pencils. I am going to provide my subjective/personal review based on my experience, research, and the performance of colored pencils in activities like coloring books, pages and sheets and answer the question; I am focused on answering the questions like
- What do you think about Castle Arts Colored Pencils?
- Are the Castle Arts Colored Pencils better than other colored pencils?
- What are the Castle Arts Colored Pencils’ pros and cons?
- What are some tips on making the best purchase decision?”.
How the Colored Pencils Performed
The Castle Art Supplies colored pencil is an intelligent-looking soft wax-based core pencil with a creamy, almost buttery application. I like the feel of the pencil in my hand as I use them.
Even though the pencils have a soft core, I felt they kept a good point (if I watch my pressure) for those tiny details and were great for keeping in the lines in adult coloring books. The color palette is sufficient to allow me to color an image in any themed, any themed colored book. Surprisingly, I experienced a slight crumbling of the core as I applied pressure. As I use pencils, I try to use a lighter touch and rotate pencils to have the core wear more evenly and help lengthen the times between need to sharpen.
You can go from very light shading to vibrant pigment by simply adjusting your pressure. I was intentionally heavy-handed and applied more than five layers to one drawing but did not experience a waxy bloom. It only takes 3 or 4 light layers to get a nice creamy texture.
I felt like I had good coverage from the pencil core pigment. I had no problems blending Castle Art Color Pencils with dry blending, blending pencils or solvents, and I liked using the blending pencil, which helped to smooth the textures.
As a habit, when I first open the box of pencils, I like first to check pencil duplications and missing pencils. Next, I will check them for pencils for imperfections (e.g., shaft spits, broken cores, light printing). One of the most common reasons cores break is that the cores are not centered in pencil. I did find a few pencils where the core was off-center just a little bit. Overall I was pleased with what I found in the consistent quality of the pencils.
The pencils work well on different types of coloring book paper toothy but thin paper found in self-published Amazon books, the thicker paper found in Johanna Basford’s books to the smoother paper found in Joseph Catimban and Kirby Rosanes coloring books. Overall I think the pencils do well on any of the papers.
When I sharpened Castle Art colored pencils, I did not have one problem with core breakage/splintering or wood issues. I have learned from experience that I want my sharpener blades to be sharp. Sharp blades help keep the core from breaking, the wood snagging, and other problems. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a good pencil whittled down with a poor sharpener. There are various ways to determine how you gain the most from the Castle Art colored pencil. You can use the Castle Art coloring pencil
- As your sole source of a coloring pencil.
- As a companion set when you want to combine two pencil sets.
- For practice, before you use more expensive pencils (e.g., Pablo’s, Polychromos)
- For sharing with others in family projects.
- For non-permanent work.
Review Summary and Rating
Wow. For the price point, the Castle Art Supplies Colored Pencils are exceptional and lead the pack. They perform better than pencil sets at the moderate-range price point. The colors are vibrant, and I am surprised at how well they keep their point. They blend effortlessly and are simply creamy in adult coloring books of all themes. I like the pencil; it is fun and a tool that will allow me many hours of joy in creating beautiful moments in adult coloring. That alone defines if the pencils are worth the investment for me. These pencils are no-brainer choices for adult coloring and adding to your collection. Overall, the coloring experience was good. The important takeaways are as follows:
User Experience (Pros & Cons) Considerations
- Recommend for adult coloring (+)
- Budget-friendly colored pencils (+)
- Best for student/hobbyist (+)
- Wax-based, medium-hardness core (+)
- Pencils have names, numbers and color codes (+)
- A broad range of colors (+)
- Color application is smooth and creamy (+)
- Pencils respond well to light and heavy pressure (+)
- Quality layering and blending for coloring books (+)
- Sharpens fast with minimal breakage and can sharpen to a point (+)
- Wax core leads seem to keep points longer than other wax core pencils(+)
- Works well with different quality coloring books (+)
- Packaging is excellent or well-designed cloth case (+)
- Pencils feel good in the hand (+)
- Comes with tutorial book and sharper (+)
- Excellent quality for the price (+)
- Lovely adult coloring experience (+)
- Brighter colors seem a little harder to get color depth (+/-)
- Pencils do not have lightfast rated (+/-)
- Not available in open-stock (-)
- Pencils can be challenging to retrieve from plastic trays (-)
- Minor to high wax blooming (-)
Tips for Purchasing
Usually, before purchasing, it is advisable to get a feel of the pencils by either purchasing a small set or individual pencils when you can buy open-stock or if you know someone who has the pencils can try theirs.
Castle Arts Colored Pencils are considered mid-range/average (.51 cents to $1.00 dollar) and come in set sizes of 72and 120 pencils. Because Castle Arts colored pencils do not come in open stock. A good way to learn about the performance is to read reviews like this, view YouTube reviews, and read Amazon reviews.
In the long run, I feel like I save the most, and I especially look for special promotions during the holiday seasons and put out price watches on my favorite eCommerce sites. [Return to TOC]
Other Valuable Resources
The following are a few more resources to support your review of Castle Arts Colored Pencils.
Free Castle Arts Color Swatch Downloads
To give back to the adult coloring community, I have developed color pencil swatches for all the colored pencil sets I own and have reviewed. Note below two listings for each swatch, “Blank” and “Filled-in.” These terms mean. “Blank” is a swatch version you can download and fill in yourself, and “Filled-in” refers to a version of the swatch I filled in when I reviewed the pencils. You can also use these as a reference to see what the colors will look like before purchasing. Also, see the article “Free Color Pencil Swatch Charts for Adult Coloring (Detailed).”
Suggested Castle Arts Colored Pencils YouTube Reviews
I encourage you to seek other written evaluations, YouTube discussions, and Amazon-like reviews. I want to suggest the following a few YouTube reviews/opinions.
If you would like to find other reviews, do a Google search query on ” castle arts colored OR coloured pencil review.”
Thank you for taking a moment to view and read the article. Feel free to provide your comments.
Don’t forget to share the post. [Return to TOC]
