Detailed Marco Raffine Colored Pencils Review and related article resources.
Adult coloring is among the most satisfying pastimes I have ever experienced. All it takes is your favorite coloring pencils, coloring book, comfortable chair, or favorite place for the day. Coloring happens at home when traveling, at the park, or in your neighborhood coffee shop. Whether you are just beginning or becoming an experienced colorist, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing and experiencing the joy of coloring.
This article is about my personal experience with Marco Raffine Colored Pencils, and I have written the article from a colorist’s perspective on adult coloring. 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.
Marco Raffine 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)
Marco Raffine Colored Pencils 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 Marco Raffine Colored Pencils?”; “What did you experience during the first inspection of Marco Raffine Colored Pencils?.” Let’s get started. Go to ColoringButterfly.com YouTube Channel for videos about coloring pencils, coloring books, and more. [Return to TOC]
Colored Pencil Facts
The following are some basic facts about the Marco Raffine Colored Pencils.
- Best for: Student/Hobbyist
- Size of sets: 12, 24, 36, 48, 72
- Available in open stock: No, you cannot purchase replacement pencils.
- Lightfastness rating: No, the pencils do not have a lightfast rating.
- Cost range: Low-end/budget (Under .50 cents)
- Barrel size: 7.2 mm
- Core size: 3.3 mm
- Type of pencil core: Oil-based
- Barrel type: Hexagonal
- Wood: Recycled wood
- Where to buy online: Amazon, Aliexpress
- Made by: Marco
- Where manufactured: China
- Company URL: http://www.marco.com.cn/index.php (The site is written in Chinese. Choose the English version)
- Google search term: marco raffine OR coloured pencil review [Return to TOC]
Barrel Description
The Marco Raffine pencil shaft is hexagonal, silver lacquered and attractive. On one side of the pencil barrel (printed in black), you will find the words “Raffine” followed by “Color 7100” and then the name “Marco” followed by a number that references the color of the pigment. At the end of the pencil is displayed a half-inch color representing the pigment which is a close match. [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.
Range of Colors
The Marco Raffine Colored Pencils are an oil-core with an acceptable range in the color palette for most themed adult coloring books (e.g., animals, mandala, jungle, forest, mythical, city, shapes, ocean, people). I reviewed the Marco Raffine 72 pencil set in a cardboard box.
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
The 72-set comes in a canvas roll-up pouch or a cardboard box. The 12-48 set pencils come cardboard box. Once you take the pencils out of the cardboard box, it is very hard to put them back in. I would recommend transferring the pencils to another case. [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 printing on the barrel of the pencils was inconsistent and spotty. Once I took the pencils from the box, I found it challenging to put them back in. The pencil leads were in good condition with no splits or breakage. Two of the pencils had slight cracks in the barrel casing. [Return to TOC]
Marco Raffine 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 Marco Raffine Colored Pencils?
- Are the Marco Raffine Colored Pencils better than other colored pencils?
- What are the Marco Raffine Colored Pencils’ pros and cons?
- What are some tips on making the best purchase decision?”.
How the Colored Pencils Performed
The Marco Raffine colored pencils are oil-based core hexagonal pencils, and the pencils are in the low-end priced category. When reviewing the pencils, I kept this
in mind and compared the pencils to my experiences with other budget category pencils.
One of the first things I noticed is that the Marco Raffine pencil lead is harder than other colored pencil sets I have used in coloring. Don’t expect to get the creamy glide and vibrant pigment application as you get from more expensive oil-based colored pencils.
My experience with the Marco Raffine lead was as follows:
- I needed to press a little harder to achieve a satisfactory blending experience.
- The lead kept its point longer, and I could easily color in the fine detail areas.
- The lead did not lay down smoothly as I wanted.
- It took me longer to color larger spaces.
- With the extra pressure, there was a tiny bit of crumbling.
When I was reviewing Marco Raffine’s, I was also reviewing Marco Renoir’s. On one of the coloring pages, I decided to use Marco Raffine for the detail areas and Marco Renoir for more extensive coverage areas, and I liked the results. You might want to consider using both sets in your coloring.
I was able to achieve good layering with the pencil. Regarding paper, I noticed a difference in color brightness based on the quality of paper I was coloring. The better the paper, the better the color brightness.
The pencils are attractive. I like the hexagonal vs. round barrel for colored pencils because they stay in one place when laid on a table. Then the pencil feels comfortable in my hand. The pencils were easy to sharpen, and I did not experience any broken leads.
I think there are various ways to determine how you gain the most from the Marco Raffine colored pencil. You can use these coloring pencils
- As your sole source of a coloring pencil.
- For details areas, combine Maro Raffines with other pencils like Marco Renoir’s for more extensive coverage areas.
- For practice, before you use more expensive pencils (e.g., Pablo’s, Polychromes)
- For sharing with others in family projects.
- As your traveling pencils.
- As a supplement set to a more expensive set.
- For non-permanent work.
Review Summary and Rating
Marco Raffine Colored Pencils fit in the low-end price category of colored pencils. For me they are top choice in this category for beginners, adult coloring community and others on a budget. I was able to achieve good layering with the pencil. I needed to press a little harder to achieve a satisfactory blending experience. The lead kept its point longer, and I could easily color in the fine detail areas. The lead did not lay down smoothly as I wanted. It took me longer to color larger spaces. With the extra pressure, there was a tiny bit of crumbling. You have the color pallet to color any theme coloring book or scene. I did sharpen the pencils to a point with no breakage and splitting. The important takeaways are as follows:
User Experience (Pros & Cons) Considerations
- Recommend for adult coloring (+)
- Best for students/hobbyists, Artists (+)
- Oil-based, firm and durable core (+)
- Pencils respond well to light and heavy pressure (+)
- Can sharpen pencils to an excellent point (+)
- Pigment on endcap is a close match to color (+)
- Works well with different quality coloring books (+)
- Hexagonal pencil barrel for easy grip (+)
- Pencil will hold a sharp point (+)
- Acceptable quality adult coloring experience (+)
- High-end priced colored pencils (+/-)
- Layering and blending for coloring books took some effort (+)
- Pencils are thinner than most colored pencils (+/-)
- Pencils are not open stock (+/-)
- Pencils do not have a lightfast rating (+/-)
- Cardboard box container is hard to work with (-)
Tips for Purchasing
Marco Raffine Colored Pencils are considered low-end/budget (Under .50 cents) and come in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 pencils. 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. Because Marco Raffine’s colored pencils do not come in open stock. I always favor purchasing the largest set because you have the color pallet to address various coloring and drawing projects.
When I was reviewing Marco Raffine’s, I was also reviewing Marco Renoir’s. On one of the coloring pages, I decided to use Marco Raffine for the detail areas and Marco Renoir for more extensive coverage areas, and I liked the results. You might want to consider using both sets in your coloring.
If you decide to get a set, I suggest getting the most extensive set you can afford to avoid duplicates and give yourself a full pallet of colors to work with. In the long run, I feel like I save the most, and I especially look for special promotions during holiday seasons and put out price watches on my favorite eCommerce sites.
An excellent 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 Marco Raffine Colored Pencils.
Free Marco Raffine Colored Pencils 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).”
- Marco Raffine 72 Color Pencils Swatch-Blank
- Marco Raffine 72 Color Pencils Swatch-Filled In
Suggested Marco Raffine 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 “marco raffine 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]
