How to Choose the Best Coloured Pencils for Animal Art

When drawing realistic animals with coloured pencils, choosing the right pencils can make a huge difference. With so many options on the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—but don’t worry! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to find the best coloured pencils for your animal art.

A small selection of coloured pencils

Why the Right Coloured Pencils Matter

Not all coloured pencils are created equal. The quality, core type, pigment load, and blendability of your pencils all impact how your final drawing looks. For animal art in particular, where fine detail and subtle colour variation are key, the right pencils can help bring fur, feathers, and eyes to life.

Types of Coloured Pencils

There are three main types of coloured pencils, each with its own strengths. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Wax-Based Coloured Pencils

These are soft, vibrant, and easy to blend. They’re great for building up layers and creating smooth transitions—perfect for soft fur textures.

• Popular Brands: Prismacolor Premier, Derwent Coloursoft

• Pros: Rich colours, smooth application

• Cons: Softer leads can break more easily; can produce wax bloom over time

2. Oil-Based Coloured Pencils

These have firmer cores that hold a sharp point, making them ideal for detailed line work like whiskers or fur strands.

• Popular Brands: Faber-Castell Polychromos, Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor

• Pros: Excellent for detail, less wax bloom, very durable

• Cons: Slightly harder to blend than wax-based pencils

3. Watercolour Pencils

These are versatile because you can use them dry or activate them with water for a painterly effect. Great for mixed media or looser animal portraits.

• Popular Brands: Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer, Derwent Inktense

• Pros: Can be used wet or dry, adds variety to your art

• Cons: Less control when used with water; not ideal for hyper-realistic work

What to Look For When Choosing Coloured Pencils

When selecting pencils for your animal drawings, keep the following in mind:

• Lightfastness: This tells you how resistant the colours are to fading over time. Look for pencils with high lightfast ratings if you plan to sell or display your work.

• Blendability: You’ll want pencils that layer and blend smoothly to create realistic fur and skin tones.

• Core Strength: Softer pencils are easier to blend but break more easily. Harder pencils are better for details.

• Colour Range: A wide colour palette allows for more subtle transitions and better accuracy, especially in animal portraits.

Black Puppy using Polychromos, Pablos, and Luminance

Best Coloured Pencils for Animal Art

Here are some top recommendations based on performance, versatility, and popularity among animal artists:

• Faber-Castell Polychromos – Loved for their precision and lightfastness, great for detail and layering

• Prismacolor Premier – Excellent for blending and rich colour pay-off, ideal for soft textures

• Caran d’Ache Luminance – High-end pencils known for lightfastness, pigment quality, and smooth application

• Derwent Lightfast – A good mix of performance and durability with an excellent lightfast rating

Do You Need More Than One Brand?

Absolutely! Many professional artists mix brands to get the best of both worlds—soft, blendable layers from one brand and sharp details from another. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find a combination that suits your unique style.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the best coloured pencils for animal art comes down to understanding your needs, your budget, and the kind of artwork you want to create. Start with a few quality pencils, test them out, and build your collection over time.

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