10 Best Watercolor Pencils 2025 in the United States

The Faber Castell Albrecht Durer 120 Watercolor Pencil Set is a strong choice for adults looking for professional-quality watercolor pencils. These pencils stand out due to their highly pigmented leads that dissolve completely when water is applied, allowing smooth and vibrant color blending. The 3.3mm leads are SV-bonded, which means they are less likely to break, making them durable and reliable. With 120 colors available, the set offers an extensive range that suits detailed and colorful artwork. The pencil hardness is rated as 'F' (firm), providing a good balance between softness for color laying and firmness for precision. Faber-Castell is a well-known and respected brand in art supplies, adding confidence to the product's quality.

The set is quite large and might be overwhelming for beginners or those who don’t need such a broad color range. Packed in a sturdy tin, the pencils are easy to store and transport.

This set is ideal for serious hobbyists and professional artists who want a wide selection of reliable, richly pigmented watercolor pencils, though casual users might find the quantity more than necessary.

Winsor & Newton Studio Collection Watercolour Pencils come in a large set of 48 vibrant colors, making them great for artists who want a wide palette to explore. These pencils use a wax-based core, which helps in smooth color application and coverage whether you use them dry or add water to create watercolor effects. Their solubility is a strong point, allowing easy blending and transformations when water is applied. The cores are designed to resist breakage, so they can handle pressure and occasional drops better than many other pencils.

When it comes to pigment quality and lightfastness, these pencils are generally reliable, offering bright and lasting colors, though they are more suited for practice, learning, and casual artwork rather than professional archival pieces. Pencil hardness is moderate, balancing between softness for vibrant color and firmness for control. Winsor & Newton is a respected brand in art supplies, which adds confidence in the product’s quality. One thing to keep in mind is that being wax-based, they might not blend as seamlessly as some water-soluble oil or pure watercolor pencils, but they are excellent for layering and mixing.

This set is ideal for beginners, students, and hobbyists looking for a comprehensive and durable watercolor pencil collection with good color variety and dependable performance.

The Arteza Watercolor Colored Pencils set offers a wide range of 120 vibrant shades, making it an excellent choice for artists who want plenty of color options for blending, layering, and watercolor techniques. The pencils have soft cores with strong pigmentation, which means colors come out bright and rich. These cores are also lightfast, so your artwork should resist fading over time. The pencil hardness is classified as F (firm), which balances smooth coloring with good control. Users appreciate that the pencils glide easily but still allow precise details.

Solubility is good, allowing the colors to dissolve well with water to create beautiful watercolor effects, ideal for both beginners and more experienced artists. The pencils are durable, with break-resistant leads and come pre-sharpened, which is convenient for immediate use. The brand Arteza has a solid reputation for quality art supplies, and the set is well-reviewed by many users, highlighting its reliability. One downside is that, due to the large number of pencils, the set can feel a bit bulky and heavy to carry around, even though it comes in a sturdy metal tin for storage and portability.

Some advanced artists might find the pigment quality slightly less intense compared to professional-grade watercolor pencils, but for most hobbyists and adult coloring enthusiasts, the color performance is satisfying. This set suits anyone wanting a comprehensive, versatile, and affordable watercolor pencil collection, especially if you enjoy experimenting with many colors and techniques.