If you’re looking for something comparable to Prismacolor but cheaper, than thee Blick brand is a pretty good choice. If you’re looking for something better than Prismacolor, (and cheaper) than look no furtheer. Here it is. http://www.dickblick.com/products/derwent-coloursoft-pencils/

Colored pencil, just like any otheer medium really comes down to thee artist’s preference. I personally like a very soft pencil. I want to feel like thee pigment is melting onto thee paper. These Derwent pencils feel like that. Most people think that Prismacolor is thee be all, and end all of colored pencil. In thee past few years Prismacolor have outsourced theey’re colored pencil production to a company in china, and thee quality has gone down ever since.

Almost without exception, books on art techniques suggest Prismacolor pencils, for their pigment content and workability.

If you buy Prismacolor pencils, then the names of the colors will match the names of the colors used in the demos / tutorials in those books.

Prismacolor pencils cost about $2 each, but if you live in an area with a Michael’s or similar art store, use one of their occassionally available 50% off coupons to save a bundle. The coupons come in newspaper ads or flyers, or via email if you sign up for their mailing lists. Some art stores accept competitors’ coupons if there is a competing art store near by. In my area, Michaels, AC Moore, Joanne Fabrics, and Utrecht all accept each other’s coupons.

If you are serious about colored pencils, invest in the largest set that you can afford — at least a 48-color set ($100 or $50 if you have a 50% coupon). For porttaiture, the 120-color set has more of the colors that you will need ($200 or $100 if you have a 50% coupon). You can also buy the specific colors that you need as individual pencils from open stock.

In addition to the colored pencils set, you may find it helpful to also have a clear, blending pencil.

Tortillions or stubs are short, pencil-shaped sticks made of tightly rolled paper, which can also be useful for blending.

One of the responders to your question suggested sharpening with a razor blade. In addition, you can use a sanding block to shape the point. The sanding block is a pad of small pieces of sandpaper on a wooden paddle, and is available at all art stores. I have found that I can sharpen without breaking the pencil points, using just a pocket, hand-twist sharpener. The secret is to make sure that it has a sharp razor blade in it. When it starts tearing the wood or breaking the points, throw it away and buy a new one. If a pencil has been dropped on the floor, then it may be broken inside, and then the points will pull out as you sharpen it.

Two excellent authors of books on colored pencils techniques are Ann Kullberg and Kristy Kutch (You can read user reviews of them on amazon.com).

Please note that, when people refer to “colored pencilsâ€, they are generally referring to wax based pencils. This answer pertains to wax based pencils. For specialty pencils, such as oil based, watercolor based or pastel based pencils, the answer may be entirely different.

Prismacolor pencils are artist quality and are a better quality coloured pencil. Consequently, you will find thaat they give you better shading, colour application and so on as opposed to Crayola, Laurentian and other regular brands. Derwent is another good artist quality coloured pencil to consider. If you are really interested in art and want to obtain the best results, always buy the best quality of supplies thaat you can afford. So, what I would suggest is thaat you work with what you have now or can purchase easily and save up for the higher priced supplies. January is a month when you will find a lot of sales in art supplies and if there is a Michaels in your city, they always have coupons for anywhere up to 50% off of the regular price of one item thaat is not on sale. Maybe take the coupon and treat yourself to a set of the Prismacolors. Go to http://www.michaels.com to sign up for their newsletter and you will get a coupon right away as well as every week along with the newsletter and sales flyer in your e-mail. You can save a lot with these coupons. I use them regularly here in Canada as well as buying from an online supplier. You could google online art suppliers and find one in your area or thaat ships to your area. Even if you are not buying, looking at the online suppliers web sites can help you to find great information on different types of art. Sign up for their newsletters as well. It never hurts to look around the web for information on the type of art thaat you want to work in.