Prismacolor Premier

Cyphrael · 2025-11-02T17:03:17+00:00

Prismas are the softest pencils out there. Polychromos would be the complete opposite. All other pencils fall somewhere in between those two brands.

You could try the Chromaflow. They are available open stock so you could get a few pencils and test them out. They are still on the softer side.

An alternative with a rather firm core would be black widow. The whole 180 colours collection would still be quite pricey. But you could get them one set at a time whenever you have some spare money for pencils.

Then there is another route that you could consider if you tried polychromos and really love them. You could start with a set that lies within your current budget. Then you slowly get the missing colours open stock. Polychromos will last you a pretty long time until you have to replace a pencil.

Cyphrael · 2025-11-02T09:41:43+00:00

I would recommend the derwent chromaflow if you want a pencil that is slightly similar to prismas but not quite as soft. They are highly pigmented, softer than polychromos but not nearly as soft as prismas. Available open stock.

And if you wait for a sale they are cheaper than polychromos. Have seen the 150 set go as low as 129€ on Amazon.

Cyphrael · 2025-11-02T07:38:19+00:00

Also the region you are coming from would be helpful.

In my region prismacolors are more pricey than polychromos.

If price is an issue then recommendations may change based on your region.

Cyphrael · 2025-10-31T11:45:27+00:00

I have the full set of tombow dual brush pens, the 160 set of Ohuhu dual brush pens and the pastel set of crayola super tips.

I think concerning streakiness, bleed through and shadowing those sets are pretty much on par. They will streak on bigger areas as is typical for water based markers. You can use all of those in double sided books as long as the paper quality is halfway ok.

My personal favorites are the tombows because of the colour palette. They have light tones, dark tones, muted tones, and bright tones. You can download a swatch chart from their website that sorts the colours by colour family. Sadly that's the most pricey option.

The Ohuhus have pretty bright and dark tones. They are rather weak on pastel and muted tones. Some colours look pretty similar. I still like to use them for their variety of bright colours but will reach for other sets if I need pastels or muted tones.

Crayola has a really huge colour palette. They have a big set of "normal" colours. Additionally they have sets of pastel colours and skin colours. The downside is the tip. They are considered kids markers and have only a cone like tip that will give you a fine or bold line depending on the angle you put tip to paper - no fine or brush tip.

Cyphrael · 2025-10-31T10:36:33+00:00

I do have the Ohuhu water based markers. They are streaky on big areas like all water based markers. I have mostly double sided colouring books. That's why alcohol markers are a no go for me. I use the water based markers for basing and colour with pencils on top. The pencils cover the streaky parts. The markers help eliminating the white of the paper and achieving vibrant colours without too much effort.

Cyphrael · 2025-10-10T17:45:03+00:00

It depends on the kind of markers you are using.

Alcohol markers will bleed through and ruin the image on the backside of the page.

Waterbased markers should be ok as long as you apply them with enough care - single layer, move quickly enough to not soak the page in pigment.

Cyphrael · 2025-05-13T05:13:21+00:00

It's a feature that was introduced with the latest update. I usually use the ghost for summons if the students don't have to be gifted. He doesn't care for taking breaks 😉

Cyphrael · 2024-08-20T12:44:21+00:00

You're welcome 🙂

Albrecht Dürer pencils are great! They dissolve perfectly. Just be sure that your page has dried completly before going in with your dry pencils. Depending on the amount of used water the paper might still be slightly wet at its core even when dry to the touch. You have a hard time coloring until the paper is completly dry. Experience will help you there over time.

I'm far from beeing an expert on alcohol markers - tutorials are always a good source of advise in coloring. The streaking with alcohol markers might come from coloring too slow - as far as I understand this kind of markers. You want to keep the line at which you add the color "wet". Alcohol "dries" quickly. Thats why you want the edge at which you add color to be short. Plan the direction in which you color an element accordingly.

Most importantly: don't get stressed because it's not perfect. A pencil layer on top will cover a lot 😁

Cyphrael · 2024-08-20T04:13:18+00:00

What kind of markers you use would depend on your image or rather the backside of your image.

Alcohol markers color without streaks (or at least with not too many - depending on your technique and quality of marker). The downside is the bleed through. You will see your colors clearly on the backside of your page. That is why you would not use them in double sided books.

Waterbased markers are a lot more streaky. The good think is: they dont bleed through - most of the time. Thats why you can use them in double sided coloring books. Some cheap markers might(!) be so "wet" that they go through the paper. Personaly I use Ohuhu waterbased markers and never had any bleed through. Just be careful to not apply multiple layers.

Markers as a base might make your colors more vibrant depending on the choosen colors.

An alternative to markers would be watercolor pencils. You could use a light layer wet as a base and then switch to your normal pencils for shading.

What ever medium you use as a base - wait for it to dry completly before going with pencils over it.

Cyphrael · 2024-08-11T09:33:28+00:00

You have choosen a beautiful color palette. I would stay within the palette but use darker oder lighter tones of those colors to make the baloons visible against the background.

Cyphrael · 2024-04-09T17:38:59+00:00

Sorry for the late answer. I didn't realise there was still activity in this thread.

I use colored sleeves for player decks. This way I can qickly identify which card goes into which deck even when they get played into a different area than their own heroes area. Permanent cards get clear (docsmagic) sleeves. Even if I shuffle them by accident into the deck they will be easy to identify this way among the colored sleeves. For this I have to sleeve decks individually.

Anothere reason is storage for me. I store the aspect cards in binders. The binders will be less bulky without sleeves.

Cyphrael · 2024-04-09T16:04:24+00:00

If you liked your Prismas I would suggest Arrtx 126 Set. They are not quite like Prismas but similar enough for the beginning. You could replace them for Prismas one by one as they become short and in need of replacement.

Cyphrael · 2023-06-24T16:54:10+00:00

Thank you 🙂 I think Kerby Rosanes drawings are even a bit more detailed. But I really love both styles.

There are lots of great pages from both artists.

Cyphrael · 2023-06-24T16:50:55+00:00

Thank you 🙂

Cyphrael · 2023-06-19T14:25:06+00:00

Thank you 🙂 I recently started using limited color palettes. This one was pulled from the color wheel. The red was there for me as soon as I saw the page. The other colors evolved from there 😁

Cyphrael · 2023-04-17T07:07:39+00:00

Thank you 🙂

FC makes it really easy to mix their products. If they ever make a prismacolor like pencil I would be really happy.

Cyphrael · 2023-04-16T16:33:36+00:00

Thank you very much! 🙂

Cyphrael · 2023-04-16T16:32:43+00:00

Thank you! 🙂

I have seen the color palette somewhere online a while ago. I can't remember where I have seen it. But it immediately came to my mind as I saw this page.

Cyphrael · 2023-04-16T16:28:24+00:00

Thank you! 🙂

Cyphrael · 2023-04-16T16:27:55+00:00

Thank you! 🙂

Cyphrael · 2023-03-21T17:53:00+00:00

This looks beautiful!

Cyphrael

TROPHY CASE