Castle Art Supplies 72 Colored Pencils - Muted, Relaxing Art Palette

I have the portrait colored pencils set from Castle Arts and I love the colors in that set. When I saw this set online, I was excited to try it out. This set is presented beautifully in the metal case with an easy to follow instruction booklet filled with handy tips and a thick high quality test card to test all the colors. It is great having a tester sheet with all the colors in front of you while using the pencils. There are three trays of colored pencils in the set and there are ingenious little handles on the tray edges to take the trays in and out of the metal case so the pencils stay flat and in order. Each pencil is numbered clearly so it matches the tester sheet. Definately take a little time to create the provided sampler of all the colors because it provides an excellent reference guide for any future drawings. I was skeptical about using these on wood but they are beautiful on soft sanded grain light wood. I'm totally in love with drawing with these on wood. I saw the wood suggestion in the booklet inside the set. I decided to do a set of coasters for a friend and I started with an avacado (photo added in review). I'm so in love with these pencils on wood. I did not use a blender or any additional materials to soften the pencil either. It's just the pencil drawing...it just turned out beautifully buttery. I'm going to seal it with a varnish and make some more. I also did some drawings with this set on heavy drawing paper and cold press watercolor paper and they are gorgeous. The set comes with examples to follow and you can even print things from their website and follow their instructions. One of my favorite castles is highlighted in the booklet too...Magical! These pastels in pinks, purples, blues and greens make a nice starting point for anyone to get aquainted with cool colors in their drawings to express mood and personal voice. One thing I noticed right away was the quality of the wood in the pencils is far superior to most colored pencils I have seen on the market. These feel more professional than other brands and I'm loving them. When I hand sharpened them they held together exceptionally well and had zero flakey bits of wood shavings like other brands with low quality wood components in the pencil. The set is excellent value for the money also and considering the prices of quality art materials now days, I highly recommend these for color quality, price, and ease of color application on a variety of papers and smooth wood surfaces. I'm looking forward to using these on canvas next!

I'm a little late to party. I've only just recently found out about this brand of pencils some weeks ago. As someone who does digital art to make my artwork I sometimes like to come back to what I first learned to properly color and shade; colored pencils. I own the full set of Prismacolor, Faber Castell Polychromos, Faber Castell Alburcht Duer. I love these sets but they don't offer much in terms muted tones or pastels. I bought these solely for the fact that it had a unique color pallette and was different from other sets of colored pencils sets I have come across. So here's my initial impressions upon opening and using. 1. I was very impressed with all the pamphlets of books that explains how to use the pencils, color, blend, shade, etc. Most budget sets of pencils don't do this and even then I've only ever seen professional brands include something like this. If you are a complete beginner and bought these without having knowledge on how to use them then rest assured Castle Art has you covered. 2. The pencils are in a right to left order instead of left to right. So I had to rearrange them in left to right just so I wouldn't be confused when I use these. Some of them were out of order when I was arranging them so be sure to check the numbers on the pencils to ensure they are correctly in order when you go to swatch these or use them 3. Upon using these right out the box (without sharpening them) I found them to be smooth to lay down. I noticed the swatch card provided is a very smooth paper and kinda makes then pencils look more scratchy then what they actually are. I also tested them a little bit on Brystol Vellum and found they look and perform better then on the very smooth paper. So when using these make sure the paper your using has some slight texture to it for best results. 4. If you don't take the time to sharpen these before swatching, I noticed some colors would leave little black marks on the paper. This issue went away once I sharpened them so I think this isn't a big deal. I've had Prismacolor do similar if I don't sharpen them really well after buying. 5. One of the biggest complaints I seen in terms of reviews was them breaking upon trying to sharpen. I haven't encountered this at all and when I used them they didn't feel like they would break. If your having problems sharpening I highly suggest you get a basic metal sharpener (the one with a open blade and no cover they are very cheap and pretty accessible) and instead of turning the pencil when you sharpen, turn the sharpener gently and carefully. Ever since I started sharpening this way I haven't encountered hardly any breakage. Even my Prismacolor haven't broke and those are notorious for breaking! 6. I can't say for certain how lightfast these pencils are. If your someone who just likes to casually color and learning to practice coloring then these are a good start to learn. If your expecting these pencils to perform like the high end Polychromos, or even Lumanice then you will be disappointed. They lay down well but not as smooth as those higher brands. They take a little more work to get nice blends but for what they are I think they are great for starting out and learning if you don't really want to use Crayloa. 7. Last but not least is there's no open stock. (At least at the time of this review) I don't know if there will be or not but as it stands Castle Art doesn't offer open stock if you run out of your favorite color. You have to buy a whole new set of you want to replace it. After everything I've seen I'm very impressed with this set of pencils! They will definitely be a casual use to me personally but for what's it worth, it's not a bad pencil to learn from!

I went back and forth on whether or not I needed this set of pencils, decided I didn't, but ordered it anyway. Now I'm really glad I did. The colors are just beautiful--and so are the pencils. Most of Castle Art colored pencils have black casing with a colored end tip. The Harmonious Color collection pencils are coated in matte colors that surprisingly match the leads quite well. But it's the incredibly soothing FEEL of the varnish, incredibly satiny but not slick, that deserves a shout out. The pencils come named and numbered with plain white printing that is easy to read font that also avoids the annoying glare of the metallic labelling a lot of pencil manufacturers seem love more than the customers do. I suspect however, that some of the white may rub off after a time, because there are a few spots where the writing already seems to be doing this, and I haven't even used them all that much since I've ordered them. Nevertheless, I wish Castle Arts would do ALL their pencils this way. (I think their Pasteltint collection may have a similar coating, but I don't own these so I'm just going by the pictures). Speaking of pictures, yes, the pencils do come in this really pretty and sturdy tin box. I really don't like working out of multi-layer tins (or any tins or boxes for that matter), so I transferred my pencils into a hard cover zip case. This allowed me to include the 24 Botanical set and the 24 Kandinsky set of Castle Arts "soft touch" pencils and my 50 set of Brutfuner Macaron Colored Pencils which a pastel set. I had these three sets of pencils for awhile, and these help "round out" the Harmonious Collection. Which brings us (finally!) to the actual usability of the Harmonious set. I personally didn't have any issues with sharpening any of the pencils either by an electric or hand sharpener. There was no breakage with my particular set, so apparently they survived the shipping. As anyone who ever owned really soft leaded pencils (especially Prismacolor Premier), if you drop them, the entire lead can shatter and will just keep breaking off whenever you try to sharpen them. The leads were also well centered overall--I definitely didn't get any where one side of the pencil sharpened, but the other didn't because the cores were off. As for being advertised as their "soft touch" pencils, I don't think they are any softer than Castle Art's "oil-based" Gold Collection colored pencils. I don't really consider these as "soft" pencils at all, but it really depends a lot on the paper you are using them on. They seem to really go down well on paper that has a very slight tooth to it, rather than being overly smooth or overly rough. It's a matter of preference and how you plan to work with these. I have other pencils that are definitely softer, but these are maybe a touch softer than Crayola. The colors lay down nicely, blend well, and you can get at least 4-5 layers down if you aren't heavy-handed, and perhaps more layers with a lighter touch. These are not the set of pencils I would choose for any detailed work. I bought them mainly for coloring. Also, at this price point, they do not come open stock, so if you use up a pencil, you either will have to do without it, or you have to buy another set. Finally--something that I probably should have gone into more from the start--despite having 72 different colors in the set--Castle Arts Harmonious Set is not most people would consider a "stand alone set". What Castle Arts labels as "harmonious" is known more commonly as "morandi" colors--soft, muted grays, beiges, blues, greens, pinks, and purples. There are some darker colors in there, especially in the blues and browns, but they are deliberately dulled down by a grayish cast. There were so many colors labelled as "gray", I was disappointed at first since despite years of working with colored pencils, I have no idea what to do with the gray ones. However, most of the grays are tinted toward a pastel-like shade. There are no yellows--the beiges are closest. If you love soft pastel colors, as I do, then a set of colored pencils in pastel shades would actually compliment, and not really duplicate this set. For the best results, you need to add a set of basic colors to give yourself a wider range of coloring or drawing possibilities. For people who like to experiment with unusual color palettes, color pencil collectors, and people who just like soft, pretty colors and find them more calming than boring, I definitely recommend these. There is a blank color chart included with the set so you can swatch out the colors yourself. I copied the blank chart on some paper that I usually use for pdf prints. Castle Arts also has, like with all their colored pencils collections, included a color pamphlet with suggestions and directions to use the pencils for a specific art project. The price of all brands of colored pencils seem to fluctuate a lot these days, so keep an eye out for sales. I personally would not pay full retail for these if there is no way to replace individual pencils, and I love them . I've included part of a coloring page I did, just using the colors from the set. I did not complete the page since I would like to add other colors that are not in the set. All colors are either directly from the pencils themselves, or I blended two or more colors together in order to achieve it. The colors looks sloppy here because I intended to add in some other colors before final burnishing, or blending it out with Zest-It or Gamsol. The illustration is from Adriana Picker's coloring book "Where The Wildflowers Grow" which was probably not the best paper to do this test on. It reminds me of a cross between CreateSpace paper and children's coloring book paper, but heavier. I did do some small bits in better quality coloring books like Johanna Basford's, Hanna Karlzon, and even the Dover Creative Haven Coloring books. The better the paper, the better the results. This review is overly long already, but I might add other coloring examples when I inevitably have to go back to edit this review for length.

This palette is a great addition to any existing pencil set. It has a range of colors, darker and light, and goes on fairly smooth with no pencil breakage. They are easy to sharpen... It complements their pastel set (or any wax-based pastel set) and provides a muted range I haven't seen in any pencil set (I own most of the brands, including the higher quality European brands). They are harder than Prismacolor or Derwent drawing, but not hard like a Verithin. They blend very well. They layer fairly well, although you wouldn't be able to do as many layers as you might with a pencil like Prismacolor. Some of the really light colors are barely perceptible due to the pigment load, and what you end up with is just a waxy sheen. I am thinking a lightly applied pencil like a Verithin would be more useful than these, provided you have your technique down. These blended nicely without blending mediums (just careful modulating with pencil). Some light colors in other brands just have a lot of white added, and this shows up as particle separation and a smudgy effect. These are impressive as they don't do that. I think these would also complement the Graphitint line, or pair well with metallic sets for both coloring and drawing. Note that I am a fine artist. Lastly, I bought these on sale, then they went more on sale. In my opinion, 50-55 dollars is too high for a set with no lightfast ratings... and likely no lightfast pencils. I think non-lightfast pencils should only cost .25-.40 each... I think this set is well worth around 27-30 dollars, but not 50ish. I will update this when I get a chance to try it out on some art papers...

I have the Castle Arts 120 Soft Touch, 48 Pasteltint, and the new 72 Spring set and love them. Castle Arts pencils are soft, blend and layer well, have a 3.8mm core and a comfortable barrel size, similar to Prismacolor and Polychromos. They sharpen to a nice point using a budget helical pencil sharpener I found on Amazon. I color and draw for fun, and am not a professional artist, but do enjoy quality art supplies. I color mostly in Johanna Basford’s books and Castle Arts are great on her paper. I originally passed on getting the Harmonious set when it was released, because it was more of an expansion set, than a complete standalone palette. I saw an artist combine a color chart for the Harmonious and Pasteltints and the two mostly supporting palettes became a complete standalone set of 120 beautiful colors! I was curious if I could color an entire picture with only the Harmonious and was pleased with the result. The picture is from Johanna Basford’s Small Victories. Now I wish I had gotten the set when it was first released, these colors are beautiful and I can see why coloring groups were so happy with this set. This Harmonious set and the Spring were purchased at the same time are my first time getting pencils in a tin from Castle Arts, since my other sets were in zipper cases, and was planning on moving them to a zipper cases, but after using the tins, and finding them to be good quality, I’m leaving them in the tins. There are small elastics on each tray, and lift out easily. The pencils are numbered sequentially, and are easy to find and replace in the tin. It was packed securely and arrived with no dents!! I love that Castle Arts has a letter at the end of their sequential numbering system on their different sets, so the numbers do not have to be ridiculously long. While I was swatching the color sheets on my Spring set purchased at the same time, I had an issue with two of the color pencils and contacted Castle Arts customer support. Once they understood the issue, they solved the problem. Castle Arts customer support was quick, informative, and made it right. This Harmonious set was in perfect condition and I am looking forward to the possibility of future color pallet sets, and after my excellent customer support, will not hesitate to make future purchases from this company.

I generally don’t write reviews. In fact, this might actually be the first review I’ve ever written on Amazon, at least that I can remember. The colors in this set absolutely made my jaw drop. They are even more beautiful in person than online. All of mine were in perfect condition and I looked at every tray. I love how they have a nice smooth finish and the full color of the pencil so you can really see how these colors will go together. I also got the pastel set and they go together beautifully. I have never seen colors like this, especially in a collection of 72. It was hard for me to find a color that I did not like because I liked every single one. I feel like these are the colors that I’ve been missing and for those of you who are into decor: If you are stuck in a rut take a look at these colors for inspiration! My only complaint, actually huge disappointment is that these do not come in watercolor. Not just because most of my work I do is in watercolor, and I want every single color as a watercolor, but these hues would make the most amazing watercolor art. They are absolutely begging to be muted and blended with water. I think that would also solve the problem of some of the very very light Hughes not being able to show up very well. The water would add a nice translucency and make it look intentional.

These colors are fantastic! Castle Arts has consistently been a favorite of mine and I am not disappointed. The color quality is pro level. The pigment lays down consistently and vibrantly without having to apply much pressure. The soft core allows the pencil to glide with a smooth, creamy feel; similar to Castle Arts oil based pencils. Be aware, there is a minor amount of 'wax bloom' if you press hard. This should be expected with any soft cored pencils. The colors are "muted", but don't let that scare you away. Muted simply means they are on the grey-tone side of color. Think castle or stone, but with the addition of rich color pigment. The color scheme makes a perfect complement to any scene where you need shading, sky, stone, etc. Or they work well as a stand-alone color. The image on the tin was made solely from the colors in the box. Beautiful. (p.s. I know because they add a tutorial to make the same image yourself) As for the ease of use, these pencils are perfect for anyone from beginner to advanced. Dare I even say pro? See for yourself. And the best part . . . the colors stay where you put them! No smudging even with multiple layers. Of course, you shouldn't try dragging the art across your wall, the wax might lift a little. . . The tin is very attractive. There are helpful hints for general color selection printed on the lid. The tin is fairly sturdy and makes these pencils very portable. The pencils sit in three plastic trays that you can easily pull out by elastic bands attached to the trays. If you buy this set as a gift, I'd recommend two because you'll definitely want one for yourself. Enjoy!

Just so its out of the way, theyre not prismacolor dupes. Honestly they kind of stand on their own in that way. I love prismacolors wax pencils and rely on them a lot but in many cases ive found that I wished I had a separate set of wax pencils that were just a bit tougher lead wise. I tried oil based pencils but just prefer wax based tenfold. Thats where these come in for me and they really do deliver for what I wanted from them. This set in particular has beautiful muted colors that are pretty hard to find from other brands sets. They feel very nice in the hand, the wood barrel doesnt feel cheap, it sharpens very easily, and the colors themselves are not as hard as an average oil based pencil but a bit harder than a prismacolor. All this blabbing to say that these are very nice for what they are and honestly might be my favorite set of pencils ive bought in a while. If youre looking for cool muted tones to buy in a large pack to supplement your other pencil sets I highly recommend trying these. Ill probably have to pick up the pasteltints at some point. These impressed me quite a bit!

Tout à fait dans mes tons. Des teintes de gris, lilas, roses, mauves et bleus, en passant par les verts et les turquoises.... j'adore. Les couleurs sont effectivement très bien choisies et forment une belle harmonie. Les nuances sont parfois subtiles et certaines couleurs sont vraiment très pâles, mais c'est aussi un atout pour créer des voilages et des superpositions de couleurs. Ils glissent bien sur le papier et s'aiguisent bien aussi. C'est un bel ajout à ma collection de crayons et je suis contente de l'avoir achetée.

Non la conoscevo come marca, ma devo dire che sono ottime sfumature e molto la gamma cromatica e molto particolare

These are gorgeous pencils very happy

Dom här är helt perfekta med unika färger. Settet är riktigt bra komplement till andra sett.

Pudełko (puszka) z kredkami zapakowane fabrycznie w dodatkowy karton. Kredki raczej budżetowe, niż dla profesjonalnych artystów, ale dla amatorów jak najbardziej OK.