About Prismacolor
Prismacolor is an art supplies brand. Its own site lists colored pencils, markers, graphite pencils and pastels, plus art sets and accessories such as pencil erasers, cases and sharpeners, and the site carries a Newell Office Brands copyright notice.
The colored pencil range spans several lines: Premier Soft Core, sold as sets and as singles and described as having creamy cores for blending, shading and layering; Scholar, described as designed to help beginning artists develop, with strong, smooth cores for vivid color laydown and less breakage; and the Premier Col-Erase, Verithin and water-soluble pencils. The brand also offers Prismacolor Technique, which pairs digital lessons with art supplies.
Brand website: prismacolor.com
What Prismacolor makes
Prismacolor's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Premier Soft Core colored pencils
creamy cores for blending, shading and layering, sold as sets and as singles — featured on DeskRated
Scholar colored pencils
strong, smooth cores aimed at developing artists, with less breakage — featured on DeskRated
Premier Col-Erase, Verithin and water-soluble pencils
further colored pencil lines alongside the soft core range
Art markers
Premier chisel and fine tip markers for lettering and illustration
Graphite pencils
leads for technical sketches and fine art drawing
NuPastel hard pastels
pastels for layering color the way a painter would
Why we recognized Prismacolor
The DeskRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Prismacolor earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, used at a real desk, and judged on merit.
Prismacolor products we rated highly
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, Soft Core, 150 Count
A soft wax-based core with 3.8mm leads lays pigment down in smooth layers that blend well, across 150 colors. Lightfastness is marked pencil by pencil, which helps when choosing colors for work meant to be displayed, and individual pencils are sold separately so a worn color can be replaced on its own. The set arrives in a metal storage tin with a foam cradle.
Read the 7 Best Colored Pencils of 2026 guide →
Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils, 60 Count
A hardened wax core with 3.3mm leads makes this a durable step up from school pencils, and it holds up to school bags, powered sharpeners and a child's grip. The 60-color range covers every color family for adult coloring books and hobbyist illustration, with a smooth laydown that helps younger artists learn to blend.
Read the 7 Best Colored Pencils of 2026 guide →What earned Prismacolor the recognition
- Two colored pencil families that suit different needs: soft core Premier for blending and layering, and hardened core Scholar for durability.
- Premier pencils are sold as singles as well as sets, so a favorite color can be replaced without rebuying the whole set.
- Lightfastness is marked pencil by pencil on the Premier line, which helps when choosing colors for display pieces.
- Scholar's hardened core resists breakage, which makes it practical for classrooms and powered sharpeners.
- A broad art range on the brand's own site, from pencils and markers to graphite, pastels, accessories and guided lessons.