Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

I want to give these pencils a really good review, but find myself of two minds about the product.

Pros first:

They sharpen really well and the pencils are well-constructed. They hold their point very well and are excellent for fine detail work. The mid value colors I've used cover decently, while the deeper values need more pressure to cover, though the points DO hold up well.

Supposedly, the colors I've used so far are decently lightfast.

Cons: Except for white, most every color I've gotten looks as though black has been added to the mixture. Lilac is supposedly mixed from PR122 - a vivid magenta rose - and PV23 - a vivid blue violet. Looks dull, like a brownish mauve. The same with Purple - looks dull, almost dead compared to Polychromos Middle Purple Pink.

While muted colors are very useful, the aforementioned colors are supposed to be at least brilliant. What gives? The blues I've gotten work well.

For those who love muted hues, Caran D'Ache's Pablos are a Godsend. Some of the formulations are suspect lightfastnessw-wise. Be careful!

Pablos laydown is decent to excellent.

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

I haven't completed a piece using this product yet. It's almost too good to use!

I am an oil based colored pencil user and you could have had me fooled. It has the sharpness, lack of crumbs and strength of an oil based pencil, but it is wax based. A friend of mine wrote to the company, they assured us this is so. I didn't believe it, so she proved me wrong!!

The creaminess of the laydown is just heaven. It fills in nicely where burnishing is something that would be minimal to unnecessary. That would be true for solvents and any other method of filling white space. At least in my testing. This really is due to the pencil remaining sharp and responsive. The color saturation is excellent, the permanence is assured by the company to also be excellent. Time has to tell.

The most obvious down side to the Pablos is the price. The same friend lent them to me and I didn't want to try them! I knew I would be hooked and I knew the price was out of my league.

To cut down on cost, they are great for small works. If you are one to not do too many layers. The final laydown, (so solvents or burnishing used with a lesser quality product, then use the Pablos for a final kick.)

Can't wait to use them on a real project!

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

While Prismacolor remains my "go to" pencil, I love the feel and lay down of these pencils. The very best, I believe, but also very expensive. Although Dick Blick is excellent price wise, still expensive!!!

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

As an artist, it is important to me that any product I use have excellent lightfastness. Less than half of the 120 Pablos fit that criteria, and no colored pencil manufacturer currently puts pigment and binder together to create excellent LF in every pencil. However, the Pablos that fit excellent lightfastness criteria make an important contribution to a diverse variety of hues for creating colored pencil art.
When using Pablo, I am delighted at the feel of the "lead" as it glides smoothly along. In addition, there is no wax bloom in these pencils, and they are wonderful for layering technique that may include 15-20 layers.

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

I love my Pablo's, and I can't wait to try Caran's newest colored pencil's.
The Pablo's I own are my favorites. I love my Prismacolors, but the Pablo's seem a bit smoother and creamier, and lay down so nicely. I think they compare very well with Prismacolors in layering, and much better than say the Derwents - which I like, but not for over 10 - 12 layers. With these you can easily lay down 20 layers, but of course if you don't use a lot of layers that might not be an issue. I guess, because I love to try new pencils, or new to me, I find the best qualities in each of the pencils I try, and the Pablos are just overall a great product.
(now, lets try to get companies to lower the price on the new Caran d'Ache Luminance CP's!)

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

Soft and very smooth leads; lightfastness generally very good. Color range is slightly biased towards bright hues but there are excellent grays, olives and warm browns. One of the best.

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

Some of the best colored pencils I have ever bought, they last longet than any colored pencils ever, they're creamy soft and don't have the gritty feeling of normal colored pencils. They beat Roseart and Cryola colored pencils any day!
I will always have these as my favorite colored pencils, they blend together really well, perfect for anime artists

Comments about Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils:

The Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils are a superior quality pencil. I am amazed how smothly they apply so blending is so easy. I am a card maker and am always looking for products that I can use with my stamps. These are definately an asset to my craft.