Holbein Colored Pencil Review from a Professional Artist - Lachri

Are Holbein Colored Pencils worth the money? Find out if they live up to their hype in today's review and demonstration.

Note: I am in no way a representative of CPSA. My views on these pencils are completely my own.

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[aartadventure]

Japan has a habit of doing things its own way, which can be both good or bad (I lived in Japan for 8 years). In this case, that also extends to lightfast testing. Remember, Holbein was built as a Japanese company and until recently only sold in Japan. They wouldn't have seen a need to use expensive testing methods that Japanese wouldn't have understood (Initially they probably didn't have access to the facilities to test using Blue Wool or ASTM). Japan is also well known for it's reluctance to change its business practices. I would guess these are the main reasons they use their own testing system.
Despite the above, I started painting when living in Japan, using Holbein watercolours. Those watercolours are still up there with my favourites (the other two brands being Schmincke and M. Graham).
I've also used Holbein pencils and found the 3 stars to hold up well (but obviously Lisa has pointed out here that each colour is different, and I only bought 20-30 of them to try out). I will say their soft white is amazing, I'm surprised Lisa didn't talk more about that. The build quality is exceptional. Japanese take pride in producing a well made product. I've never had a single breakage from a Holbein pencil, including the soft white, and I've transported them from Japan to the USA, and then to Australia. I've also taken them on overseas holidays to sketch with. The quality is exceptional, it's just the light fastness is questionable.
Final note - I've also used the following pencils: Derwent (old set, 24 pencils), Polychromos (full set), Prismacolor (48 pencils), Luminance (full set). From these, Holbein feels like a unique mix between Prismacolor and Polychromos, leaning heavily towards the Prismacolor side for softness ( around 80%), but with a slightly more oily hardness hinting at the feel of Polychromos (around 20%). But it is hard to describe, as Lisa mentions, they feel unique.

[lorrainecooper]

I love that you were so insistent on these ratings for pencils (actually any artist materials) because I rely on them. I bow down to your patience because you are a better person than me!

[sadnessmaximus]

I was on the verge of buying these, glad I checked here first! Your reviews are super honest and really reflect the product. I tried the Polychromos after watching your review a couple years ago and they've been my go to ever since :D

[dianelake]

I have wanted to try Holbein for years - back when Amazon sold them from Japan. When they finally came to the US the price really put me off. I kept going back to them when I was on someplace like Blick but, that was dreaming.
Then a few weeks ago I stumbled across the pencils on sale for a wonderful price. I quickly ordered pastels in open stock. More then a few.
When they came I was thrilled with the feel of the pencils. They were beautiful and fun and you fall in love. So, I ordered a bunch of mid to dark colors.
I had seen this video before I ordered the pastels. I knew the problem with lightfast. But, for me it is not really an issue.
I am not a professional artist like you are.
I had some Arches but, I tried them on Stonehenge. The blending was a little difficult and I am a 'painter' with colored pencils.
I had a few pages of Strathmore Colored Pencils paper and my beloved Artistico. They worked so much better and the dark colors worked much better (from your video!). The pencils seem to like a really toothy paper better then a smoother feel paper. At least that was using the pencils with a brush and Mineral Spirits. And this was my own opinion with the paper I had here in my home.

[mdragon]

I remember buying one of the Holbein watercolor value sets on amazon years ago (which is advertised as lightfast) and discovering to my disappointment that nearly a third of all the paints were made with pigments commonly known to be fugitive :( I actually ended up enjoying their paints and still use a few of them. I know that Holbein is more competitively priced in Japan and is popular among Japanese illustrators and designers. I think with all the convenience mixtures and neon/pastel options in the watercolor line that the brand caters more to illustrators/designers overall, hence all the opaqueness regarding the lightfastness of their products.

I totally agree with you that if Holbein wants to advertise that they produce “professional grade” art materials they should have their entire line tested with the same standard testing used by the rest of the industry. Or at least be honest about their products being better suited for designers or hobbyists.

[nancyloomis]

Lisa, I know it is disturbing to not get forthright answers to your questions . So many companies are so afraid to admit ANY weaknesses at all. I mean, look at the recent Daniel Smith watercolor mineral pigment controversy. So Instead of saying so something like…””we are working on revising our ratings to be more accurate” (customers who purchased the products when they weren’t as “accurate” may say they were duped, ) they just throw out a lot of jumbo jumbo hoping that will satisfy most inquiries. Honestly, it’s likely the corporate legal department in most larger companies who have the final say in what customer support tells people. Everyone is afraid of a lawsuit or a PR mess, so in their eyes, the less full technical info they give out, the better…they think. As long as their bottom line doesn’t suffer too much, no changes are likely forthcoming about the full accuracy of Holbein pigments and their respective lightfast ratings for their COLOR PENCILS. (Although didn’t YTuber Jane Bush have a video about the revised colors in Holbein’s color pencils?” ) I use some of their watercolors and they’re very good pro quality. And as you know, to be considered “professional artist quality” pigment numbers must be disclosed and Holbein does disclose pigment identification on their watercolors, and I assume their other painting mediums. Many paint makers out there (with some exceptions) could be fooling us. We may never know. There is a level of trust that we tend to give pretty freely and sort of have to unless we want to spend all our time verifying every pigment listed or “highly lightfast” statement on every tube of paint or color medium we possess. Actually lightfast ratings in color pencils never used to be discussed so much, or not that I heard. Now every color medium out there seems to make a statement about their lightfastness, but only if they disclose their pigments can we even be close to being reassured of their lightfastness.

P.S. - Fun tidbit of info: a famous forger of very famous artist’s paintings who successfully copied and sold (until he was finally caught) many well-known masterpieces to many of the world’s most prestigious museums, claims that about 25% of the art hanging on their walls are forgeries…some of them HIS forgeries. He says that even after he was caught, the museums that bought his work would not admit that they were duped and that his “fake” art was never removed. This forger was an exceptionally gifted “copiest, ” to say the least.

[diondremathis]

I appreciate that you give these brands a chance, even when some don't have a good outcome. I came across the Arteza brand once when I wanted to branch out from prismacolors(the constant breakage and quality decline was killing me lol). The artezas weren't working out for me. It was just weird trying to layer the pigment and just fighting the consistency of the texture. In the end, Luminance and polychromos was for the win 🏆. TFS!

[carolstraub]

I have watched several reviews on Hobin colored pencils and you are the 1st who hasn't raved about them. After watching this I can't afford taking a chance on them.

[jasonray]

While I understand your point about them not using the ASTM or Blue Wool standard for their lightfast testing, it’s disingenuous to imply their pencils are therefore not at all lightfast. These are American developed standards and are not the only standards or methods for lightfast testing that exist, though they are amongst the most widely known. Exposure to direct sunlight will fade even highly lightfast colours in no time at all, compared to other display conditions, so the rep’s comments are not misleading when he talks about different light conditions producing different results.

The CPSA testing does have some surprises that don’t align with Holbein’s own ratings and there are many pencils that came out fugitive (or at least below the grade that should be used for professional artwork), but the overall number of colours that come out as lightfast is not incomparable to the original 72 sets of Derwent Lightfast or Caran d’Ache Luminance. And they are not the only brand of professional pencils where some of the manufacturer lightfast ratings don’t align with CPSA results.

It is a 150 set and, like Prismacolor, not all colours are lightfast and many of the colours you would expect to have lower ratings or be fugitive are so.

I wouldn’t trash the whole company and say all their products must be junk because of this - I’m seeing a lot of comments questioning their paints and other products which are not the subject of this review and saying they now won’t buy anything from Holbein.

By all means call them out on not using the main American industry standards for lightfast testing, particularly given the price point of these pencils, but don’t throw the whole company under the bus because of it. They are still producing a quality pencil that will appeal to some artists.

[ferio]

Thank you so much for this review. I felt this really had a strong hint of good journalism rather than the usual run of the mill "it layers beautifully" review. The digging and persistence you've shown was impressive. After watching this and seeing what some of the other artists have found it seems that there have been some developments in the recent year. It appears that after this, from what I've seen in some of the newer unboxings people have done, Holbein is including a folder with a cross reference explaining their star rating and their relation to the ASTM-standard and an explanation of how they comply with the standard. Lightfastness is confusing enough as it is and Holbein aren't alone with their star rating. Faber castell also turn to the stars, Caran D'ache do their....*checks notes* ...LFI and LFII. Transparency and the ability to explain what lies behind these systems are essential to distributing a trustworthy product aimed for professional artists. Your hesitance need not be defended. I would have loved to see an update video in the matter. If Holbein has gotten their act together and now include a proper explanation in their boxes - presumably as a result of the questions you've raised, it would be so interesting to see your reaction to their new info and present the pencils in a new light. I almost hope this whole embarrassing and cringeworthy story was just a result of a sales rep of the american branch, too eager to please and too hasty not to forward your questions to the proper department for a correct answer. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself, the inspiration you give and allt the good tips.

[TheBloomingSelf]

I am so glad I found this review. Thank you for your honesty and for going the extra mile to collect information on these pencils. I am not a fan of corporations/big companies making claims they can’t back up. It happens too much and in all industries. It is so nice to see someone using their mind to investigate, rather than just handing over their hard earned money and following the herd. Good for you.

[miaomiaochan]

I admit that I'm a massive Holbein fangirl because their watercolors are a favorite of an acclaimed Japanese director of animated films (Miyazaki) and because of the 50 lovely pastel colors in their colored pencil range. To each their own!

While I'm certainly disappointed that the company isn't the most reliable when it comes to providing information important to artists and that their claims of lightfastness don't hold up to close scrutiny, I'll continue to treasure my Holbein products and find ways to use them. Besides, it's not like I ever plan to sell anything I paint or draw.

[Horsewoman-ptku]

Thank You for doing this review and so detailed. I was really wondering about the lightfast as well. I haven't seen any professional colored pencil artists using these. I want to do my own lightfast testing on these now. Remember how well your Lyra pencils did for backgrounds. Hopefully you can find some use for these pencils. Tfs

[maryellenthompson]

I bought my Holbeins back in 2018 directly from Japan and I have no argument with them. However, I’m not a professional artist so I can see the need for accurate information where lightfastness is concerned. These feel really good in my hands when I use them, sort of like Polychromos. I think where hardness is concerned, they seem to fall between Prismacolor and Polychromos, at least to me. I love how effortlessly they go down on paper.

[thefrugalcrafter]

Nice review! I had a chance to try them and I was expecting a very soft pencil based on what others said about them and they performed than prismacolor, in fact they reminded me a lot of Arteza (weird huh?) But I did enjoy using them as i like to work fast and lay down lots of color. The price (as with many Japanese art products like copic) is too high for me. That said they are a pretty pencil and feel good to use and I think that is what has attracted so many people to them. I was given a 36 set from a friend and I was able to mix them and make the colors I needed just fine and I love the pastels (but I don't trust the lightfastness of pastels) but in a sketchbook or card it's fine. The dogma around different products is amusing.

[positronixartandlife]

Thank you for your comments, and thank you for thinking and considering other options as to why people might want these, as well as illustrating that they shine best using different techniques. I grabbed the pastels plus a few extra, almost all the light colours because I want those lighter colours for colouring pages and the like. It's very disappointing on their lack of transparency for lightfast - I wonder if their "about 25 years" is a situation where it should be read as more of a "these can last up to 25 years under optimal conditions", i.e. if a pencil lasts 18m-2yrs it gets 1 star which might correlate with your thoughts on the colours that are not generally lightfast.

I'd be interested if you got the soft white (which *is* really soft and crumbles easily, it actually says on the pencil to sharpen with a blade not a standard sharpener) and your thoughts, especially on the actual lightfast values. I've got this and I'm considering testing against some white pastel pencils to compare how they work in the context of a "for fun" artist.

[sharonericson]

TY I've been researching light fastness and finding it so dif. These last few weeks after buying 150 cnt. Prisma and spending a year of diligently producing work to find it could fade away in a year, so heartbreaking as I'm 62 and finally dedicating my time to my art. Any company not respecting their customers makes this experience even more, well it's outrageous. As we age our time w/ our art becomes more and more limited for obvious reason, health, arthritis, time. TY for your honesty. Missing my beloved joyful colors. ☹️ What we don't know can hurt us. ☹️🙂🙂

[victoriavelazquez]

This is the best review I have seen on these yet. I wish I seen it before I spent money on them. As an artist that sells work as well. I will not make art with these for a whole piece. You got all my auestions answered that I had. Questions that I didn't have for the Luminance, Lightfasts, or Polychromos. Thank you so much for looking into all of this. I have one thing that I wonder about all pencils that have a low rating, can they be used safely as a very 1st layer under painting if all the layers after are from higher rated pencils? Just curious what you think.

[itsallspent]

Thanks for the review of the Holbein Artest pencils. I had purchased a dozen of them for the larger areas of the color by number pages .
Your demonstration taught me how to use the Holbein properly.

[macCALICOmac]

I love your videos so much. I don’t even color or draw anymore but always watch your videos! Thank you for them.