What are Polychromos Pencils?

Polychromos pencils are not the same as the Pitt Pastel Pencils. The Polychromos are oil based colour pencils that don’t blend and only work by putting many many layers of colour on top of each other to achieve a depth of colour.  On the other hand the Faber-Castell Pitt Pastels are the perfect tool for the pencil artist.  They blend well, don’t break and don’t create much dust which for some artists is a nightmare.  There are up to 60 Colours to choose in the Pitt Pastel Pencil range however you don't need all of the colours to do most pictures (especially the tutorials on this site).The Colin Bradley Special Selection Box of 24 that we sell is ample to start with as many of the projects can be done by using this amount.  When the subtleties are needed then more colours (greys) for instance will be needed.  Perhaps for the more advanced projects on this site as well as our Intermediate Packs, you will need around 44 of the 60 colours. The colour chart on the right has ticked colours and these are what we would recommend people eventually to have.  If you like to draw flowers then you are going to need a lot of greens, purples and reds.  If you stay with the landscapes you don’t need that kind of volume.You can purchase the Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils individually on our store and learn from our free courses below. To watch over 100 pastel pencil tutorials, sign up to be a member.