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The colors are rich and vibrant, and they layer well. Prismacolor is a wax based colored pencil brand that many professional artists swear by. Oil based colored pencils do not develop a bloom, but they are more prone to smearing than wax based pencils. This wax bloom can be wiped away, but it can be prevented by using an artist’s fixative.
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One disadvantage of wax based colored pencils is that a drawing with these pencils may develop a wax “bloom” or a white surface on the drawing after a few weeks. Oil based colored pencils behave a bit differently on the paper, but they also are good for layering. Wax based colored pencils give a lovely sheen to the drawing and the colors can be layered, one upon the other. The pigment is what makes the color of art supplies, and in colored pencils, the pigment is held together by a wax or oil based binder. The biggest difference in various brands of colored pencils is the ratio of binder to pigment. You may ask yourself if those high-priced colored pencils are worth the difference in price. But, you may notice a huge difference in price in the various kinds of colored pencils. Colored pencils can be found in art supply stores, discount stores, or even in your local grocery store.
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