I'm comparing two different companies using a
Limited Runs digi not yet available in the shop but she will be there shortly.
So there are times where your pocket book dictates what you want and what you can afford to buy and I thought I'd check out a cheaper brand of pencils out there and see how they stack up to Prismacolor Pencils so I bought Niutop - Marco Raffine Brand from Amazon it was Less then 1/2 the cost of Prisma and I was surprized at how they ended up being not bad at all.
These images where scanned in
As you can see by my pictures above the colours are pretty close compared and I took a picture so you could see the shine that a harder lead the left side of each is just straight pencil crayon colouring
while the right side has been blended down with a gamsol and blending stump
(Baby oil and a q-tip can work too)
You can't really see the difference when your picture is all done
When selecting my Prismacolors I tried my best to get as close to the Nuitop as I could.
These 2 images where taken with a camera
You can see the colours are pretty close to each other that where used and there that much difference between them so you could purchase a cheaper brand and still achieve a great look
All the colours used in these are the little dots below
Raffine
Lead - Little Harder, Oil Based Goes on smooth and can be built up slowly, does have a minor shine when not blended down. Colours shade well together and give you enough selection to create good shading If you press down hard the colour is very bold.
With a light hand you can create a very super soft image (has 3 really good light skin tones) I used 6 different colours to colour in the face using browns and pinks for extra shading.
These Pencils feel similar to Derwent Studio with how hard they are.
Pro - Pencils are labeled 1-72 for those who like to keep them in order. Come pre-sharped and I had no broken leads when I got them in the post. I did have to sharpen 2 seeing I'm a klutz and broke two but they sharpened well with no breakage, Harder lead makes them harder to break
Set comes with one silver and gold pencil to.
Great set for those on a budget, and like to have a good variety of colours to play with
Con - Come in a card board box that doesn't have boards to pull out and display will need a holder to see them all easy. Not sold individually
Prismacolour
Lead - Soft , Goes on smooth if you press a little harder you will get a deep colour instantly,
thicker lead. Colours blend over top of each other easily and can be a little harder to keep it a light touch I did have to use an eraser to lighten up a few little spots I tried to stay light but that doesn't always work
72 set does have 2 light skin tones, and light pinks and browns to add shading
Pro- Has a really HUGE selection of colours up to 150 colours. Can be bought, individually and in small to large sets. Vibrant colours to play with along Neon colours and Metallic too. Large sets have display layers so you can have all your colours out and see them all at one time and come in handy storage boxes the flip open or have a metal case that opens up. Also has a watercolour line.
Con - Don't drop these too much as the lead have a terrible time and will break. You will have to practice more going over with a light hand to get a soft look. These where roughly 2 1/2 times more expensive
I hope you enjoyed this
Let me know what you think or have any questions
I'd be happy to answer
hugs Nikki
