Prismacolor Col-Erase Erasable Colored Pencils, Non-Photo Blue, 12-Count - 20028

These non-photo blue pencils are really good and are great for sketching. If you've never used them before, the idea is that they are very light and don't show up in photocopy. So you can sketch with this blue pencil and then just ink or pencil on top of this with a nice clean line and not worry about having to erase your sketch. It helps keep your art looking cleaner. This pencil is designed to make a very light line that is almost imperceptible. I have a very heavy hand when I draw, and even then the blue is fairly light on the page. This is not a pencil for coloring. Although you probably won't find much need for erasing, the included eraser on the pencil does a great job of cleaning up mistakes without tearing the paper or leaving smudges behind. Overall, these are some high-quality pencils and are great if you plan on doing cartooning or comic book style illustration, or have any need of a non-photo pencil.

I use these Col-erase Prismacolor pencils to mark books I read plus significant words in my Bible. As such they need to be erasable in case I make a mistake. I chose this brand since the lead is fairly soft and is very erasable. It is ideal to mark my Bible which is printed on onion skin thin paper. It does not rip the very thin paper. Another brand I ordered just to try out is a lighter blue and requires a lot of pressure to make a mark. The lead is too hard. The current Col-erase Prismacolor blue 20044 pencils are made in China; they have not completely replicated the formula of the original ones made in the USA. I have one of those, they have softer leads, and are ideal for making lines and shadings in books. This Chinese made version is a dark blue just like the original ones and stand out on the printed page, yet lets one read the black text underneath the shading. In any case, the Chinese copies are the best available at this time. The erasers work well also. Oh yes, you really get a box of 12 good erasable blue pencils.

The pencils graphite aren’t too hard or too soft in highlighting and underlining my bibles. Haven’t tried the erasers yet, but am sure that would work well if needed. I have this product in both blue and red.

Pencil lead is very hard, so if you are used to a softer graphite or wax pencil it may take some getting used to and it may leave dent marks on heavier papers. It did work nicely after the piece was inked and scanned as the pencil marks didn't show up at all on the scan. So it fulfilled its purpose and made production art faster and easier. I was expected a softer lead like other Prismacolor pencils, so it being harder than a #2 pencil was a surprise and really changes handling.

Genuinely a Prismacolor: Prismacolors are made in Mexico and this is made in Mexico. Genuinely a Non Photo Blue Pencil: It has a very hard blue lead made for the initial drawing phase that goes underneath the finish lines. It's meant for a light touch. This is not a typical, soft Prismacolor that's meant for coloring and spreading color. It is an extremely light in line and not meant to be seen other than to guide your final drawing after you've worked it out with the blue pencil. Easy to sharpen and doesn't break easily because of its hardness. (That said, ever since Prismacolor moved manufacturing to Mexico, leads are known to break in the chamber of the wood during manufacturing, so every now and then a chunk of lead will slip out of the wooden part. Doesn't happen to me that often but enough to not be a rare occurrence.) Erases easily. If you use the same pressure you would for a typical quick pencil line and don't force it down it erases better than a graphite pencil. Warning: If you use this pencil under you ink lines, don't use an eraser to erase the blue lines to clean up the final or you will find that a bit of your pen lines that lay on the blue pencil will come up with the pencil lines leaving a grainy look to your ink. You are best off leaving the work as it is, to keep your pen lines crisp, and handling their disappearance with your scanner or graphics program. Hope this helps!

I bought these for sketching, but the lead is too hard to leave a mark unless you bear down extremely hard and even then it's not acceptable. I purchased the red ones as well and they actually mark when sketching and have a soft enough lead you do not have to tear into the paper to leave a mark. I'm very disappointed as I was excited use this color in my sketchbook. The one positive is that these pencils hold a point quite nicely. I just wish they worked.

10/10 would recommend these pencils. i use this to sketch before i line art and use markers. it doesn’t smear like graphite. i sketch with this and use a putty eraser to lighten it a little before inking it. I bought these years ago and I still have more pencils to use

I was looking for a good sketch Pencil I had the red pencils before they were pretty light they did the trick sometimes but was hard to erase completely. This blue ones are so light and easy to erase I don't think I'll go back to the red ones for sketching they are perfect. Also I got 12 pack idk if this was the product people were complaining they only got 1 for but nah its a 12 pack.