Colored Pencils

I've only been scrapping a little over a year and am interested in using colored pencils. I read the reviews of the best brand of colored pencils but was wondering about all those "map pencils" that the kids have left over from school (I have a bucket full of those!). Are those not suitable because they're not acid-free or does anyone use them?

Thanks, Debbie

I don't know if there is a method to telling if a colored pencil is a/f or not. I think they may be a little too brittle for sb use though. That has been the complaint I have heard about the EK Success pencils. I swear by my Prismacolors, and recommend them highly. They are expensive, but you can start with the basic set of 12 and a couple of blender pencils, and add colors individually as you need/want them. Nancy

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Nancy

Well, I'll tell ya...I have a box of Crayola colored pencil and a box of Prang colored pencils (I'm too cheap to spend $40+ on colored pencils plus dh would absolutely FLIP...lol!) and they are fine. If you want to use the ones you have I'm sure they would be fine also. I really do love the look the Prismas put out but I can't spend that kind of money on something that I'm not utilizing all that much. If you really got into coloring everything with pencils, then I say get the Prismas. HTH!

Can't live w/out my Prismacolor pencils - I swear I use them on just about every layout I do! Well worth the $$.

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Lisa
Sahm to 2 adorable girls, wife to the best man in the world and a confessed scrapaholic!

I have EK Success pencils. They have 3 different color sets (primary, earth, and pastel), although I have used at least one pencil from every box, I don't use them all the time.

My suggestion would be to buy a well priced small box with basic colors. Then if you find you are using them less often than you thought, it's not a big loss. And if you use them more often, you can expand.

I don't know if you can use colored pencils like Crayola. They don't say anything on them except that they conform to ASTM D-4236 (which my EK Success pencils say too) and that they are AP NONTOXIC and certified by Art&Creative Materials Institute. You could call crayola 1-800-Crayola and ask if their pencils are acid free and of archival quality. Of course, I'm assuming you have Crayola pencils, but even if you don't, maybe someone else will find this helpful!

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Megan:
A person who always strives to do her best-