The high-quality build of Luminance pencils is evident in their comfortable barrels, soft wood casings, and robust cores. The wood casings make sharpening these pencils a breeze, while their durable construction ensures they'll withstand the test of time. The big question everyone asks me is “are they really worth the cost”. I really think that they are. First, being lightfast is huge, but on top of that, they seem to last longer than the Prismacolor premiers. I found myself burning through Prismas like crazy. In part because of breaking leads and splitting wood casings, but in part because the lead is a bit softer. The Luminance pencils still had the great smooth blending that I expect from a wax-based pencil, but a smaller amount appears to go quite a bit further, so the cost per square inch of paper they can cover doesn’t seem to be that much higher than pencils like Prismacolor. Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils boast several unique features and characteristics that make them a favorite among artists. Let's take a closer look at what sets these pencils apart from the competition. 1. Smooth Blending and Layering Once I moved onto the detail of the flowers I saw the biggest difference. I do not enjoy small detail work with prismas because you’re constantly fighting to keep the pencil sharp enough. Then there is so much wax bloom that also hinders detail work if you’re layering a lot. I found getting the detail and maintaining control with the Luminance to be much easier. I spent more time working on the prisma piece than I did with the luminance because I was so unhappy with how those flowers looked. Even with the extra time, I couldn’t make them look as good as the ones done with luminance. Being that I am so detail oriented…this is a huge deal to me. Detail can be achieved with prismas, just not as easily.

Several years ago prismacolor changed where and how these were manufactured. Prismacolor has a very brittle lead. That has always been true. The problem however is that they started using poor quality wood for their casings and overall quality control became non existent. The wood casings now are regularly warped and the leads are off centered more often than not, and the wood is prone to splitting when sharpened. They were first introduced by the Swiss company Caran d'Ache, which has been producing top-notch art supplies since 1915. Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils provide numerous benefits for artists who choose to work with them. These advantages make them an appealing choice for both professional artists and enthusiasts who value high-quality art materials. Here are some of the key benefits of using Luminance pencils: 1. Effortless Blending and Layering The second difference was that these did not seem to build up as much of a wax bloom as primsas which did allow for more layering. They sharpen to a MUCH finer point than the prismas can, and again with no breakage, which allows for more detail work. I wasn’t expecting to get the kind of detail with a wax based pencil as I was with these.Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils are oil-based colored pencils that offer a different drawing experience compared to the wax-based Luminance. While both pencils produce vibrant and highly pigmented colors, Polychromos pencils have a harder core, making them more suitable for creating fine details. However, the harder core can make blending more challenging compared to the soft, creamy core of Luminance pencils.

Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils are a high-quality, professional-grade line of wax-based pencils designed for artists who demand the best performance from their materials. These premium colored pencils are known for their vibrant colors, exceptional lightfastness, and smooth blending capabilities. Glazing involves applying a thin layer of color over an existing layer to change its hue or tone slightly. With their excellent layering capabilities, Luminance pencils can be used for glazing to create subtle color shifts or corrections in your artwork. 3. Realism One of the most loved features of Luminance pencils is their ability to blend and layer effortlessly. Thanks to their wax-based, soft, and creamy cores, artists can easily create smooth color transitions and build up layers of colors without the struggle of dealing with hard or scratchy cores. Their easy blending capabilities make it possible to achieve a wide range of effects and textures, giving your artwork depth and dimension. 2. Break-resistant Cores Thanks to their blendability and versatility, Luminance colored pencils are suitable for various techniques and styles, from portraiture and wildlife art to botanical illustrations and abstract compositions. Their smooth application and vibrant colors make them an excellent choice for artists working in different genres and mediums. With hard pencils I can layer as many colors as I want. With other wax based pencils I can layer 4-5 colors before the paper cannot hold any more pigment. With luminance it is the same… if not worse. Possibly because they deliver a good amount of pigment with a single stroke, the paper cannot hold any more after a while. BlendingI bet you weren’t expecting this. And I guess many of you will hate me for writing this blog post. But I cannot love caran d’ache luminance as much as I would have liked. And believe me, I tried to like them, I so much wanted to like them. The premium build quality of Luminance colored pencils, including their sturdy barrels and break-resistant cores, means you can rely on them to withstand the rigors of regular use. You won't have to worry about constantly dealing with broken leads or replacing pencils due to damage. 5. Wide Range of Applications The build quality of Luminance pencils is also very good. The barrels protect the cores effectively, and the cores are not brittle, making these pencils break-resistant. Additionally, the ease of sharpening due to the soft wooden barrels is another advantage that I really like.

The pencils come in choices of an attractive sturdy box or a beautiful wooden case. Both choices have the pencils comfortably placed in embedded grooves which means they are well-protected and also easy to identify and grab. The pencils themselves have a colorless outer barrel except for the base which is stamped in the matching color. Another problem we’re seeing a lot now are the leads completely falling out of the pencil. Prismacolor claims they will replace the pencil when this happens, but those I’ve spoken with who had this happen, months later still have not received their replacement. I don’t know about you, but when I’m working on a project, I can not sit around waiting for replacement pencils on defective products. The Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils are undoubtably a professional pencil of the very highest quality. I have been reviewing art products now for about three to four years and within that time span, I have very rarely spoke to anyone who disliked the Caran d’Ache Luminance pencil. Caran d’Ache in general do a magnificent job in manufacturing and marketing their art products period. We have come to that again… I hate blending, I have always hated blending. As I mentioned multiple times before, all these details I worked hard for, blended and gone… no, thank you very much. But, with luminance I found it impossible not to blend. And the funny thing is that I really loved the effect! So, I might keep experimenting with the pencils in the future, I feel there is more to be explored. LightfastnessThe opacity of most Luminance colored pencils, particularly the white pencil, allows you to add highlights over darker colors easily. This feature gives you the flexibility to create stunning effects and make corrections or enhancements even after completing the initial layers of your drawing. 4. Durability and Break Resistance