Prismacolor Premier Water-Soluble Colored Pencils Review: 36 Count

The Prismacolor Premier Water-Soluble Colored Pencils, 36 Count set is worth considering if you want colored-pencil control with watercolor effects available when the paper can handle them. It is best suited to adult colorists and watercolor-pencil beginners who prefer a manageable palette over a very large multi-tray set.

ASIN B0019IP2GE is the assorted 36-count set, Prismacolor item 4066. It contains 36 water-soluble pencils in a hinged metal tin. You can keep the pencils dry for narrow printed details and gradual layering, then use a damp brush to dissolve selected marks into a translucent wash.

The main limitation is not the pencil count; it is the surface beneath them. Water can buckle, pill, or bleed through ordinary coloring-book paper, so the wet feature is only useful after a careful paper test. A brush is also not named in the official package contents, and the watercolor range is not presented as a comprehensive open-stock replacement system.

Who the Prismacolor 36-count watercolor-pencil set is for

This set makes the most sense for adult colorists, beginners learning watercolor pencils, and mixed-media sketchers who want dry control first. The 36-color palette is large enough to reduce constant mixing but small enough to swatch and understand without turning color choice into the main activity.

It suits coloring books because water is optional. A sharpened pencil can handle borders, facial details, patterned clothing, leaves, and other small shapes more predictably than a wet brush. On stronger paper, a damp brush can then soften a background, pull color through a petal, or reduce visible strokes in a larger area.

I would look elsewhere if the book uses thin, double-sided pages and both illustrations matter. Even a small amount of water can change the reverse side or the next sheet. A traditional dry colored-pencil set is the safer choice when the paper is unknown or cannot be tested.

This is also not the strongest fit for someone building a long-term palette one replacement pencil at a time. Prismacolor currently presents its water-soluble pencils as 12-, 24-, and 36-count sets, while its broader Soft Core line has a much clearer single-pencil program.

What is included in Prismacolor item 4066?

The verified package contains 36 assorted water-soluble colored pencils in a hinged metal storage tin. The official contents list names the 36 pencils; it does not name a brush, water brush, sharpener, palette, or paper.

That means a first-time buyer should plan on adding a small round brush, a water cup, a cloth or paper towel for blotting, a sharpener with a clean blade, and scrap paper for testing. A traditional brush is often easier to control than a reservoir-style water brush because you decide exactly how much water reaches the page.

The tin is useful for keeping the palette in order and protecting the pencils between sessions. It is storage rather than a complete watercolor kit, however. You still need a flat work surface, and the open tin will take more room than a compact pencil case.

Is the 36-color palette broad enough for adult coloring?

Yes—the assortment is broad enough for general adult-coloring subjects, although it is not a specialist portrait, botanical, or pastel palette.

The verified color list includes yellows and oranges; reds, pinks, and violets; several blues and greens; earth tones; Cool Grey 50%; French Grey 20%; white; and black. That range covers common flowers, foliage, clothing, skies, animals, interiors, and shadows without requiring every intermediate color to be mixed.

The palette has useful anchors at both ends of the value range, but 36 colors still require judgment. White will not behave like opaque paint over a dark layer, and black can flatten a shadow if it replaces a deeper local color. The two greys help with quieter transitions, while the earth tones can support hair, wood, soil, and some portrait mixtures.

Color names are only a starting point. Make a dry swatch and a water-activated swatch on the same paper you plan to use. Activation can change both the apparent saturation and the visibility of the original pencil stroke.

Dry control is the reason to choose a watercolor pencil

The practical advantage is that you decide where the water begins. A watercolor pencil can first behave like a normal pencil: the point places color inside a small area, light pressure builds a pale layer, and firmer or repeated passes deepen it.

That makes the medium less immediate than a pan watercolor but easier to contain inside printed line art. You can leave an eye, pattern, or tiny accessory completely dry while activating only the sky or a large piece of clothing beside it.

The trade-off is that dry pencil marks do not automatically disappear. A lightly applied layer generally gives the brush less pigment to move, while heavy pressure can press color into the paper texture and leave lines visible after activation. The useful middle ground is several controlled layers rather than one forceful pass.

Because this review is research-based, I have not measured point retention, sharpening frequency, breakage, or how these exact cores compare in softness with Prismacolor Premier Soft Core pencils. Those handling questions need physical side-by-side testing rather than assumptions based on the brand name.

Water activation works best with a damp, controlled brush

Use less water than a traditional watercolor wash would suggest. Color a small area while the paper is dry, wet the brush, blot it until it is damp rather than dripping, and pull pigment from the darker edge toward the lighter area.

Working one small shape at a time helps prevent a wet edge from crossing printed outlines. Clean the brush before moving into a neighboring color, especially when shifting from a dark blue, green, or red into a pale yellow or skin tone.

You can also scribble onto a separate nonporous palette and lift the color with a damp brush. This produces a diluted application without wetting the wood casing or pressing the pencil directly into damp paper. It is useful when a soft shadow matters more than preserving pencil texture.

The official product description calls the pigments lightfast, but I did not find individual color ratings for this exact 36-pencil assortment. I would not treat a general range-level statement as a guarantee that every color will fade at the same rate in framed work.

Paper compatibility is the most important drawback

Watercolor paper is designed to accept moisture; ordinary coloring-book paper often is not. The safest approach is to test the exact book before activating a finished illustration.

Place a clean barrier behind the page, add a small dry swatch on a spare or inconspicuous area, activate it with one damp pass, and let the sheet dry completely. Then inspect the front, reverse, and next page for buckling, softened fibers, color transfer, or a change in the printed line.

If the result is poor, keep the Prismacolor pencils dry. Water solubility is an option rather than a requirement. A dry page with controlled layering is a better outcome than damaged paper created only to use every feature.

Double-sided books need particular caution. A protective sheet can keep moisture and pigment off the next page or tabletop, but it cannot protect artwork printed on the reverse of the sheet you are wetting.

For a broader comparison of sets and paper behavior, see our guide to the best watercolor pencils for coloring books.

Sharpening, storage, and replacement planning

Maintenance is straightforward, but this set is better treated as a complete palette than as the beginning of a comprehensive open-stock system.

Prismacolor recommends its Premier sharpener for the brand’s water-soluble sets. Whatever sharpener you use, a clean, sharp blade and gentle rotation reduce unnecessary stress on the core. Dropping a wood-cased pencil can fracture the core inside even when the outside looks undamaged, so returning the pencils to the tin matters.

The current Prismacolor catalog shows the water-soluble product as sets in 12, 24, and 36 counts. It does not present an equivalent water-soluble singles range beside the extensive Premier Soft Core singles selection. A matching dry pencil may share a familiar color name, but it is not a water-soluble replacement for an exhausted watercolor pencil.

If replacing favorite colors individually is central to your buying decision, an established open-stock watercolor-pencil line is a better direction. If you mainly want a self-contained 36-color tin and expect to mix neighboring colors when one runs low, this limitation is less important.