Zenacolor - 160 coloring pencils pack REVIEW

Zenacolor is an online retailer servicing customers across Europe, their head offices are situated in France. The company aims to provide only the highest quality products for its customers. The company is led by two brothers, Max and Ben. They have a variety of art supplies for artists, hobbyists, and coloring enthusiasts. The price range of their products is affordable to the general public. They offer a variety of packs of coloring pencils, markers, micro liners, acrylic paints, oil paints, watercolors, fabric paints, sketchbooks, and much more. Each item is accompanied by a detailed description which makes your decision easier before purchasing it.

The question still remains, can they be compared to the big brand colored pencils, such as Prismacolor and Arteza?

I have to say as an artist and adult colorer they do the job as they are suppose to. They blend easily, the pigment is easily applicable without putting too much pressure while coloring. They do shed a bit, it is not that much. I haven't experienced any breakage, and they sharpen easily. But they can't be layered that easily. Once the paper is covered you're done. Other colors won't color over them.

Can they be used in professional art pieces that you can sell?

Well, in my opinion unfortunately no. They do fade over time. Can they be used in home DIY creations, absolutely. With a pack of 160 colors, you get a great variety of colors and shades, even some metallic colors. They come in a sturdy box so they are easy to take with you anywhere you go and they are well protected.

One thing that puzzles me is that on the page it says that they are not suitable for children under 14 years of age..... Why?

And there is one small issue that can be overlooked, but sometimes the colors on the barrels don't really match the color of the lead, therefore before you start coloring it's best to make swatches. The box does come with a swatch sheet that has beautiful pattern designs on it. And you also get a FREE WEEKLY coloring page for a year, you just need to enter the code that they provide you with. Which is a great marketing strategy on their part, since this way they can send you updates directly to your email.

One thing that I miss, is the option of purchasing the colored pencils individually. So if you like one color more than others, don't use it too often once it's gone IT'S GONE.

So for the conclusion, can they be compared to the big brands?

If you are using them as a hobby or as a beginner artist who is just starting to learn the techniques of coloring with colored pencils and you have a limited budget then yes. They do the job, and they are affordable.

But if you are planning to use them professionally and sell your art, then they lack a little. Especially when it comes to blending and layering different colors on top of each other.