"Firstly, a few weeks ago I had to get art supplies for my class, and I had to get them the very next day meaning I had to go to the store to get these. You know how things are in the store... EXPENSIVE! I had to buy a lot of these things separately and it cost me like 20 dollars more... This set has everything for any type of artist, especially beginning. The pencils are the exact ones you need for sketching and shading. Charcoal is another thing on it's own, but you get a lot of charcoal here too. Charcoal is good for shading or if you really want to make some nice, eye popping art. But beware, especially those who have never used charcoal or are buying this for a child, CHARCOAL IS REALLY MESSY! And it gets on everything. Other than that, everything is great. I like that it comes with two different erasers. After using the kneaded eraser, I'd never go back to a regular eraser. The white eraser works really well though. But a kneaded eraser... NO MESS! And it acts like playdoh! I feel like instead of the white eraser, they should have included some blending stumps/tortillons. You can use your finger for blending, but for better blending without the mess, those stumps/tortillons are fantastic. The sharpeners seem to be really cheap... I do not plan to use them. The all black pencil, I have no idea what that is. I assumed it was charcoal, but it seems to be too smooth to be charcoal. I'm assuming it's a 6B graphite stick with no wood (it says 6B on it). Mine actually came broken in half... though I'm not sure if its suppose to come like it. It doesn't look so in the picture. Oh well, I can just sharpen it and use it as well. The set says there is one sketch pencil so, I'm guessing this is it. It's basically the same thing as the 6B pencil in this set. The black coating seems to be paint. I just tested it and some paint came off, and some graphite came off too. I was checking to see if the outer part was wood, and it's not. Also if you are one of those that like to get close to the tip of the pencil, you are going to get dirty with this sketch pencil. The whole sharpened area is graphite, so you will be messy before you even shade... which isn't exactly a good thing. It was a good idea, but for sketching, 6B is too extreme I feel. It's soft, but even the slightest amount of pressure, it gets REALLY dark, thus why it's better for shading. A 2B, or even 3B is better for sketching IMO. I personally use 4B as as well. But yeah, this set is definitely fantastic for your drawing needs. It doesn't have extra pencils you don't need like those other sets that have a bunch of H pencils you'll never use. The higher in H you get, the harder the lead gets. You always want B for drawing/shading/sketching. The higher the B, the softer, darker it gets. This set has F (I actually don't know anything about F leads, but this acts like the pencil you use for school, which is a 2HB), HB, H, 2H, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B. The charcoal pencils are 2B, 4B, and 6B as well. The sticks are medium, compressed charcoal. Once you play with charcoal... you won't stop for another hour LOL! The plastic covering it comes with also acts like a plastic kit. So you can carry it around with that handle and keep everything in place (except the kneaded eraser if you use it... that will most likely turn into a ball). edit : Wow so I wasn't the only one that had their sketch pencil arrive in half. Some other person had all their pencils arrive in halves as well! I find that interesting, because it doesn't seem broke... it seems like they were cut perfectly in half. Maybe something wrong with the machines, who knows. Also yeah, the sharpeners suck. And the wood seems to be cheap wood. So both of those combined is BAD. As far as the graphite and charcoal, they are good, but if not sharpened properly, that's when this things get bad ratings. Get a better sharpener, then these are good to go."
Pro Art 18-Piece Sketch/Draw Pencil Set (Compare Deals from $7.01)
"This is a must for the beginner, as well as anyone wanting new materials. It not only includes a full set of artist pencils and charcoal pencils and sticks, it also includes an artist eraser and a kneaded rubber eraser. To my surprise, it also included 2 pencil sharpeners: one for pencils and one for charcoal. The only problem I had was that the packaging could have been a little more user-friendly. It opens up at the top pretty easily, but if they'd made one side open up easily, it would have worked as a case. I tried opening the side and it ripped. Otherwise, this is a great set. Would absolutely use this seller again."
"I'm just starting to draw, so I'm still quite the amateur. After using a single-hardness mechanical pencil for several weeks, I decided to try a different hardness. Imagine how excited I was to see this! Having no previous knowledge, this was perfect. It includes everything I need. Every hardness is included for the graphite side of things. The pencil sharpeners are cheap, and the white eraser could be better. Other than that though, everything is satisfying to my novice standards. The kneaded eraser is a significantly better item than the white one, and all of the pencils/charcoal are of good quality. It's a great buy for the price. Oh, and several people have complained of some of their pencils arriving broken. That worried me a tad. However, I believe their reviews are out of date. The package I received had at least a dozen inflated plastic air pillows to help the pencils stay unbroken in transit. I imagine Amazon changed their packaging in response. And if you're wondering, these are wooden pencils. Woodless allows for better shading, but they cost much more. A great set on pencils in my opinion!"
"I don't have much to say about this product. It contains everything you need to get started, a kneaded eraser, poly eraser, different graphites and 2 charcoals. It also comes with a sharpener, should you need it. My only complaint is the packaging. Its pretty poorly done and makes it incredibly easy to send the pencils flying across the room when you first open it. There are no notches to keep the pencils in line and prevent them from crowding on top of each other, so closing the set up is kind of a PITA. As a beginner, I like the set, it does what it promises. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to get into doodling or drawing. Also, one of the penciles arrived in two pieces, so there's another notch on the packaging quality."
"I bought this set for Christmas for my 15 yr old who likes to draw. Wasn't something he asked for so he was pleasantly surprised to recieve them and a sketch book. So far they seem to be working well for him. Not knowing anything about brands or the differences this set seems like its a decent quality. Packaging for this set could use some more thought. Since the pencils come pre sharpened there should be enough room to accomodate the tips. A few of them were broken upon arrival. Maybe a piece of foam across the top that the tips might lightly fit into so they would be better protected. Also a reusable storage type packaging would make this an awesome deal. This has a carry handle (nice for younger artists maybe) but the sides are sealed so the only opening is the top making it a bit difficult to put everything back in its spot. Overall tho I would recommend this set and I would purchase another when needed."
"I received the package in just a days time!! :DD i came home from school and tore the package open. It was like an animation, in which everything stops and goes slowmo with the sparkles.. There was this review i read that said " when you open it, be prepared for graphite" or something along those lines, but there wasnt any charcoal or graphite smudges anywhere on my package. I just frequently used the set, and i'd have to say, that i REALLY LOVE THE KNEADED ERASER. it's the best one i've ever had! This whole set is great for a beginner or anyone who draws, i would recommend it to a friend and i would buy it again! THANKS SO MUCH!"
"Great buy to just boost the artbox or if your new. I'm new, and I love this little set since it's my first to be honest. It has the varying levels of hardness and softness just like I expected. Charcoal sticks are a plus but you'll need to rub out a little since they have a coating. The only thing is that the 2B charcoal pencil is somewhat hard to come off but its still breaking in because I barely use it (I have others). As for the erasers, I love plastic erasers now, since they do a fantastic job with the pencils. I haven't tried the kneaded eraser but I here those are what you want as an artist because you can shape them and they take out a lot of lead quite well. Great buy I recommend to anyone getting into art or just want to horde more supplies, its a good value."
Pro Art 18-Piece Sketch/Draw Pencil Set (Compare Deals from $7.01)
