Colored Pencil Comparison: Caran d’Ache Luminance Vs Prismacolor Premier Pencils – Which are Better?

I’ve been hunting online for the most popular colored pencil brands I can find and I’ve bought them all to find out which are the best colored pencils for adult coloring, for ANY SKILL LEVEL and for ANY budget.

Inn that search I came across a set that have been claimed as possibly the best pencils in the WORLD… so of course I had to try them!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be putting all of these sets to the test against each other, but to start with, I’ll be taking my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils and putting them up against what I’ve been told are the BEST colored pencils that money can buy – the Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils.

I re did this comparison again in 2022 – you can see it HERE.

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase (at no cost to you).

Here’s a look at my full comparison, and the two pictures I decided to color to test out each set of pencils. Click the video below to watch!

Until now, I’ve used Prismacolor Premier Soft-Core colored pencils for most of my coloring. They are a wax-based pencil and are one of the more affordable artist-grade pencils on the market.

But recently I discovered the Caran d’Ache Luminance Colored Pencils, and I have heard SO MANY GOOD THINGS about these pencils, that I couldn’t resist trying them as soon as they arrived! I’ve done a few drawings with these already that I’ve posted on Instagram, like this stack of pancakes.

There are 3 different types of pencils that you can buy – wax based, oil-based or water-based, and each have their pros and cons.

Both the Prismacolors and Luminance pencils are wax-based, which means they have a softer core, and makes them great for blending.

I find wax-based pencils are a great choice for beginners over oil-based pencils, because they are easier to blend and more vibrant, and so a little more enjoyable to color with in general.

The downside is that the soft-core does make it a little harder to keep a sharp point, so they aren’t always the best for really fine details, so professional artists often use a combination of wax and oil-based pencils together for really detailed work.

Both the Prismacolor Premiere and Caran d’Ache Luminance are GREAT wax pencils. The colors are vibrant, they are buttery, soft cores and easy to blend, and they are great for both beginners and experienced artists.

As I mentioned before, both Luminance and Prismacolors are great for blending and have beautiful rich colors. They are easy to use, and they are very enjoyable to color with. You don’t need any blending solutions or oils – these pencils blend easily, all on their own!

They have a VERY soft-core, even compared to other wax pencils – which is one of the reasons they are SO popular.

You can get started with the smallest set of 12 Prismacolor Premier Pencils for under $15 on Amazon in the US. From this, you can get a feel for whether they are the right set for you, or mix your colors to make as many colors as you need.

If you’re ready to make a bigger commitment, you can buy a slightly larger set, and a good beginner size set – of 36 pencils -for around $30.

Even the largest set of 150 pencils comes at just under $100 – which is more pencils than most beginners will ever need, and overkill for adult coloring, but nice to have in your collection, nonetheless.

For the same investment of $100, you’ll get just 20 Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils.

A better size set of 40 Caran d’Ache Luminance Pencils like I have here costs $131, and the larger set of 76 comes to a whopping $250 US dollars!

Even the smallest set of 12 pencils come in at $45.

So to summarize:
Prismacolor – 60c to $1.25 USD per pencil
Luminance – $3.20 – $5 USD per pencil

At 5x the price, the Luminance are far more expensive, but in my opinion, the higher quality justifies the price if you are a professional artist.

The Caran d’Ache Luminance don’t have as big of a color range, however I don’t think the 150 different colors that Prismacolor offers is absolutely necessary either. In my case, I haven’t used half of the 150 colors that I own of my Prismacolors. I think a set of 40-70 is more than enough for most artists, as you can mix every other color from even a small set of 12!

I’ve bought the set of 40 Luminance, but I am enjoying these so much that I’d eventually love to buy the larger set of 76… when my budget allows!

Prismacolor Premier Color Chart

Caran D’Ache Luminance Color Chart

The downside to such a soft core is that Prismacolors are notorious for breaking. Some of the casings come damaged or split in the packaging and the cores are often off centre as the manufacturing has reduced quality over the years. They break VERY easily during sharpening, transport, and sometimes even without being dropped or damaged.

If you buy Prismacolors, expect broken pencils.

Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils on the other hand are a much higher quality pencil with a slightly larger (and firmer) core, which makes it more resistant to breaking without losing the soft, buttery feeling.

As soon as you pick them up, you can feel the difference in quality, and it’s rare that these will break during sharpening (assuming you’re using a decent sharpener).

Wax-based pencils have a softer core, making it harder to keep a sharp point, especially for Prismacolors because they are especially soft. This is where some artists like to use Prismacolors together with an oil-based pencil like Faber-castell Polychromos for areas that need more detail.

For most beginners, this is unnecessary.

Because Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils are of a much higher quality pencil, they are able to keep a much sharper point. They still aren’t as sharp as an oil-based pencil, but I’ve found them to be suitable for most coloring and drawing, unless you are doing lots of fine details, such as hair or fur, and really need the high quality for a professional-level drawing.

The biggest reason that these pencils are expensive is something that probably isn’t relevant to most amateur or beginner colorists, and that is the lightfastness rating.

Lightfastness refers to how long your artwork will last over the years when exposed to sunlight. Most pencil artwork will fade over time, but artwork done with the Luminance pencils will last for up to 100 years without fading – it will look exactly the same as the day you drew it.

Now, if you’re just coloring for fun or practicing as a hobby, this isn’t something that matters. But if you’re selling your artwork or hoping for it to go in a museum one day, lightfastness becomes important, and the higher rating becomes a worthwhile investment.

When you layer the Prismacolors, they sometimes build up a waxy finish on top of your artwork, almost like a transparent film. It’s not always obvious, but sometimes it can show up when you’re trying to photograph your work or it can dull some of the beautiful vibrant colors. Often you can wipe some of this away gently, but you’ll want to be careful not to smudge your work if you do. This is called “wax bloom” and doesn’t happen with the Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils.

Both Caran d’Ache and Prismacolor make great pencils. And both will produce beautiful results in your coloring and drawing, with vibrant colors and smooth gradients.

For most colorists, the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are more than enough. They are a great all-around pencil that products artist-level results at a much more affordable price than other artist-grade pencils.

But if you’re wanting to take your art to a new level, and budget isn’t a concern, I definitely recommend spoiling yourself with a set of Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils.

These are NOT essential, but they are NICE and I am really enjoying using them. They are definitely better than the Prismacolors, but they are also 5x the price, so they’re not for everybody.

Personally, I started with the Prismacolors and have only bought Caran d’Ache recently after using Prismacolors for a few years. Even now, I’ve bought a set of 40 instead of trying to get the largest set right away.