Japanese Colored Pencil Haul: Holbein, Irojiten, Mitsubishi UNI | First Impression Review

[@julialittleton1802]

What a beautiful array! I will be curious to know how you like using them. I’m particularly interested in the Holbeins.

[@cheesim]

I haven’t use them to draw or coloring, but from my swatching experience, I would only recommend Holbein. The other two have amazing packaging but their quality is kind of “standard” 😅

[@ReverieOfThorns]

I have no idea if you're still looking into the Holbein pencils but I have the whole 150 set, I've swatched them all on 2 kinds of paper and I'm currently working on a piece with them. I personally really love them, they're stunning and I really enjoy using them. I would describe them as being the lovechild of Prismacolors and Polychromos pencils, if you've used those before. They're very soft and smooth (I hate using the descriptor "creamy" but I would say they're creamy) and the colors are very opaque like a Prismacolor is. Their leads are a bit different though, they're similar in softness imo but they have this quality to them that reminds me of oil pastels a bit when coloring with them, they're almost slick and sticky like oil pastels or high quality crayons are, but just a little bit, nothing too crazy. They also blend really beautifully, but don't think you can just lay a thick layer down with these, they aren't the best for that. They work best on textured paper using more layering like the Polychromos pencils. If you don't like them, try another paper, I found that cheaper paper like copy paper or the Amazon paper a lot of Amazon coloring books are printed on isn't good at all for them and they don't perform particularly well on it. I've used them on textured cardstock and in Hanna Karlzon coloring books and they work beautifully with paper like that. The 150 set comes with its own swatch card to use and I find that paper even a bit smoother than that works just fine. A lot of people I've seen online recommend the Strathmore tan tone paper for Holbeins, I find that paper a bit expensive as someone who mostly uses them for coloring pages though. If I can remember what exact kind of cardstock I have I'll update this but unfortunately it's some of my mom's old crafting paper and she can't remember what it is since it's just plain white lol. Anyways, I think you'd probably enjoy them if you're able to afford them and you're willing to put the effort into learning how to use them to their full potential. I recommend starting with a smaller set or buying some open stock (Blick has them, but they're kind of expensive, like 4.25USD each if I remember right) to start off with just so that you can tell if they're something you'd want to invest in. I love mine so much that I'm considering purchasing a back up set! If I ever am able to make a trip to Japan I will certainly be doing just that since they're cheaper there than they are in the US.

[@cheesim]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I love Holbein and I probably will buy the 150 set the next time I visit Japan! They are definitely my favorite!

[@yoitsjonmac188]

Going in 2 weeks and have 60000 yen set aside just for sekaido. Thanks for the info!

[@cheesim]

OMG, I am so jealous! I wish I would buy more when I was there! I stayed at the hotel across the street, and I went in there every day 😂 Please let me know what you are buying when you are back! Have fun in Japan!

[@jamiehicks2497]

Thank you!

[@ShellyBeaninTexas]

Thank you 🙏😊

[@cheesim]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@xthieryx]

I had Uni when was kid about more than 30 years ago (I think) and they were greaaat. Smooth and pigmented. I mean compared to what I had, a Faber-Castell in some version for kids. The case was pretty cute, made in wood, but the pencils were horrible. The red was never red, for example. You will make a hole in the paper before you reach the color. And FC was not the worse brand at time. It's really surprising how come they have one of the said best color pencil line just by having frustrating a entire generation of kids xD. Uni on other hand was heaven.

[@xthieryx]

Edit: I saw you commenting the Uni pencils are just regular. If that's the case, so the FC ones were even worse than I thought. x.x

[@cheesim]

Thanks for sharing your experience and the history of these colored pencils. It is always so interesting to hear stories from people who have different experiences. Have you tried any of them lately? The FC is more pigmented compared to UNI, since the FC is oil based, it needs to be layered slowly to get the color. UNI just doesn't have that level of pigmentation, and it is more muted.

[@xthieryx]

@@cheesim I stopped using colour pencils for a long time. I just got back now as I learnt they work good with alcohool markers and was looking for a recommendation and found your video. Also I was looking if Uni was still worth it since they aren't cheap outside the Japan. I guess not much. But, in other hand, the line Polychrome from FC is really expensive. I think I'll stick with Chinese brand like Brutfuner since it will not be my primary use and it's more affordable for me. Thanks for the video, sharing your view and also for talk to me.

[@cheesim]

If you are looking to try Chinese brand colored pencils, I really like this set. It feels like Holbein but it is cheaper: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnTSZWSvar-gnqM Thanks for the tips on mixing them with alcohol markers, I will have to try that myself!

[@markyteo]

So which one did you like the best?

[@cheesim]

Definitely Holbein! The other two are good for adding colors to drawing in my journal lol

[@markyteo]

@@cheesim interesting. I'm seeing some great prices on Amazon for Holbein.

[@cheesim]

I will have to look them up!

[@mememex-t1v]

Which brand is the Best for your experience?

[@cheesim]

100% Holbein, the other two were not even close! Holbein is one of the best!

[@mememex-t1v]

@@cheesim thank you so much.

[@silvers_ink]

Thank you for sharing this video! I would love to get a set of the Holbein pencils! But I will have to save up to get them! I am currently saving up to get the Albrecht Durer water soluble pencils, and then I will save up for the Holbein's after that!

[@cheesim]

Yes, Holbein is so pricy, but they are so worth it! Holbein has one of those high-quality pencils that will work well on most paper because of how highly pigmented. I haven't tried Albrecht Durer yet, let me know how that goes.

[@silvers_ink]

@@cheesim Yes, they are very high quality, which is why they're so expensive! I always say that art supplies is not like cereal because with cereal I can buy the cheaper brand of Fruit Loops and they'll be pretty much the same as the name brand, but with art supplies, you get what you pay for! If we want the best art supplies, we're going to pay a lot more. And from my experience, it's usually a mistake to go with the cheaper supplies. They're cheaper because they have cut quality out somewhere in the product. Just like how the cheap laundry soaps are cheaper because they are more water than soap, while the more expensive laundry soaps are a lot more concentrated. But I am rambling on and on lol so I'll shut up now! And I will let you know about the Albrecht Durer when I get them! I chose them over other water soluble pencils because you can use them both ways, as a colored pencil or activate them with water and the color will be vibrant either way.

[@cheesim]

I will have to add Albrecht Durer to my Amazon Wish List! Yes, when it comes to art supplies, you can really tell the difference! The pigmentation in professional pencils is simply on another level!

[@silvers_ink]

@@cheesim Yes, absolutely! I have a set of Castle Art soft touch and they are trash compared to my Prismas and Polychromos!

[@cheesim]

I have the Castle Art Gold and they were not too bad, they do need certain papers to perform though. If you think Castle Art is bad you haven’t tried the Master colored pencils 🤣 amzn.to/3MZluMf I swatched them, sharpened the whole set to give them a second chance, tried to swatch them again and couldn’t get through it 😂

[@mbk_r]

Thanks for the video

[@cheesim]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@bunnylady6758]

Japan and Germany are known for their quality. I do have Polychromos and Holbein and Uni😂

[@cheesim]

Polychromos and Holbein are so good! I wish I bought more lol

[@wunna8657]

🤩🤩🤩

[@cheesim]

They are fun! 😊

[@wunna8657]

They are beautiful ! So envious can’t wait to see you using them!

[@cheesim]

I have been buying too many, it is time to draw something with them! Thanks for watching!

[@twingytwango6971]

I think Holbein is extremely overrated.

[@cheesim]

Why do you think so? What are your insights?

[@twingytwango6971]

@@cheesim There is no basis for that price.

[@cheesim]

I hear you, the price is extremely high in US. However, when I was in Japan, the price was much lower and I thought they were worth it. I was able to get open stock pencils for $1.70 per pencil, which was not bad at all compared to other professional grade colored pencils.

[@twingytwango6971]

@@cheesim I don’t doubt they are cheaper in Japan, yet Amazon Japan also sells them at that ridiculous price! One would think they are Luminance. I think they also have that white undercoat often seen in budget pencils. Are they made by Mitsubishi, do you know?

[@cheesim]

They do have the white undercoat. I actually like them more than Luminance. My luminance pencils sometimes can be scratchy lol. I don't think Mitsubishi makes Holbein, most Mitsubishi pencils I have tried are sort of... "average" if you know what I mean... 😂