What to Do if Your Colored Pencils Keep BREAKING

[@gabrisstitches8038]

I never thought about the effect of banging the sides of the pencil cases against each other, I'm so pleased you mentioned it. I'll put some thin bubble wrap (like from a bubble wrapped envelope) between the sides now, thank you very much. As for sharpeners, I use the German brass-cased manual sharpeners, they are sturdy and the blades last a bit longer than the cheap ones. But I use the cheap ones too. I have an inexpensive crank handle sharpener too but the point comes out quite long and I'm not that keen on losing that much pencil in one go. Good video, thank you.

[@BleedingEdgeOfArts]

Bro try apsara one you will get 20 sharpeners and it's cheap also

[@marushard4974]

Thank you! I have been struggling with colored pencils breaking while sharpening for years and years it made me not want to color my traditional drawings for the longest time 🩵

[@dannysvinylrainbow4852]

Awesome video mam, as for the microwave oven, I watched some idiots video that said to pop a microwave for One minute, and my prisma color pencils caught fire instantly started popping as of metallic was in the oven it was horrible. So anybody reading this do not microwave colored pencils!

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Daniel Troy P. Oh, my!!!!! Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.

[@michl3315]

I am new to colored pencils and thought I just got a bad product because all of the tips of my greens were breaking out when sharpening - just tested with my hair dryer and it worked perfectly!! Thanks for posting this!

[@nikkifontanilla9631]

How long did you use your hair dryer

[@antoinettecantu9051]

I have done the microwave method. It worked great. But mind you I only have tried it with prismas, only one microwave -so I can't say any other microwave will work, and for 30 seconds. I put my pencil on a paper towel or paper plate because they get very hot. Then I let it completely cool before using. I've read you want to microwave them till the paint begins to bubble. The paint does start to bubble but it doesn't damage it. I came up with how long to do it by starting out at 10 seconds then 15...and so on. So this does work but you need to be mindful of the fact that different pencils and microwaves will perform differently. I like using the sun best but for a quick fix I use the microwave.

[@MaryPoggemann]

Thank you! I am so frustrated with my colored pencils breaking off. I just learned a new use for my heating pad. It is now going to help me with my colored pencils.

[@sarah28681]

Thanks for the tip! I love the little sharpeners and I also really like the prismacolor pencil sharpener. It works really well.

[@Shardswords]

Thank you so much for this I’ve been so frustrated with broken cores and thought i wasted money

[@ayak1048]

It is suggested you don'tcuse a pencil sharpener at all. Artists use a small knife, exactly knife or razor to sharpen pencils and if needed a sanding paper to get a really sharp point

[@connie6690]

I just tried reducing the resistance of the pencil to the sharpener's blade. I tried soap and cooking oil. The oil was better. I rolled the exposed wood in a little oil and sharpened. The oil gets sharpened off and doesn't leave any residue. I have very cheap pencils (leftover from my children and now used by my grandchildren) and cheap sharpeners. It's a little messy but not too bad. Keep some paper towels on hand to wipe the pencils, sharpener and kitchen counter. Mine came out super sharp.

[@dannysvinylrainbow4852]

Yes mam, it happend last year, so i have a new set, and they break almost every time i sharpen them. I find that using the small metal Kum brand small metal sharpener reduces breakage. I also have a little trick, take a sharpened HB pencil or prisma color design pencil,and rub it along the blades edge before sharpening your colored pencil this lubricates the blade does giving you a better point colored sharpened pencil. Thank you.

[@riasunny4187]

Ty so much. I didn’t want to get another pack of colouring pencils and I didn’t want to throw them away.

[@J3s5y]

Coulda been a 5 min video....

[@sharongray6150]

I'm a beginner adult, so I have watched several of your YouTub to be better informed on using colored pencils.

[@laceyferrel8123]

Good to know never thought of the heat trying it now

[@208212jmhl]

I used a hair dryer on low. It seemes to have worked. Just for about 2 min

[@felicityb4949]

Prefer metal manual sharpeners for the fact I have 100% control over what sides are sharpened & I clean with rubbing alcohol & q-tips (not cotton balls because lotta fluff is left on blade). Everyone is different just make art however you feel comfy. I appreciate these vids for extra tips (no pun intended)

[@manettle]

I love your way with words!

[@lindag3650]

I set my oven to warm & put my set of Prismas on a baking sheet on top of a sheet of foil & left them in about 10 minutes. My Artezas, well, I have had NO problems with breakage.

[@gabrisstitches8038]

Regarding giveaways, very kind of you but you don't need to spend loads of money for it. And think about shipping cost too if you want to extend the giveaway internationally. Maybe a downloadable PDF colouring page, a colouring book, a small set of good gel pens (as they're lighter than pencils and not as prone to breakages in shipping). I only recently found your channel and I enjoy your no-nonsense, genuine and friendly approach. Like most of us, giveaways are great but not the reason we are here supporting you, so don't fret over it.

[@clearopt]

Thank you for the tips! I've heard about putting the pencils in an oven, but i haven't used my oven in ages and don't even know if it works. I had not thought about using a blow dryer or heating pad. I'm definitely giving that a try.

[@gracieallen8285]

Like you when I first started coloring I bought an electric pencil sharpener, Bostitch Quiet sharp 6 with auto-stop. I find it works great, but the one drawback is when the pencils get to short for it there's still a lot of pencil left. So recently I switched to hand held sharpeners, I keep one in each pencil case. And I bought lots of extra sharpening blades.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Fluffy, next time I go to Blick, I'm buying about 10 of these little Maped ones. I've never had a better one, and I will swear by them until someone shows me something better! Haha.

[@patn2492]

I bought 2 of the maped sharpeners on your recommendation and I love them!

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

pat n Awesome! I'm glad you like them! I'm all about saving money, and these little guys do just that!

[@lavernehodge3320]

Awesome video!! So much frustration with Prismas, Feel like I've sharpened away more color than I've colored with. I live in Texas, have a really hot car, and I'm going to put them on my drivers seat so I don;t forget they are there. LOL!! Glad I found you. Thanks for sharing

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Laverne Hodge I'm glad you subscribed! Let us know if it works for you, too! :)

[@LCLand]

Did that work? I may try that today with this heat wave

[@lizrenwick1180]

I have a heat pad for my pains so I think I'll try this method😊

[@daisipajula9043]

The fact that the small ones that we wouldn`t really buy are much better than the ones we have

[@ButterWentDark]

Some jackass opened the door slightly to let me in and as an art kid I have all my supplies (Alc markers/C pencils/ ink quills/ink on me and canvases/paper on me right? Anyways the door closes fast and it locks so I ran to it and used my foot to keep it open, I try to open the door for myself and my colored pencil case drops onto the concrete floor.. At this point I can’t even pick them up since my alcohol marker case (hold 200+ alcohol markers) is wrapping around my neck and my backpack is slipping off and I’m holding my Japanese workbook, and my art in my hands since my backpack is full with my school supplies and other work books.. Anyways it ruined my day so now I’m watching videos to fix my pencils since I already know about the rule of “never drop a colored pencil, it shatters” Thanks for the video

[@kerthebear1266]

Love your channel - I've been subscribed for a while, but forgot to turn on notifications!! I think a good giveaway would be a handful of Maped pencil sharpeners :)

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Ker the Bear Omgosh! It would! I'll add some to the giveaway. (They're cheap and I don't wanna be a cheapskate. ;))

[@kerthebear1266]

Some of us live in Blick-deprived areas... :)

[@heathergutknecht1607]

I just got me a "bullet" sharpener. Haven't used it yet but it's also just a little hand held one. Sometimes old faithful is the best. As per the giveaways... Maybe if you contact a company they would provide you a free product to give away if you review it online? Fyi.. just joined your group on Facebook! ❤

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

Might be worth trying this. Get a junk graphite pencil and soak it in gamsol/turps to clean your sharpener (something aggressive). Might take a few goes but the gamsol should eventually break down the wax. Alternate regular dry junk pencil and then soaked junk pencil (ie you need two junkers!). Also the uneven sharpening might be due to the tray being full of sharpenings.

[@sketchapic205]

OML, is it just me or was this freaking hilarious XD

[@BlondAndRussian]

Sometimes if my pencils keep breaking I use the sharpener for bigger pencils - with a bigger hole. It sharpens in a different angle and it keeps the lead inside better. But have to be careful at positioning the pencil in the big hole (in the center) and it need to be sharpened again faster. But you can use this little pieces of broken lead.

[@craftygirlpurple626]

Love this video to me the sun heat for soft core colored pencils sounds good I look forward to more videos about using colored pencils thank you so much for sharing your video have a bless one creative colorful hugs to you

[@remote-visuals]

Sharpening it in a bigger size sharpener lightly and slowly helps.

[@kyralaebredi1264]

Just a note - when using an electric sharpener, you need to spin the pencil slowly to avoid the problem you showed with the Dixon.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Kyralae Bredi I have tried everything. It doesn't work with this one. :(

[@kyralaebredi1264]

:-( That is terrible. I have a delray battery sharpener that I use once in a while for color pencils and it has been pretty reliable using the twist and very, very gentle pressure. You have to pay attention for sure.

[@dannysvinylrainbow4852]

I place an entire tin of prismacolors on my coffee mug warmer and flip the tin a few time. Then cool.. remedied! I tried microwave last yr, and the pencils caught fire 🔥 in less then a min. So I do not suggest microwaving them. A heating pad also works very well

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

I put them in the trunk of my car in the summer... haha. It worked! I only had a few giving me issues, though.

[@dannysvinylrainbow4852]

Simple Art for Adults excellent!

[@katie6131]

I have the same battery operated sharpender and it's garbage, and I have the same blue ball jar. I use it to hold my water when I'm painting!

[@RedVelvetAngel7]

Lmao me over here wondering why mine always break when I literally have them all in a grocery bag loose

[@LirylCrovyn]

Thanks for the tips. I just bought a box of the Crayola Artist pencils. They're nice to color with and definitely softer than the regular Crayolas, but they break like crazy! The batch I got is even worse about breaking than my Prismacolors! lol I'm gonna try these tricks and see if they work.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Good luck, Liryl. Hope it works out!

[@LirylCrovyn]

Well, sharpening while holding the pencil still works great! They aren't breaking as often (knock wood). Thank you!

[@justadream713]

Someone has probably already said this, but please NEVER put your colored pencils in the microwave. I don’t know if all brands have this, but prismacolor specifically has these little silver parts with the name of the pencil at the end. There’s bits of metal will catch on fire in your microwave. I speak from experience. An experience I had from some bad advice given by my past art teacher. PLEASE DON’T. It’s really scary and unsafe.

[@suec8537]

Really informative, thank you.

[@lus5783]

Thank You sooo much!!! this was so helpful I had this art project I had to give in 2 days and I had to use colored pencils and they would always break when I sharpened them with those normal hand size Stadler sharpeners :( But now thx to you ive learned a cool advice too sharpen pencils! xD *It works 100%

[@bernadettetaylor4762]

Thank you for the tip... great video

[@daisipajula9043]

I did it with my hand, didn`t turn the sharpener but the pencil, an it worked perfectly

[@hl7508]

So I am supposed to turn the sharpener and not turn the pencil?

[@rtb03791]

What is thd little sharpen you use called

[@johncormier]

Thank you for the tips!!

[@claudiahemmings2080]

This breaking only happens with Prismacolor pencils. The best thing to do is change to a higher quality brand of pencils, like Faber Castell or Caran D'Ache. Then your pencils won't break!

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

My Prismacolors only broke when they arrived because they'd been jarred during shipping. After putting them in my car for a while, I haven't had another one break since, and I use them several times a week. They are still my favorite pencils, and while the manufacturing quality has certainly gone downhill, the pigment and core softness quality hasn't. There are ways around it. Unfortunately, for many people (including myself), large sets of Polychromos and Luminance aren't in the budget. I certainly wish they were! If I were doing commissioned work, then I'd likely upgrade to something higher quality. This is mainly in reference to coloring books, though.

[@claudiahemmings2080]

It's not misinformation - Prismacolor pencils are well known among coloured pencil users for breaking frequently. That's why videos like this exist (and there are lots of them). Look at every video about breaking pencils - every single one is talking primarily about Prismacolor. It's simply not an issue in the same way with Faber Castell or Caran D'Ache pencils.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Again, I have no intention of switching to a different brand. I love Prismacolor pencils, and I enjoy using them. I recently received a 72-set to replace some of my "stubs" in my 150-set, and all the ones I've sharpened and used from that set are also just fine. I still sharpen the exact same way as always, and I still have no problems with breakage. I have Polychromos, but nothing by Caran D'Ache is in my budget right now. Even though I have Polychromos, I still use the Prismacolor, and I always will. :) They DO break frequently, and that happens for many reasons. They are very fragile pencils, to start. They have the softest cores on the market, as far as I know, and this means they're more prone to breakage. Blaming it all on quality isn't fair to the company, though there have been quality control issues lately. Caring for them properly and sharpening them properly WILL resolve many of the breakage issues if you're lucky enough to get a good set that wasn't tossed around during shipping. (And I think shipping creates most of the problems.)

[@claudiahemmings2080]

Relax, I'm not the pencil police! If you love Prismas, cool - stick with them. Everyone has their own favourite brand and reasons why they like that brand best. I have some Prismacolors too because I like their dark berry colours. But there's no point pretending there aren't quality issues with them, especially since the manufacture moved from USA to Mexico.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

I'm not saying there aren't quality issues. I'm just saying I personally haven't experienced them - except with the Scholar line. Ordered some for my daughter and it took me three tries to get me a set that wasn't cracked and split. I didn't mean to insinuate you're the pencil police. I've been told a million times to switch to a different brand, so I just try to make it clear to everyone that it's not gonna happen... lol. I do use other brands. Currently, I'm working with the Blick Studio pencils, and these break more than my Prismas, strangely enough! Hehe.

[@loves2sew1]

I have tried the tgal sharpener from Amazon a cheap one from Wal-Mart also just order the kum brand on Amazon and don't care for them they are ok for when I am going out somewhere but I love my office goods electric sharpener it cost me $30 on Amazon it's battery operated also comes with a usb cord to plug in if need be also has settings for the point on how sharp you want like the tgal does also I had it for about 6 months or more and just changed batteries last month and I am yet to use the cord if its a brand new prisma I start it with hand one then go to my electric one I just got the 150 set of prismas and the kum sharpener last week and today I finally got to play with them lol and went right to my electric sharpener after not having nice sharp point I love from electric so might give office goods a try

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

If it works for you, I'm very happy! I'll not put my pencils in an electric sharpener, though. :)

[@LexiandAimee123]

Trying to find the actual NAME of the little silver sharpener. You called it “MAY……” something, but I could not hear the name. Can you write it or send me a link here?

[@marlletzzyne8758]

Maped

[@SPANISHROCK88]

Yeah but for someone who can't use manual pencil sharpener what can I do?

[@puffyjo]

love your explanation , now i get it !! thank you

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Thanks! I'm glad it helped!

[@mc-yp8fk]

I really enjoyed your video!! I used to use prismacolor sharpeners years ago because I've been afraid to use electric sharpeners. I found a heavy duty sharpener called the Xacto School pro, and Ive been using the unit since 2014. So far I haven't had any led breakage, overheating or any problems with the sharpener. I've had teachers in the past that had there xacto school pros for over 15 years, and i really recommend that unit :)

[@sketchapic205]

Thank yoU this helped me

[@adelinenicholas7075]

I kept having trouble sharpening my Crayolas. I finally bought an xacto electric pencil sharpener. Problem solved.

[@2Old2MinceWords]

Sorry to "debate" you on this, but I can't just not say anything, lol. I've been studying/experimenting with this problem for over a year as my Prismas that I dearly loved, broke every time I tried to sharpen them to the point I could no longer color with them. I finally solved that problem to the point I rarely have one break - like ONE in several months. Handhelds will only work if you have an endless supply because as soon as "the new" wears off the blade (for me, 1 or 2 weeks at most), it's going to start breaking pencils again. The first electric sharpener you used is just an electric version with a little handheld in there. Not what you need. You won't like this (lol) but the big sharpener you used is exactly the kind that actually works. I can't speak to that particular brand, but you need that type of BLADE. That's a helical blade sharpener. The problem with Prismas is not the core/lead, but it's the WOOD. About the same time they moved their facilities to Mexico, they started using a cheaper (I assume) type of wood and that is what causes their pencils to break. Apple peel type sharpeners (I call them that because that's what the shavings remind me of, lol), are just too rough and can't handle the tough wood. A helical blade sharpens differently and will make the wood come out nice and smooth with no little chunks taken out as the others will do. Helical blade sharpeners come in many different versions - manual/hand crank, battery operated, USB/electric, or a mixture of these - they all work. I chose a battery operated version so I don't have to worry about an available outlet. These are the type of sharpener that was mounted on the wall of every classroom, with the funny looking blades. You can get the a manual version on Amazon or Walmart for around $7 US. I think it's the X-acto brand I saw. The others are a bit more but not by much if you shop around. I bought one by Laneco that's around $13/14 and it works fine. You MUST keep the blades clean, as you found out the hard way. All you have to do is sharpen some graphite pencils every now and then (or if you have a pencil break while being sharpened), to clean and lubricate the blade. I would strongly suggest you do this when the sharpener is brand new, also. The only time I had a pencil break was when I had forgotten to do this. I sharpened some good old #2's then tried the pencil again and it did just fine. All the pencils I had I was sure had a broken core... Not one core was broken. I don't think this happens anywhere near as often as people think it does. I think the biggest problem here other than a pencil taking a LOT of damage, is that they just don't know how to correctly sharpen their pencils. As soon as I sharpened those pencils with a helical blade, they were fine. I've never had to heat up any of my pencils and I go through a LOT of Prismas. I don't think I'd take such a drastic step until I had tried the helical blade sharpener.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Hi Gooey! Debating is how we learn, so it's not a matter of being unhappy about it. I enjoy a good debate!

[@2Old2MinceWords]

+Simple Art for Adults ... You are correct. I think debating is healthy. I never just want to debate for the sake of it, though, so rest assured, I won't be dogging yo or anything, lol. I think it is your sharpener. I only paid $16 for mine (I think it's currently $13 or so. Darn!), and it works great so it's probably that brand. Yes, I never meant cores never get broken but that I don't think they break as often as you see in comments, etc. When someone mentions this problem - pencils breaking while being sharpened - it seems there's a chorus of "broken cores!" Cores WILL break but it takes a pretty good knock or at just the right angle, maybe - about like anything else. I saw one colorist on KZbin that every time she put her pencil back onto her desk, she dropped it from a height of several inches. I'm sure she didn't realize what she was doing but it's a good lesson on how we need to check ourselves and how we handle our pencils, especially in actions we perform over and over.

[@2Old2MinceWords]

+Simple Art for Adults ... I think part of your message was cut off. I know I reached my maximum, of course, LOL. Have a great day and please continue your wonderful videos.

[@2Old2MinceWords]

+crucibelle - Belle duPont ... Concerning Prismacolor's warning: they sell handheld sharpeners so I would take that with a grain of salt... Also, they may have encountered a problem like Simply Art had which may be due to the brand of sharpener. I, too, have the Prisma handheld sharpener. Two, actually. It was one of the ones that kept breaking my pencils. It would work as long as it was brand new but (for me), after 2-3 weeks - once the initial super sharpness had worn off, it would start breaking pencils. To test it, I bought another to try but the same thing happened. Glad it's working for you. For a lot of us, though, it's not. My only purpose is to let others know what worked for me, to give them an alternative to not being able to use their Prismas - which is where I was at. I've seen lots of comments by others that the helical sharpeners have worked for them, I'm certainly not the only one out there. I'm just thrilled when anyone finds a solution to this problem that works.

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Absolutely! If you want to give people advice on the best electric sharpeners, I'm just fine with that. My opinion isn't gospel. :) I just won't use the electric ones, and there's nothing that will convince me to buy or try them. I'll use my cheap-o Maped or KUM sharpeners and I'll replace them once a month so I always have a nice, fresh blade. I've had I think 3 of my Prismacolors break during sharpening in the almost nine months I've been using them religiously, so I can say it works for me.

[@camcab147]

On a floor with underfloor heating?

[@dryblackfire7587]

Did she just say her name is Eren... 0:07 Eren Jaeger?

[@adelinenicholas7075]

Another thing you can do: buy an xacto mighty mite sharpener. She is exaggerating

[@beccahoo]

What is the solution? I dont have 20 minutes to spare to find out.

[@GoddessBlessYou]

A great skill to develop is a little thing called multi-tasking.

[@roselynferreira6255]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jkarasta1]

This is a 20 minute video on how to sharpen a pencil…one word: EDITING

[@chrislg1957ilovespam]

At @9:57 It has nothing to do with magically keeping the sharpener sharp really.....As much as Its the graphite in the regular pencil. It coats the inside of the sharpener with GRAPHITE one of worlds best lubricants.... which lubricates the wood case of the pencil inside the sharpener which prevents the wood case from binding in the sharpener.... The smoother the pencil turns in the sharpener the smoother the cut off the blade will be... This = less shock to the pencils delicate core which = less breakage especially with POOR QUALITY PRISMACOLORS .... the numerous breakage off center cores and other QC problems have been brought to the attention of the the manufacturer BUT they CONTINUE to keep ignoring it .....

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

Awesome! Thanks for that information. I was just discussing this the other day, wondering if graphite really was the solution to the problem of dull sharpeners. It seems that would be the case! Now I just have to go get more graphite pencils... haha. And yeah... I've interacted with Rubbermaid-Newell myself on a few occasions. They know the pencil quality is lacking. Regardless, I love my Prismacolor pencils and I think that the flaws and price balance out fairly enough. I'd definitely pay a little more for better overall quality. Regardless, the Prismas will always be fragile at the cores. They always have been. Even when made perfectly, it's best to take care when sharpening and even handling them in general. Thanks again for the info! Glad to know it's more about keeping the blade clean than sharp.

[@chrislg1957ilovespam]

YW .... yes value /price is a BIG FACTOR I wish I could afford a 150 set of Holbeins ..... But being on a fixed income that wont happen unless I win the Lotto ..... LOL enjoyed the series

[@SimpleArtforAdults]

I'm not fan enough of the Holbeins to buy the set, and even if I really, really loved them, I still wouldn't buy them until open stock is readily available in the US. I get anxiety when my pencils start getting shorter, and I have backups for my backups. I'd probably lose it if I used an entire pencil and couldn't replace it. :-O