Arteza Expert Colored Pencils V Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils
Arteza Expert Colored Pencils V Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils.
In this comparison review we are going to take a look at the Arteza Expert Colored Pencils against the Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils. There a few things that I must mention before we start the review in the name of transparency.
For this comparison test I only have the 72 set of Arteza Expert Colored Pencils whereas I have the 120 of Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils, however, it is worth remembering that I am drawing exactly the same image on the same piece of paper and so I have tried to select the exact same colors from the sets.
Also, the 72 set of Arteza pencils that I am using is one of the very first sets that Arteza released when they first started reaching out to reviewers. Apparently the more recent sets of pencils from Arteza have a slightly different ingredient making them feel and lay down a little bit different. Obviously I don’t have these pencils and so I can’t talk of the validity to this claim and also keep this in mind throughout the comparison.
I have of course reviewed both pencils individually and I have included those links should you wish to have a look at the individual reviews, Castle Art Coloured Pencils and Arteza Expert Colored Pencils. Throughout the individual reviews I discuss more about the core and barrel sizes, individual lightfast info, palettes etc, however in this comparison I am discussing more about the performance of both pencils side by side so to speak.
I am often asked in my comparison videos if I would state my own personal pencil toward the end of the test, however I prefer to show you the results of the test and primarily the art work comparison I submit and let you make decision as to which pencil is better or more suited to your needs.
Castle Art Colored Pencils V Arteza Colored Pencils Artwork
Arteza Drawing
Before I completed any tests, I completed this simple drawing of some grapes and then I traced the drawing so that the images were identical. For this comparison I used the Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Paper, this is an excellent quality paper, a little bit of tooth but still smooth enough for detailed work and light gradients to be accomplished. I used the same sheet of paper for the comparison so there was no variations in paper whatsoever.
I started out using the Arteza colored pencils and I have to say it had been quite a while since I last used them and so as a result I was pleasantly surprised with the pigment levels. I lay down very light layers and built up by adding more and more layers. Throughout both of the drawings I didn’t use any Odourless Mineral Spirits, this is just a personal choice and is something I prefer not to use.
As more and more layers were applied, by about the 5th or 6th layer, I could clearly notice like a plasticky film develop which stated to make additional layers troublesome. As you know I don’t buy into the Oil or Wax based notion of pencils and thus prefer to simply describe whether a core is hard or soft etc.
With the Arteza core, the lay down is soft, however the pencil holds its point much like a harder cored pencil would. There is a slightly oily consistency to the pigment when burnishing is used or heavy applications of the pigment are used.
Castle Art Drawing
The second drawing was completed using the Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils and immediately, I could tell the difference in pigment strength, the Castle Arts Coloured Pencils appeared to be much stronger with regards to the pigment levels.
I think when you are using two different pencils right next to each other and one after the other, it is easier to notice the differences. Because I had been using the oiler Arteza pencils, the Castle Arts pencils seemed drier to me, they seemed to layer much better and I contributed this to the drier consistency.
I also noticed that when I was applying heavier applications with the Castle Art Coloured Pencils that the coverage was much better and because of the slightly dryer consistency there was no sheen or film developing on the top layer as was the case with the Arteza.
Both Images Together
Comparison Test Between Arteza and Castle Arts
I try to make these comparison tests as scientifically accurate as I possibly can get them so that there is no way of favouritism or anything like that ruining the test. However, it is impossible to make sure that every pencil stroke I make is exactly the same pressure that I used on the previous. I try to make sure when I am conducting certain tests that I hold the pencils in the same position i.e. toward the end etc.
In this test I have created boxes to add layers from each pencil, as you can see, the top half of the paper is all Arteza testing and the lower half of the paper is all Castle Art testing. The first test is layering with the first six used for layering and the last box is a single heavy application of the pigment.
In the first box, with the red pigment I have applied one layer, the second box two layers and so on all the way to six layers. I completed this test with the Red, Yellow, Blue and Green from the Arteza Expert range. As you can see the layering took well, however for the last test, which was the single heavy application, the Arteza pencils developed the same sheen I experienced throughout the art work.
Regarding the same layering test with the Castle Art pencils, the results for the layering was very similar although because of the dryer consistency I felt a lot more layers could be added. With the exception of the yellow pigment as I feel I selected a lighter yellow for the Arteza Test, the Castle Arts pencils produced more vivid tonal difference as the layers were added.
The final test in this series which was the last square to which a single heavy application was applied, the Castle Arts pencil performed beautifully, delivering a single consistent coverage and filling in the tooth of the paper.
Blending Test With Arteza and Castle Arts Colored Pencils.
The next test and perhaps the easiest to help determine the quality of the pencils is the blending test and I always use the same colors for the sake of continuity. For the first test I used the Arteza Colored Pencils and completed a simple blend using the red and yellow pencils which as you can see resulted in a nice orange.
Next I used the same yellow from Arteza and the blue which when blended together created a really nice and clearly visible green. I use the term clearly visible because with lesser quality colored pencils when you blend them together it is not always clear as to the pigment produced from blending.
With regards to the blending process with the Arteza pencils on this Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media paper, I didn’t experience any problems at all, the pigments blended beautifully with very little effort.
Next I conducted the same test using the Castle Arts Coloured Pencils starting with the red and yellow pigments to create an orange. Next I blended the Castle blue and yellow and this created a beautiful green also.
As with the Arteza on this test there was no issues at all with the blending process, with both pencils I didn’t have to layer many layers in order to achieve these beautiful blends. I think with this type of test you need to look at the results and see for yourself which pigments are preferable to you.
I also compared both blacks from he Arteza and Castle Art sets and with both blacks I added a single light layer, 5 light layers and then a single heavy application. As I have mentioned before, it is not a very scientific test or anything like that, however it is something that you can look at and determine your own conclusions.
Arteza and Castle Arts Colored Pencils on Black Paper
As always I have applied both pencils to black paper, this helps you determine the opaqueness of a pigment or translucency of a pigment. One is not necessarily better than the other, a lot depends on the type of pencils you like to use, however this test is an excellent way of displaying this.
As you can tell from the image above and the image below, of the two white pigments, the Arteza White is a little more opaque than the Castle Art white.
Castle Arts and Arteza Sets Available
Castle are currently in the wave of adding new sets and products to their catalog, but if you are looking to get hold of your own Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils this is what you have to chose from. You can purchase both a 72 set or 120 set of Castle Art Coloured Pencils, both the 72 and 120 sets come in either tins or wallets, in fact Castle Art Supplies have very recently just added the 120 Wallet to the catalog.
Castle have very recently started pushing out sets of 24 which each set is aimed toward a specific genre of art. These sets are available in the US and UK and the packaging for the sets looks very attractive. The sets are as follows Botanical, Van Gogh, Urban, Seascape, Portraiture, Monet, Landscape, Kandinsky, Cezanne and Botticelli and as you can tell from the images below the art work on the sets is very attractive.
Castle Arts have created these 24 sets to try and cater for colored pencil artists specific needs, rather than having to purchase the full 120 set, you can either dip your toe into purchasing one of the Ten 24 sets, which will help you decide whether or not the Castle Art pencils are for you. Or perhaps if you specialise in a particular genre of colored pencil art, a few of the specialist 24 sets such as the Portrait, Botanical or Landscape would be perfect for your needs. Castle Art Supplies are a relatively new company in the grand scheme of things, however, we can already see that they are not letting a thing like early stages stand in their way of delivering exactly what their customers want and I have it on good authority that this is just the beginning.
Arteza have a huge catalog of art supplies in their arsenal ranging from colored pencils, fabric paints, Acrylics etc, with regards to the Arteza Expert Colored Pencils, the sets on offer is the 48 Tube, a 72 Set in a Tin and a 120 Set in a Tin.
The 120 set is pretty new to the line up for Arteza and unfortunately, as I write this comparison review, we are in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic which has resulted in global short fall in product manufacturing as well as shipping. Because of this crisis, the Arteza Expert Colored Pencils are very difficult to purchase anywhere including the Arteza Home page, although I am sure this will change as soon as lockdown globally is eased.
Arteza and Castle Art Supplies Pricing
As I have mentioned above, currently the Arteza Expert Colored Pencils are in very low stock and virtually impossible to purchase, nevertheless, one of the reasons I selected the Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils and the Arteza Expert Colored Pencils comparison was the pricing similarities, among other similar characteristics of course.
Castle Art Supplies UK
Here in the UK, if you would like to purchase any one of the ten 24 sets that Castle Arts have recently launched you can expect to pay £14.99 which is an outstanding price point considering the excellent quality. For the 72 Tin you can expect to pay approximately £37 and for the 120 Tin Set you can expect to pay approximately £47.99 and for the 72 Set Wallet £34.99 and the 120 Wallet £44.99
Castle Art Supplies US
In the US, to purchase any of the ten 24 sets that Castle have launched you can expect to pay approximately $24 per set, Botanical, Van Gogh, Urban, Seascape, Portraiture, Monet, Landscape, Kandinsky, Cezanne and Botticelli. For the 72 Tin set $62 and the same price approximately for the 72 wallet set. For the largest 120 tin set you can expect to pay approximately $81 and a similar price for the 120 Wallet Set.
Castle Art Supplies EU
In Europe for the newer 24 sets are more difficult to come by unless someone is selling them independently. The 72 Wallet Set will cost approximately €37.99 and the same price for the 72 tin set. The largest 120 sets both wallet and tin in Europe will cost approximately €44.99 for the wallet set and €47.99 for the 120 Tin.
Arteza UK
As I have mentioned, there is a real shortage of Arteza products, so although I am adding the prices here for purely comparative purposes, the sets should be available soon. For the Arteza 48 set you can expect to pay £17, for the 72 set you will pay approximately £29.99 and for the 120 set you will pay £59.99
Arteza US
In the US for the 48 set of Arteza Expert Colored Pencils you can expect to pay approximately $18.99, for the 72 set approximately $28.98 and for the 120 set approximately $89.99
Arteza EU
Unfortunately because there are such low stock of the Arteza products there is no indication of prices available on Amazon Europe, the same was the case for the US and UK and so I had to get the prices directly from the Arteza Home page for both respective countries, but I was unable to locate a home page for Arteza Europe.
Lightfast Information
Both pencils, despite their excellent qualities, are aimed more for the budget user or hobbyist for want of a better terminology. The second a company decides to go through either of the two rigours Lightfast testing schemes available, that is ASTM or the Blue Wool Scale, the price of those pencils will increase significantly. The reason for this is because the process and certification the product would achieve is quite an expensive and lengthy one, this would in turn have to show in the pricing of said product.
Some companies however complete their own in house lightfast testing which in all honesty, I have not done enough research into this to determine the validity of the test results.
The Arteza Expert Colored Pencils do have a lightfast rating on the pencil barrel, however, as I talk about in my video review, at the very beginning when Arteza first hit the art world, there was a lot of mixed messages about the actual scale being used. Some reviewers were being told that of the three star system used, one star was the highest lightfast rating and three was the lowest and visa versa.
After speaking to Arteza representatives myself in the past, they confirmed that their Lightfast testing was conducted within the company and not via the Blue Wool or ASTM highly recognised systems. Given this fact and the amazing price the customers are given, its difficult to know how such an in-house lightfast test would stand up against the Blue Wool or ASTM scales.
As far as Castle Arts are concerned there is currently no lightfast testing at all that has been carried out, however I do know that this is something the company is taking into consideration, I don’t know if this means lightfast testing the current Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils or perhaps a new high level pencil, I can only speculate and dream.
It is also important to note, especially for those of you new to the world of colored pencils that Lightfast pencils are not the, be-all-and-end-all. The only time that Lightfast pencils are essential are if you plan on selling your art, sending it in to competitions or hanging your art work and want it to last a number of years.
Castle Art Coloured Pencils V Arteza Expert Colored Pencils Conclusion.
Of all the pencils that I have already compared and will compare going forward, I think the Arteza and Castle Art Colored Pencils are the most similar in so many ways. They are aimed toward the same market and price the points are very similar, so they are both excellent for people to compare and see which set, if any, is best for them.
Its important that you understand, this is not me showing you my favourite pencil of the pair, but simply demonstrating to you, as scientifically as I can, how each pencil performs. Perhaps most importantly, creating a simple piece or art, identical to the other with the pencils and displaying the results for you to inspect.
Its also important to note the type of paper used in the testing and art work created with both the Arteza and Castle Art Colored Pencils, which in this case was the Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media paper. Also I completed some translucency and opaqueness testing, helping you to determine how the pigments react on a darker surface.
As well as this written review, you can also watch my YouTube video review to help you determine the right pencil for you and if that is not helpful I have also created a speed drawing YouTube video of both art pieces. To help you see the results more clearly, I have added a page here on The Art Gear Guide where I have added High Definition images of both art works at various stages of completion so that you can click on the image, enlarge and inspect at your leisure.
I hope you have found the information through all four forms of the comparison helpful, however if you have any questions then please by all means ask away. You can either leave your questions in the comments section, or contact me on any of my social media platforms or you can email me directly should you prefer a bit more privacy. Thank you all so much for your wonderful support, suggestions and feedback and above all friendships. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you all.
