Polychromos introduced in 1908 derives from Ancient Greek words "poly" and "chroma" meaning many colors. The name is a protected trademark of Faber-Castell.
The Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils are comprised of vegetable oil, wax and the highest quality pigments with superior lightfast characteristics and brilliance. There are minimal amounts of wax used so that there is no waxy bloom produced.
The pencils are acid-free, water-resistant and smudgeproof. There are no harmful pigments used. All products are certified non-toxic by a board certified toxicologist.
The pencils are round in shape, contain thick 3.8mm leads and are housed in premium cedar wood. Marks can be 90% removed with a soft eraser. 102 of 120 colors contain *** lightfast rating (100+ years).
** Please be aware that there was a design change made to the product
In 2019 the Polychromos Artists' Color Pencil experienced a design change. Made In Germany now appears on the front and although the pencils are still SV Bonded to prevent breakage, the stamp SV was removed. The front, back and side of the pencil have been changed in design. There is now a barcode printed on the side of the pencil for example. The product itself has not changed. It is still the same high-quality product. It simply looks slightly different.
Front:
Back:
Side:
If you are concerned about purchasing fraudulent product, please be sure to purchase from Faber-Castell directly or from one of our Authorized Dealers/Sellers. You can find this listing here:
Faber-Castell Authorized Emerald Dealers
Amazon Authorized Faber-Castell Sellers
Limited Edition Retro Box
5,055 pieces were manufactured and distributed worldwide. The set was introduced in 2008 celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Polychromos Artists' Color Pencil. Each box was numbered and contained 60 colors. The Retro Box is no longer available. You may want to check out the beautiful and currently available Wooden Gift Set of 120!
111th Anniversary
In 2019 Faber-Castell celebrated the 111th Anniversary of the Polychromos Artists' Color Pencil. Watch the video!
Voted 2019 and 2020 Colored Pencil of the Year
In their first annual Colored Pencil Awards in 2019, COLORED PENCIL Magazine subscribers voted for their favorites across nine categories including favorite Artist, Drawing Surface and YouTube Channel. Our Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils were voted as their favorite! Faber-Castell is honored to have received the award for a second year in a row in 2020.
Recommended Surfaces
Recommended surfaces include: sketch paper to high-quality drawing paper, drawing cardboard, transparent paper and colored paper in dark shades including black.
Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils adhere to many rough surfaces too, such as wood, stone, leather and metal. The pencils are permanent, adhere firmly to their background and do not require fixing. Fixing could cause lower layers of color to bleed through to the surface.
One of the color pencil artists that we have worked with - Wendy Hollender uses the Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils quite often and prefers Stonehenge traditional fine art paper. The advice from this particular artist who creates botanical art, is to use the whitest brightest paper available and that is the lightest value in the art.
Stonehenge Paper:
The acid-free paper is made in the USA and has a smooth surface that is slightly mottled. With good "tooth" - the paper holds color well. In addition to color pencil work, it can be used with watercolor pencils, inks, charcoals, acrylics and pastels. It is made from 100% cotton fibers. Sheets are available in a variety of sizes in 90 lb or 120 lb weights. Paper pads and spiral pads, ideal for travel and on-site drawings - are also available in the market.
Who Uses Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils?
Artists, Illustrators and Animators...
Architects, Builders and Planners...
Designers, Architectural Visualizers...
Surveyors, Cartographers...
Geologists, Geographers, Biologists, Botanists...
And more...