I have received a few sets of pens, markers and color pencils to review, with markers and colored pencils arriving in the largest quantities.

This was really exciting for me because I do a lot of craft projects with the youth at my church, so I looked at this as one less supply that I would need to buy (and another blessing from God #WontHeDoIt)!

 

In addition to using these items with my youth, I also use them for one of my favorite personal pastimes– coloring.

I’ve been asked a few times which I prefer for my coloring– colored pencils or markers.  I decided to do a quick run down of the pros and cons of each. Here are my thoughts:

Markers: This review will focus on the Super Markers 20 Color Marker Set I received.

Pros:

• Vivid Colors
• This particular set can be used on paper or fabrics
• Bullet point tip can be used for fine details and thick strokes

Cons:

• May bleed through pages (this will depend on the stock of the paper and is really only a major issue if the coloring book has double sided pages).
• Delays due to the need to recap markers
• Markers may dry out if caps aren’t properly resealed (That always makes me soooo sad 😦 ).

 

Colored Pencils: This review will focus on the Innovating By Design Watercolor Pencils I received.

Pros:

• Ability to blend colors
• Paintbrush included in kit
• Firm pencil tip
• No need to remove caps
• More colors included (compared to the 20 in the marker set)

Cons:

• Need to sharpen during longer coloring sessions
• This set does not have a sharpener — if you are traveling, having a sharpener will be important and you’ll need to purchase one separately
• Must have water on hand for blending colors

Ultimately, I can’t say that I have a strong preference one way or the other.

It really depends on my mood, the item that I am coloring, and the type of coloring book that I have.

If I am using a coloring book with double-sided pages, I am more likely to use colored pencils because I don’t want to risk having the ink bleed through.

Sometimes I will use pens if I feel like doodling while I color and I may choose to use color pencils if I am coloring in my flower or landscape coloring book so that I can blend and create colors similar to what one would see in the natural landscape.

I recommend trying each medium at least once and allowing yourself to have some fun!