The Colored Pencil Toolkit

08/06/2026

Still testing out the new Form Palette creator.

It’s really helping us choose & think about colors in a new way.

Has it helped anyone else?

07/29/2026

Before You Buy Another Pencil Set…

The Colored Pencil Toolkit can show you how many pencils you already own in each set—so you can quickly compare your options and avoid buying a set filled with duplicates.

Want that PrismacolorPremier Portrait set of 24? That may not be your best value. Another set with fewer duplicates could add more useful colors to your collection.

Shop smarter, fill the real gaps, and buy fewer pencils you already have.

07/29/2026

Please help us Welcome new friends!

Thank you so much for following along with us as we launch!

If you haven't already, don't forget to sign-up for the Colored Pencil Toolkit & start creating...its FREE...😀

Keith Shafer
Lilli Hull
Christina Olson
Teresa Elwell Photography
Kelly Lewis
Aida Corral
Mike Loyd
Bridget Centeno
Glenn Kruger
Rau Fer
Heather Gaspar
Sian Williams Art
Carly McGloin
Rodrigo Martins
Zara Bird-Wood
Rose Nemec Gesford
Rick N Gail Weir
Mandy Hunter
Kim Murdock
Edna Hakenson
Tricia Powell
Alice Sievers Rodriguez
Liza Clarke
Mandy Steinhobel Paulis
Kathy McPartlan
Kathryn Harnden
Silvia Troyo
Tami Swearingen
Judy Smith Wilshire
Jaqui Cottle
Karyn Russell
Stephen Oosterling
Colour with Claire

07/26/2026

The new Form Palette creator completely took the stress out of choosing colored pencils.

I just chose a color for the green stem of this flower and it populated all the HIghlights and Shadows for me. Same thing for the Pink flower.

I cycled through lighter and darker colors until I found the right match.

Then, the real fun began...coloring with confidence!

07/24/2026

Introducing the Form Palette — Now in Beta

We’re testing a new tool inside the Colored Pencil Toolkit: the Form Palette.

It helps you build a five-zone colored pencil palette for:

Highlight
Light Side
Midtones
Shadow
Dark Shadow

Choose a pencil to anchor the palette, then use the tool to explore lighter and darker options for each part of the form. You can filter by brand, pencil set, or the pencils you already own, then preview the palette on a shaded sphere before using it in a drawing.

The beta also includes controls for:

light direction
paper texture
pencil stroke
form contrast
blend softness
PNG and PDF downloads

This is still an early version, and your feedback will help shape what comes next.

When you test it, please let us know:

Did the suggested pencils make sense?
Was it clear how to build and adjust the five zones?
Did the sphere preview help you understand the palette?
What felt confusing or unnecessary?
What would make this more useful in your real drawing workflow?

The goal is not to create one “perfect” palette. It is to give you a practical starting point that you can adjust, swatch, and test with the pencils you already own.

Sign-Up via the link in our Bio and let us know what you think.

07/14/2026

Advice from the best.

For my work, I use a K*M handheld sharpener. I like it because it gives me a lot of control while I'm sharpening, it's compact, and it's inexpensive.

My biggest recommendation is to replace the blade regularly. Fresh blades make a huge difference and help prevent broken and blunt pencil tips!