Castle Art Supplies 26 Piece Drawing and Sketching Art Set: Perfect for Beginners, Kids or Any Aspiring Artist - Includes Graphite Pencils and Sticks, Charcoal Pencils, Erasers and Sharpeners, Adult

First let me tell you a little about the kind of person I am when I am serious about a new undertaking... I *HATE* note being good at something right away and I HATE not having everything possible to make me good fast..... For example, I learned to be a vinyl DJ with over 1000 recrods and a top of the line dj booth in my house in 6 months compared to the 2 years it takes most people because I GET AND USE EVERYTHING..... I do not limit myself when it comes to ANY item, informational resource, or accessory that MAY help me move along faster than expected....AND THEN I REGISTERED FOR A DRAWING CLASS... and lemme tell you, I can't draw a friggin Balloon or a Red Ball, even though I know a lot of art THEORY and what one SHOULD do (though I can't....)As a regular "art doer" but beginner as an artist (you know what I mean) I bought this for a 15 session x 3 hour Intro to Drawing class at an Art Center near Yale University in CT.... the course instructions said to buy "1 Soft Graphite Pencil, Vine Charcoal, Pencil Sharpener, Eraser and Clips" It also said Some Paper Will Be Provided". Below I'll list what I bought after a WHOLE DAY questioning artist friends, reviewing the H vs B pencil designations and so on.This Castle Art Supplies Drawing And Sketching Pencil Art Set (26 Pieces) was what I decided to buy INSTEAD of buying 1 soft (b) pencil... since I plan to draw and draw every day until I am excellent, I know I'll eventually use all of these pencils and already, just drawing vanishing point lines lightly vs the lines of that DARN cube, I"m using several #s of B pencil. I'd say this is a GREAT SET for a beginner who is SURE they will go on with drawing past the very basics. 'Castle Art Supplies Drawing and Sketching Pencil Art Set (26 Items)There's a few things I'd like to see improved but I give it a for the range and quality of the Graphite Pencils, I"d go with a 4.5 if I could. I'd prefer it came in a rolling leather over a flimsy box that's not really reusable... if you're taking it on the road with you, you'll want to buy something else.. I'm using notebook pencil case inserts like there but I'll probably get a roll... https://www.amazon.com/Bazic-3-Ring-Pencil-Window-803/dp/B003BMX80S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003BMX80S&pd_rd_r=K81W2K83BHZ2HBWMV43D&pd_rd_w=7Sj3x&pd_rd_wg=e3fqw&psc=1&refRID=K81W2K83BHZ2HBWMV43D&linkCode=ll1&tag=jocelyn0ab-20&linkId=86f4d450cd357b4923390394714c1f56I don't love the pencil and charcoal sharpener only because they are so little that they are hard to find and they don't catch the shavings.... Also, if you give me a white plastic eraser PLEASE give me a smudge proof brush! And finally, just a thought.. a t-square would be a nice addition to ANY artist set.

My son loves this set, and is really enamored of the kneaded eraser. I tested out a couple of the pencils, and I don't know how they compare to professional pencils, but they are better than your average yellow #2. I don't like the white eraser--it gave off a ton of eraser crumbs. My son claims it doesn't, and it's better than a typical pink eraser, but I disagree--it's as bad or worse, and made a mess. The kneaded eraser is wonderful, but you have to knead it (in case you're not already familiar with the type) to get rid of the graphite. When it's too black and leaves graphite rather than erases it, you know it's time for a new one. So far, it's nowhere near used up. It's small, but most kneaded erasers are. You can mold it into a pointed shape to get into tight spaces. We haven't tried the charcoals or the graphite sticks yet. The case is a little tough to open, but keeps the pencils safe.We paid $15 for the set, which is probably a decent price. At the time of this review (December), the price is jacked up to $20 for Christmas, which I think is too much. You can get a good set from Derwent, the Faber Castell grip set, or the Mitsubishi Hi Uni set for the $11 to 15 price range, plus buy a kneaded prismacolor eraser separately for $4-5. (Those sets won't have the charcoals or graphite sticks, but unless you're making a lot of shaded sketches, you probably won't need them, and those brands are very good quality.)If I had it to do over again, and it was for me, I'd probably buy the other sets mentioned in the previous paragraph, but my son had his heart set on this, and he loves it. Just don't pay over $15 for it. We had no trouble with pencil breakage, but then, we rarely do, as we use the Carl Angel-5 pencil sharpener (which we love to death--it really is the best sharpener ever). We only have tip breakage if we over-sharpen, even with cheap pencils.

This product is a quality product if you know how to sharpen a pencils using a simple technique or those who know how to sharpen a pencil by “trial and error”. The only downside is the kneaded eraser, que quality is bad not recommend to using it. Instead buy a Faber Castell Kneaded eraser those superb equivalent to the known brand from General’s or the STAEDTLER ones. The rest are all good love the product. I hope Castle Art can improve the quality of the Kneaded eraser. I hope this review is helpful. Oh! Also the Castle Art tutorial is a nice addition.

Great product, variety of pencils

The set is very nice!! I like that it came with erasers and pencil sharpeners!! The set is very complete with a nice variety of pencils and charcoal!! The pencils are very durable so far in my sketching!!

Identico a la imagen pero llego roto de varias partes y era para regalo.

Super matériel

For for my wife, she loves the feel of the pencils, she uses the kneading eraser as it doesn't damage the paper. Fun to use, lots of variety.

Great quality drawing art book.

Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit dem Set. Die Blei und Kohlestifte sind von hoher Qualität, das hervorragendes arbeiten ermöglicht. Die Radierer haben beste Eigenschaften wie z.b punktgenaues abschwächen und effektives flächige abtragen.Der einzige Kritikpunkt ist die Verpakung, ist etwas sperrig in der Handhabung und wirkt nicht gerade sehr Edel und macht beim öffnen sehr Laute Geräusche, was natürlich am Material liegt.Da ist ein Stoffcase oder ein edles Holzcase optimaler, natürlich mit einem entsprechenden Aufpreis.Mfg Eric Fricke , PS : sehr zu empfehlen!

Very nice. I'm a retired engineer. I know how to draw engineering drawings by hand from the old days as well as by CAD but decided to take a shot at art. This little set seems to be just the thing for someone like me. It comes with all the graphite pencils recommended by my course as well as charcoal and graphite sticks. It also has the proper sharpeners and erasers. The entire package is much less expensive than purchasing just the graphite pencils individually.The graphite pencils seem to be of reasonable quality although I am just getting started. I really have nothing to compare to except No. 2 pencils.I read some complaints about the case. True enough, it is more of a molded plastic shipping case to protect the pencils during transit than a daily use case. It would be nice if one is traveling about but probably not practical for daily use. The portable easel I use has a drawer for pencils so I don't need the case. Get a pencil box for a couple of bucks from the dollar store or Wal Mart, line it with foam or paper towels if you want something better. Forget the case, the kit is a bargain.