Felissimo Colored Pencils (150) Review

Felissimo Coloring Pencils Review

Felissimo is a Japanese brand that among other things sells coloring pencils and pencil accessories.   They are made in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, which is well known for making colored pencils.     The set of 500 has been produced for the last 27 years.

The company was awarded the Red Dot Design Award in 2019 for outstanding workmanship crafting the pencils and design.

If purchasing the set of 500 – pencils are packed in a box of 20 with a crafting card project. Each box has a different them eg Love

Fast Summary of the Felissimo Colored Pencils

• • available in a set of 150 colors or a subscription service of 20 pencils per month until you have the full set of 500.
  • The full set of 500 is divided into 25 themes with 20 pencils in each theme.  Each theme has a fun name like “Sweets, Love, Serenity”.  You can see the full list and colors here
  • The 500 set contains 360 colors “corresponding with the color wheel” and 140 pencils comprising metallics, fluourescent, pastels and dark colors.
  • the 150 set is well packaged in a solid plastic tube that has protective foam at both ends.  Pencils in the 150 set have a round barrel.  Pencils in the 500 set have a new ergonomically designed square barrel.
  • if purchasing the 500 set each set of 20 pencils they are packaged in a box and also contain cards for coloring
  • the pencils are pre-sharpened
  • each tube of pencils features colors from the same color family
  • the barrel is 17.5 cm long with 3.5 mm leads.
  • on the barrel is the whimsical name of the pencil together with the number in both English and Japanese (the 150 set is printed in gold foiling. the new 500 set has silver foiling)
  • the pencil barrel is made from Cedar sourced in North America and processed in China with the pencil production in Japan
  • Felissimo pencils are wax-based
  • the pencils are not water-soluble but you can use water to soften stroke marks but they do not disburse like watercolors
  • massive range of colors in the complete set
  • individual pencils have not been given a lightfast rating but they are to JIS standards.  Felissimo states that they will fade if left or stored in sunlight.
  •   You can see my testing of the Felissimo pencils on HERE Various brands of paper here.

They perform better when used on the paper that suits them.

Felissimo Colored Pencil Swatch

Pros

• beautiful range of colors to achieve a smooth transition of color
• can be used as home decor – see the Instagram account for 500 pencils  here for ideas
• blend, lay down color, sharpen and erase well
• the barrel of the 500 set has been changed to a square shape for ease of coloring.  According to Red Dot this design change allows the pencils to “rest ergonomically in the hand and thus support free-flowing, fatigue-free work“
• the names of the colors will bring a smile to your face 🙂

Cons

• the 150 set does not contain a black or white pencil to tint or darken colors
• you cannot purchase open stock or replacement pencils at this time. Felissimo have stated that they do not have any plans to sell single pencils at this time.
• if you purchase the subscription set you are committing for 25 months of payments for pencils and shipping (together with any customs duties etc that you may be liable for).  You cannot cancel the subscription according to their terms of service.
• the pencils are not as soft as other wax-based pencils, like Prismacolor for example.  If you have arthritis or hand pain they may be uncomfortable for you to work with
• large upfront cost of purchasing a full set of 500

Summary

I am happy that I purchased the 150 set of Felissimo pencils.     Personally, I find them too hard to work with all the time (but I have a wrist injury).    Going forward, I plan to use them as a base for coloring and use my Prismacolor pencils that are softer (and better suited for my wrist pain) over the top.

Where to Buy Felissimo Coloring Pencils

You can buy the full set of 500 pencils here (without a subscription)

You can purchase the set of 150 colored pencils here (as reviewed in the video)

You can sign up for the subscription service of 20 pencils for 25 months for a set of 500 here (you cannot cancel the subscription)

Misc

Other products used in the video

• M & R Pencil Sharpener
• Derwent Electric Eraser

Happy coloring x

Lea

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