Holbein Colored Pencils: A Size-by-Size Buying Guide

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If you’ve heard colored pencil artists mention Holbein in the same breath as Prismacolor and Faber-Castell Polychromos, here’s the short version: Osaka-based Holbein Art Materials makes a soft, oil-based artist pencil that lays down color as generously as Prismacolor but comes in sets scaled from a 12-color starter box up to a 150-color professional tin, plus open-stock singles so you’re not stuck buying a whole set to replace one worn-down color. Which size actually makes sense depends less on your skill level and more on how you work — this guide breaks down all seven tiers with real prices so you can pick the right entry point.

Prices below are converted from JPY at roughly ¥158/USD as of August 17, 2026, and will drift with the exchange rate, so treat them as ballpark figures rather than checkout totals.

1. 12 Color Pastel Tone Set — the low-commitment starter

Holbein’s 12 Color Pastel Tone Set is priced at 4,268 JPY (about $27) and skips primary colors entirely in favor of a muted palette — pink, salmon pink, cream, Naples yellow, lettuce green, cobalt green, ice green, sky blue, lavender blue, rose pink, and similar soft tones. It’s a genuinely different starter set than most brands offer, aimed at botanical illustration, soft portrait shading, or anyone who wants a “dusty” aesthetic rather than saturated primaries.

The obvious caveat: this isn’t a general-purpose starter set. There’s no true black, no strong red, and no bold blue, so if you want to test-drive Holbein’s feel across a normal color wheel, the 24-color set below is the better first purchase — this pastel set is really a second box for a specific look, not a beginner’s only pencil case.

2. 24 Color Set — the actual all-purpose starter

This is where most people should actually start. The 24 Color Set runs 7,018 JPY (about $44) and covers a real spread across the color wheel — pink, carmine, scarlet, orange, yellow ochre, several greens and blues, violet, magenta, plus white and black — enough to test Holbein’s soft, waxy-feeling core against whatever brand you’re used to without a huge investment. Community reviews consistently describe the feel as closer to Prismacolor Premier than to the firmer Faber-Castell Polychromos: soft, creamy, and quick to reach full opacity with minimal pressure, and largely dust-free compared to some budget pencils.

Caveat: 24 colors sounds like a lot but disappears fast once you start layering and blending — you’ll hit “I need a color between these two” within your first few pieces. That’s normal with any artist-grade pencil line and is exactly what the open-stock singles further down this list solve.

3. 50 Colors Set — the first real upgrade

Once you’ve confirmed you like how Holbein feels, the 50 Colors Set at 14,088 JPY (about $89) is the natural next step — enough range for smooth skin-tone gradients, varied foliage greens, and a workable set of neutrals for shading, without jumping straight to the enthusiast-tier boxes below. This is the tier a lot of working colored-pencil artists settle on as their “everyday” case.

The catch is the same one that follows Holbein at every tier: their lightfastness information comes from Holbein’s own in-house rating rather than a universal blue-wool or ASTM-style scale that’s independently published and easy to compare across brands. If you’re producing pieces meant to hang in direct sunlight for years or that you plan to sell as originals, this is worth researching further or pairing with a UV-protective glass/framing choice rather than assuming parity with Polychromos or Caran d’Ache Luminance.

4. 100 Colors Set — the enthusiast tier

The 100 Colors Set lists at 28,272 JPY (about $179) and is where the set starts covering genuinely subtle in-between tones — multiple steps between adjacent hues, several near-neutral grays, and enough range that you’re rarely mixing pressure tricks to fake a color you don’t own. It also comes in a wooden box version at 52,091 JPY (about $330) if you want a display-worthy case rather than the standard tin.

At this price and volume, the practical caveat is storage and travel: 100 loose pencils in a case is heavy and bulky compared to a 24- or 50-set, and if you only ever work in a narrow palette (say, portraits or a single subject), a lot of these colors may sit unused. It’s a set for people who’ve already confirmed Holbein is their pencil, not a first purchase.

5. 150 Colors Set — the professional ceiling

The 150 Colors Set at 35,340 JPY (about $224) is Holbein’s full basic-color lineup in one box — effectively every hue and value step the brand publishes in the standard line. A wooden-box edition also exists at 57,250 JPY (about $362) for collectors who want it to double as a desk piece.

This is a genuine “I know exactly what I’m doing” purchase, and the honest caveat is that most artists never systematically use all 150 — you’ll gravitate to a working set of 30-40 favorites and the rest becomes a reference library. Unless you’re a professional colored-pencil illustrator or a dedicated collector, the 50- or 100-color set plus targeted open-stock singles (below) will get you most of the practical benefit for a fraction of the cost.

6. Watercolor Pencils 50 Colors Set — for when you want water-solubility

Different mechanism, same brand: Holbein’s Watercolor Pencils 50 Colors Complete Set runs 19,096 JPY (about $121) and uses Holbein’s transparent watercolor pigment technology in pencil form, so you can lay down color dry and then activate it with a wet brush for washes and blending effects the oil-based pencils above can’t do.

The obvious downside is that this is a completely different tool with a different working method — it doesn’t layer or blend the same way as the standard artist pencils, and if you’re expecting a drier “colored pencil” feel, the water-reactivity takes adjustment. It’s also a separate purchase from the standard line rather than a drop-in addition, since the cores and binder are formulated differently.

7. Open-stock singles — replacing and topping up

One common complaint about artist colored pencils in general is that once you wear down your most-used shade, you’re stuck buying a whole new set. Holbein sells open-stock singles at around 1,356-1,533 JPY each (roughly $9), including shades like Cherry Blossom, Sax Blue, Indigo, and Mauve — so you can restock the two or three colors you actually burn through instead of rebuying a full box.

The caveat here is selection and stocking depth: this catalog carries a meaningful but not exhaustive slice of Holbein’s full open-stock range, and individual colors can sell out or rotate, so don’t assume every shade from a 150-color set will always be available as a single. Check availability before you plan a restock around a specific color.

Companion pick: Color Pencil Sketchbook YCP-A4

If you’re building a Holbein kit from scratch, it’s worth pairing it with Holbein’s own Color Pencil Sketchbook (YCP-A4) at 5,201 JPY (about $33) — 20 sheets of 150gsm H drawing paper sized for A4, specifically formulated for colored and watercolor pencil work rather than general sketching. Regular copy-paper-weight sketchbooks tend to fuzz or pill under repeated soft-pencil layering; a heavier, slightly toothed paper like this holds up better to blending.

Caveat: at 150gsm and 20 sheets, this is a working sketchbook, not archival watercolor stock — if you’re using the watercolor pencils above with a genuinely wet brush technique, you may still want a dedicated watercolor paper block to avoid buckling, since 150gsm is on the lighter end for heavy water application.

Comparison table

Set	Colors	Approx. Price (Aug 2026)	Best For
12 Color Pastel Tone	12	~$27	Muted/botanical palette, second box
24 Color Set	24	~$44	First all-purpose Holbein set
50 Colors Set	50	~$89	Everyday working case
100 Colors Set	100	~$179	Enthusiast, subtle tonal steps
150 Colors Set	150	~$224	Professional / full reference set
Watercolor Pencils 50 Set	50	~$121	Dry-to-wet washes, mixed media
Open-stock singles	1 each	~$9	Replacing worn-down favorites

FAQ

What makes Holbein colored pencils different from Prismacolor or Faber-Castell Polychromos?
Holbein pencils use a soft, oil-based core that community reviews describe as closest in feel to Prismacolor Premier — creamy, low-resistance, and quick to build opacity — while Faber-Castell Polychromos is firmer and holds a point longer. Holbein pencils are also largely dust-free compared to some budget lines, and they blend easily without heavy burnishing pressure.

Are Holbein colored pencils lightfast enough for pieces I plan to sell or frame?
This is the one area where Holbein draws the most caution from working artists: their lightfastness figures come from an in-house rating rather than a widely published, independently verifiable standard, which makes cross-brand comparison harder. If lightfastness is critical — gallery pieces, commissions meant to hang in direct light — it’s worth researching further or choosing UV-protective framing, and comparing against brands like Faber-Castell Polychromos or Caran d’Ache Luminance that publish standardized ratings.

Which size set should I actually start with?
The 24 Color Set is the better true starter over the 12-color Pastel Tone set, since it covers a full color wheel rather than a single muted palette. Save the 50-, 100-, and 150-color tiers for once you’ve confirmed you like how the pencils feel and know roughly how many colors you actually reach for.

Can I buy individual colors instead of a whole new set?
Yes — Holbein sells open-stock singles for around $9 each, including shades like Cherry Blossom, Sax Blue, Indigo, and Mauve, so you can replace your most-used colors without rebuying an entire box. Availability rotates, so don’t build a restocking plan around one specific shade being permanently in stock.

Do these ship internationally, and are they good gifts?
Yes — these are sourced through Discovery Japan Mall, which ships from Japan to more than 120 countries; expect roughly 10 business days for processing plus shipping time, and note that prices shown don’t include destination-country customs duties or VAT that some countries apply above a certain order value. The 24- or 50-color set makes a solid gift for anyone already into drawing or bullet journaling — see our guide to Japanese pens for bullet journaling and planners if you’re shopping for someone who’d pair colored pencils with a multi-function pen for spread decorating.

Takeaway

Don’t buy the 150-color set first. Start with the 24 Color Set to confirm you like Holbein’s soft, Prismacolor-like feel for around $44, then scale up to the 50- or 100-color tier once you know how you actually use color — and lean on the ~$9 open-stock singles to keep your most-used shades topped up instead of rebuying a full box every time one wears down. If lightfastness for sellable work is a priority, do the extra homework on Holbein’s in-house rating before committing to a large set.

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