Posca - Colored Pencils : Review

Quick facts

• Brand: Posca (Mitsubishi)
• Available sets: 12-pack or 36-pack (maximum)
• Single pencil purchase: No
• Number on pencil: Yes, engraved on the top
• Texture: Smooth and slightly waxy
• Box: Stackable compartments, held together by an elastic band

The waxy texture: advantage or drawback?

Posca pencils have a soft, slightly waxy texture that feels very pleasant in hand. However, this texture has a direct effect on coverage: in a single layer, you may notice small white dots where the paper grain is not fully covered. This is a common effect with wax-based pencils, which grip the paper tooth less easily than oil-based pencils like Faber-Castell Polychromos.

To avoid this, it is better to build up several light layers rather than pressing hard in one pass. Once you get into that habit, the result improves a lot.

Gradients: a real strength

Where Posca pencils really shine is gradients. Colors blend well into each other, transitions feel natural, and the waxy texture helps with mixing. For smooth coverage over larger areas, they are genuinely enjoyable to use.

I use them on both regular and mystery coloring books, and in both cases gradients are where these pencils perform best.

The tip wears down quickly

One thing to anticipate: the core wears down faster than with pencils like Polychromos. The soft, waxy texture tends to wear away a bit more with use. For the small detailed sections of mystery coloring, you will need to sharpen more often to keep a clean, precise tip.

It is not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing if you color frequently.

The stackable box: clever but handle with care

The box is a clever design: compartments stack on top of each other and are held together by a large elastic band. It is compact, easy to store, and you can separate the tiers to access different colors.

But be careful: when you remove the elastic, you need to hold all the compartments at the same time. If you let go of one tier while holding the others, everything can tip over and pencils end up on the floor. It has happened, it is annoying. You get used to it, but it is good to know upfront.

Numbers are engraved on the top of each pencil, which is handy for swatch charts: even after sharpening many times, the number stays readable.

36 colors maximum: the real limitation

The thing that frustrates me most with these pencils: the range stops at 36 colors. No individual purchases, no larger set. For someone who colors regularly and needs a wider palette for subtle shading, that is clearly not enough. Polychromos offer 120 colors and can be bought individually, Caran d'Ache Luminance offer 100. Next to those, 36 non-replaceable pencils is a real constraint.

The available colors are well chosen, no complaints there. But when one runs out or you need a specific shade, you simply cannot fill the gap.

What I like

• Very comfortable to hold, smooth feel
• Good gradients, colors blend well together
• Number engraved on top of pencil, great for swatch charts
• Compact stackable compartment box
• Decent pigmentation
• 12-pack available to test without a big investment

What to keep in mind

• Paper grain shows through in a single layer (white dot effect)
• Tip wears down faster than Polychromos
• 36 colors maximum, no individual pencil purchase
• The box can tip over if you do not hold all compartments when removing the elastic
• A bit pricey for only 36 non-replaceable pencils

My final verdict

Posca colored pencils are pleasant to use, comfortable, and effective for gradients. But their biggest weakness is the palette capped at 36 colors with no option to buy replacements. For someone starting out who wants a simple, practical set, they can work well. For intensive mystery coloring with fine shading, you will quickly find yourself running out of the colors you need.

If Posca released a 72 or 100-color set with individual pencil options, it would be a completely different story.