Coloring Tips•August 20, 2026•5 min read

Colored Pencils vs Markers: Which Should You Use?

One of the questions we get asked most is: pencils or markers? The honest answer is that both are wonderful, and the right choice really depends on the mood you're after. Here's a cozy little guide to help you decide.

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Colored pencils

Pencils are gentle, forgiving and endlessly layerable. They're perfect for slow evenings when you want to build up soft shading, blend colors together, or add fine little details like whiskers or teacup patterns. They also won't bleed through the page, so both sides stay clean.

♥Great for shading, blending and soft gradients
♥No bleed-through, ideal for double-sided pages
♥Easy to correct or lighten with an eraser
♥Best for detailed, slow-paced coloring sessions

Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils

Best for blending

The set most people mean by "the good pencils" — a soft, wax-based core that layers and blends like butter, made for the slow, build-it-up-in-passes coloring this section is all about. The 72 covers almost everything you'll reach for.

Check price on Amazon →(paid link)

KALOUR 72-Color Colored Pencils

Best budget pick

A soft-core 72-set at a fraction of the Prismacolor price, in a zip-up case. Not quite as creamy to blend, but genuinely good for the money and a low-risk way to find out whether pencils are your thing.

Check price on Amazon →(paid link)

Markers

Markers give you bold, saturated color in just a few strokes — perfect when you want a page to feel vibrant fast. They're wonderfully satisfying for filling in big, simple shapes, though they do bleed through most paper, so we recommend slipping a spare sheet behind your page.

♥Vivid, saturated color with less layering needed
♥Great for bold, graphic-style pages
♥Can bleed through — use a backing sheet
♥Best for quick, energizing coloring sessions

Ohuhu Alcohol-Based Dual-Tip Brush Markers

Best for bold color

A springy brush tip on one end, a fine tip on the other, and saturated alcohol ink that fills a big shape in a stroke or two — exactly the fast, vivid coloring described above. They do bleed, so keep a spare sheet behind your page.

Check price on Amazon →(paid link)

Crayola Super Tips Washable Markers

Best for thin paper & kids

Water-based, washable and gentle on thin coloring-book paper, so they're the safer pick for double-sided pages or coloring alongside little ones. Less punchy than alcohol markers, but far less bleed-through.

Check price on Amazon →(paid link)

So, which should you use?

Honestly? Try both, on different pages, on different kinds of evenings. Reach for pencils when you want to slow down and blend, and markers when you want a quick burst of color and cozy satisfaction. Many of us keep both within arm's reach — a little variety keeps coloring feeling fresh.

Read: Build Your Own Coloring Kit — A Complete Beginner's Guide →

Read: 7 Best Colored Pencils for Adult Coloring →