As a Patreon Creator, my mission is to make art as approachable as possible, showing learners how to achieve professional results with just a few essential tools. When I first began my own artistic journey, I experimented with countless products and techniques before discovering what truly worked for me. Although it was fun to experiment, there were many products that were not appropriate for botanical art and cost time and money.

Over the years, I found myself returning again and again to Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. They’re not only cost-effective and widely available, but also offer exceptional quality that artists around the world can rely on. These pencils stand out for their rich, lightfast pigments and acid-free composition, which means artwork retains its brilliance even after years of display. But as a botanical artist, you may be wondering which colours are worth investing in.

So, that’s exactly what I’ll be sharing in this week’s blog, my top five most useful Polychromos pencils for botanical artists.

White 101

A translucent white, that blends beautifully and appears in every coloured pencil tutorial on my channel. It performs excellently for burnishing, highlights and softening edges. This makes it an essential when working with delicate leaves and petals.

White 101 can also be used to reduce the intensity of other pencils, creating a softened appearance.

May Green 170

A bright and fresh spring green. Its liveliness and vibrancy make it perfect for capturing the hues of new leaves, young shoots and lighter foliage.

Earth Green Yellowish 168

A muted yellow green with a soft, yellowish undertone. This colour is an essential for good for underlayers, dried leaves, or shadowed foliage.

Caput Mortuum Violet 263

A deep, earthy reddish violet with brown undertones. It sits between a muted burgundy, plum and a touch of rust which makes it rich, but not overly saturated.

It can be used for stems, bark, or the dark undertones of petals and leaves.

Earth Green 172

A soft, grey green. It’s less vibrant than May Green 170 and less yellow than Earth Green Yellowish 168. It is perfect when working on the underside of leaves.

Tips to get the most from your pencils:

• You usually do not need to purchase a whole tin of pencils. As a botanical artist, it can be much more cost effective to purchase colours that are present in a natural palette.
• Use my Pencil Usage Log, a handy tool that shows you every single-coloured pencil I use and even displays how many tutorials use each colour. Click here to see it on Patreon.
• Invest in a quality sharpener and sanding block to achieve ultra fine points, as this will allow you to succeed in creating tiny, intricate details.

I’d love to hear more in the comments about your coloured pencil stories. Do you like to use Polychromos pencils too, or have a different medium of choice?