Prismacolor Premier Graphite Drawing Set Review: Three Scenarios Where It Saves (or Costs) You

Let's be real: there's no single 'best' graphite drawing set. What works for a professional illustrator sketching commissions won't cut it for a high school art class where pencils get dropped, chewed, and lost. And what a student needs for portfolio work is different from what a teacher needs for 30 kids.

I'm an art teacher who's been handling supply orders for 12 years. I've personally made (and documented) 8 significant ordering mistakes, totaling roughly $4,700 in wasted budget. That includes ordering 200 Prismacolor graphite sets for a classroom—and realizing half of them weren't a good fit for how we actually work. Now I maintain our department's checklist. Here's what I've learned.

Why This Question Has No Standard Answer

The Prismacolor Premier Graphite Drawing Set (which includes 12 pencils from 2H to 6B, plus a kneaded eraser, sharpener, and blending stump) is a solid product. But whether it's right for you depends entirely on one thing: who's using it and how.

People think the set itself determines the quality—that buying a premium set guarantees premium results. Actually, it's the other way around. The user's skill and intent determine whether the set's features matter. The set can't fix technique, but it can enable it. So let's break this into three realistic scenarios.

Scenario A: The Professional Artist (Drawing for Commission or Portfolio)

What you need: Consistent, predictable performance. You're not experimenting—you're delivering. Every line, every shade needs to be repeatable. You need pencils that layer well, don't scratch the paper, and erase cleanly. And you need them in a portable kit.

How the Prismacolor set performs here: It's very good, with one caveat. The soft core that makes blending effortless? That's the same feature that makes the pencils brittle if you drop them. As of February 2025, I've had three students snap 2B leads just from normal pressure. For a pro who's careful, that's manageable. For a classroom? Not ideal.

I once ordered 50 sets for a summer workshop. On a 6-piece order where every single 4B pencil had the core crack during sharpening, I learned: buy the pencils individually for pro work, not the set. The set's great for travel and convenience, but for daily professional use, you're better off with individual Prismacolor Turquoise pencils (which have a harder, more durable core). A colleague of mine—who illustrates for a local publisher—swears by the Premier set for sketching on location. He carries the set in a padded case, says the blending stump is surprisingly useful for quick shading, and he's never broken a lead. So your mileage varies.

The bottom line for Scenario A: If you're a careful professional who wants portability and a decent range, this set works. If you're heavy-handed or work on textured paper, look at individual Turquoise pencils instead.

Scenario B: The Art Student (Building Technique and Portfolio)

What you need: A range of values (light to dark), pencils that respond to pressure changes, and something that won't frustrate you while you're learning. You need to feel the difference between an H and a B pencil.

How the Prismacolor set performs here: This is its sweet spot. The set offers a real range—2H through 6B—which is enough to learn value control. The 6B is dark enough for dramatic shadows; the 2H is light enough for preliminary sketches. The included kneaded eraser is a plus (most student sets don't include one).

I should add: the set's soft core actually helps beginners. They don't need to press hard to get a line, which teaches them to control pressure gently. But here's the hidden cost: the softer pencils (4B-6B) will need sharpening frequently. For a student working on a single A3 drawing, they might sharpen a 4B three or four times. That's normal, but if you're the parent buying supplies, budget for a good sharpener. The one included in the set is... fine. It works. But get a separate metal one.

The bottom line for Scenario B: For a student serious about developing drawing skills, this set is a great start. The range is right, the quality is good, and it's not so expensive that mistakes feel catastrophic. I'd recommend it for anyone in a foundation art course.

Scenario C: The Classroom Teacher (30+ Students, Hard Use)

What you need: Durability. Volume pricing. Pencils that survive being dropped, stepped on, and stuffed into backpacks. You need something that works consistently across a class and doesn't break the budget when replaced monthly.

How the Prismacolor set performs here: Honestly? Not great for high-volume classroom use. The soft cores break too easily. In my first year (2017), I ordered 40 Premier sets for my middle school classroom. The 4B and 6B pencils broke so often that students stopped using them—they'd grab the harder pencils because they survived. I had a $890 waste that year between broken leads and frustrated kids.

The tool said 'as soon as possible.' The budget office heard 'cheapest possible.' We were using the same words but meaning different things. Discovered this when the order arrived and half the pencils were unusable within a week. The third time this happened, I finally created a pre-buy checklist that includes: 'Check core hardness—is it appropriate for student handling?' Should have done it after the first time.

For classroom teaching, I now use Prismacolor Turquoise pencils individually (harder cores, same brand quality) and reserve the Premier sets for advanced students who've proven they can handle them. The count: from 40 sets down to 10. Budget waste fell from $890 to about $220 per semester. We've caught 47 potential errors using this checklist in the past 18 months.

The bottom line for Scenario C: Skip the Premier set for general classroom use. Buy Turquoise pencils in bulk for daily work, and get a few Premier sets for advanced students or special projects.

How to Decide: A Two-Question Test

Still unsure? Answer these:

1. Who's using it? If it's you (professional or student), the Premier set is a solid choice. If it's 20+ students (especially younger ones), go for harder cores.
2. What's the use pattern? If you draw at a desk with a padded case, the set works. If it goes into a backpack or classroom drawer, don't risk it.

I'd rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises. The Prismacolor Premier Graphite Drawing Set is a specialist at one thing: giving you a convenient, portable range of soft cores for careful drawing. It's not a classroom workhorse. It's not a pro's daily driver. But for the right scenario—a student or artist who wants a quality range in one box—it's hard to beat. The vendor who said 'this isn't our strength—here's who does it better' earned my trust for everything else. Prismacolor knows what its set does well, and that's enough.

Oh, and one more thing: the comparison with Lyra colored pencils? If you're considering Lyra vs Prismacolor for colored pencils, that's a different conversation. Prismacolor's graphite set doesn't compete with Lyra's colored line—they serve different needs entirely. But for graphite work, Prismacolor's Premier set holds its own, as long as you use it for its actual strength: careful, controlled drawing.