Arrtx Art Supplies Review: Colored Pencils and Alcohol Markers Worth a Look

Introduction

Arrtx has been quietly building out a full art supplies range, and its newest additions are genuinely interesting: the brand’s first-ever colored pencils, alongside two alcohol marker lines, the OROS and the ALP. Both marker ranges sit under the same color system of more than 200 colors, sold across multiple sets, and the packaging is polished enough to make a strong giftable option compared with other art supplies in this space.

After spending real drawing time with all three, the short version is this: the pencils are the surprise standout of the group, and the OROS markers are an affordable, satisfying workhorse for anyone who colors with brush nibs.

Evaluation Criteria

For this kind of supplies roundup, the things that matter most are how the media layer and blend, how the color range is put together, whether the product holds up on the papers artists actually use, and how the price compares with established alternatives. Each product below is judged on those points.

Arrtx Colored Pencils 72 Set

This is Arrtx’s first colored pencil set, with 72 pencils advertised as artist grade and light resistant. Out of the box they feel genuinely premium: good weight in the hand, a barrel color that wraps around the base, and a box attractive enough to keep on a desk for easy grabbing. The pencils are well protected inside with padding at the bottom.

The performance is what makes them notable. They layer remarkably well, building up five to six layers, which many mid-range or budget pencils simply cannot manage. The feel is buttery, almost like Prismacolor, though not quite as soft or waxy, and there is noticeably less waxy build-up. Even on cheap printer paper they layer and blend enough to create completely new colors. A big part of this is reported to be a core glued along the entire barrel, which makes them far more resistant to breakage while keeping that soft blendability. In performance, these are the closest this reviewer has seen a mid-range pencil come to Prismacolor, without the Prismacolor breakage.

There are a few things worth knowing before buying. The color range is good overall, but there are a lot of yellows in a 72-pencil set where a more balanced spread, say a light blue instead, would have been welcome. The barrel colors do not match the cores well, so you will need to swatch to know what each pencil really is, and the silver font on the barrels is small and hard to read. Arrtx has reportedly already acknowledged these points and plans to improve the barrel labeling, core color matching, and yellow range, and is considering a larger range plus open stock options.

At around $30 to $40 US for the 72-set, these are cheaper than Prismacolor and priced similarly to a 72-set of Castle Art or Arteza pencils on Amazon. They may well rank among the best pencils at their price point, and the layering performance alone makes them easy to recommend for the money.

Arrtx OROS Alcohol Markers

The OROS markers pair a chisel nib with a brush nib, which makes them the more exciting option of the two marker lines for anyone who favors brush work. They lay down beautifully with strong saturation, and the set of 90 offers a great color mix of lights and darks, pastels, brights, and grays.

One detail worth knowing: the 80-set and 90-set contain completely different colors, so you can buy both without duplicates, except for the colorless blender, which most artists will happily have spares of anyway. The separate skin tone set also has no duplicates with the 80 or 90 sets, which is not always the case at this price point. It includes a good amount of very light tones that build up nicely, though it lacks darker skin tones entirely; Arrtx is reportedly planning a range of darker skin colors in the future. Pairing the skin tone set with the larger sets does cover most of the gaps.

On paper performance, the OROS markers behave similarly to other established markers on bleed-proof marker paper and on bristol vellum cardstock, and the results on smoother cardstock are arguably better, offering a smoother finish and easier pencil layering for mixed media work. As with any alcohol marker, they bleed on cheap printer paper. They blend well, and at under one US dollar per marker they are a much more affordable option than Copic.

How They Work Together for Mixed Media

The pencils and markers make an effective team. Markers fill the white gaps in the paper quickly, then the pencils come in to handle detail, build up lighting and shading, and repair any areas where the marker did not blend cleanly. Layering the pencils over the markers works without issues, which is exactly what mixed media coloring needs.

In practice, establishing a light direction first and roughing in shadows with the marker, then deepening mid-tones with the pencils while leaving a highlighted edge, produced a coherent, dimensional result. The pencils blend enough over the marker layer to pull even out-of-palette colors back into the scene.

For artists who color with both media, the combination is one of the strongest arguments for buying into this ecosystem rather than mixing random brands.

Arrtx ALP Alcohol Markers

The ALP markers use a bullet nib paired with a chisel nib, so they suit detail work and consistent line-based coloring more than expressive brush strokes. Like the OROS range, they are part of the broader 200-plus color system, and smaller themed sets of 24 to 40 colors are available if you lean heavily on a particular color range rather than wanting a full spectrum at once.

As with the OROS, the presentation and packaging stand out immediately, and the color system means ALP and OROS sets can coexist in one collection without redundant purchases.

Overall Buying Advice

If you can only pick one, the colored pencils 72 set is the easiest recommendation. The layering performance at this price is unusual, and the breakage resistance addresses the biggest complaint about softer premium pencils. If markers are your main medium and you like brush nibs, choose the OROS 90-set, adding the skin tone set if portraits or characters are part of your work. Choose the ALP line if bullet nibs fit your style better, or if you want to build a focused smaller color range first and expand later.

Conclusion

Arrtx’s first colored pencil set is a genuinely impressive debut with strong layering, soft blendability, and breakage resistance at a mid-range price, and the OROS and ALP marker lines round out a coherent, affordable color system. None of the three is perfect, but the weaknesses are known, fixable, and in most cases already being addressed. For artists building a collection without premium prices, this lineup deserves a spot on the shortlist.