Artx Watercolor Pencils 72 Set Review: Vibrant Color With a Caveat

Introduction

Student-grade watercolor pencils live or die on two things: how pleasant they are to use straight on paper, and whether they help a beginner actually finish a painting. The Artx watercolor pencils, tested here in the 72-color set, do a lot right. The colors are bright and vibrant once activated, the pencils are comfortable to hold, and Artx has done something surprisingly rare: included a genuinely usable paintbrush in the box.

There is, however, one notable limitation that showed up during testing, and it matters depending on how you like to work. Let’s break it all down.

What’s in the Box

Packaging is an area where Artx clearly puts effort, and this set is no exception. The box features a color chart on the back with a sensible disclaimer noting that printed swatches are only for reference, which is a refreshingly honest touch given how misleading machine-printed color charts can be for new artists. The lid slides off to reveal pencils that fan open flat across a table, a format that works especially well for shared use at home or in a classroom.

The standout inclusion is a small round paintbrush. Watercolor pencil sets very often ship without a brush, or with one so poor it ruins the experience. This one is decent quality for a freebie, holds a fair amount of water, and has soft bristles that performed well on both cold press and hot press paper during testing. For parents buying for kids or anyone new to water-soluble media, this alone removes a real barrier to enjoying the pencils from day one.

One minor packaging note: unlike some other Artx pencil sets, there is no foam inlay or individual slots in the base of this box, so the pencils can shift around a bit in storage.

Pencil Design and Handling

Each pencil is hexagonal with a barrel colored to match the core pigment, which makes color selection quick and intuitive. The core measures around 3.7 to 3.8 mm, with a 7.4 mm barrel that gives the pencils a comfortably chunky, well-weighted feel in the hand.

Rather than pigment names, each pencil carries an alphanumeric number code. That is better than nothing: you can record the number next to each swatch in a hand-made chart and always find the exact pencil again. It is slightly less convenient than named pigments, but workable once you build your own reference sheet.

Performance on Paper

Tested on both cold press and hot press watercolor paper, the pencils deliver genuinely nice results when used the traditional way: applied dry, then activated with water. Colors activate smoothly, mix well, and come out rich and vibrant, blending into clean secondary colors with no drama.

Two things are worth knowing. First, some pigments needed a firmer hand in dry application to lay down good color. Second, a faint remnant of the dry pencil strokes can sometimes remain visible beneath the activated paint, on both paper types. This points to a higher binder-to-pigment ratio than in premium watercolor pencils. It is not a dealbreaker for student-grade products and is largely invisible in typical use, but it is worth understanding before you buy.

The Palette Test

Here is where testing surfaced the set’s main weakness. When pigment was lifted directly onto a plastic mixing palette, the Artx cores behaved noticeably differently from comparable student-grade and mid-tier water-soluble pencils. The core wore down with an almost plasticky feel, deposited less pigment on the palette, and the resulting crumbs were slow to break down into paint when activated.

Side-by-side comparisons against several other watercolor pencils made the difference obvious: those competitors broke down easily and delivered far more usable pigment on the palette. Applied directly to paper, the Artx pencils perform well; used as a palette-mixing tool, they fall short. If you never mix on a palette, this may not affect you at all. If you do, it is something to weigh carefully.

Who This Set Is Best For

This is a student-grade set, and it makes no pretensions otherwise. There is no lightfastness information included, which is expected at this price tier; lightfast ratings typically only appear on more expensive artist-grade lines. The pencils are comfortable, vibrant, and easy to recommend for casual painting, sketchbook work, and anyone learning watercolor technique.

They are less suited to artists who rely heavily on palette mixing, pigment lifting, or who need archival lightfast performance. For direct application to paper, which is how most people use watercolor pencils anyway, the experience is genuinely pleasant.

Buying Advice

If you are new to watercolor pencils, buying for a child, or simply want an affordable set with strong color payoff on paper, the Artx 72 set is a solid choice, and the included brush adds real value. The 48 and 24 sets are also available if you want a smaller starting point. If palette work is central to your technique, test the waters or consider a higher-tier line first.

Conclusion

The Artx watercolor pencils are enjoyable, vibrant, and thoughtfully packaged, with an included brush that genuinely earns its place. The elevated binder content shows up only in specific techniques, most notably palette mixing, and is worth knowing about before purchase. Used the way most artists use watercolor pencils, they deliver a rewarding experience for the price bracket.