Staedtler Supersoft Coloured Pencils 24 Set Review: A Soft, Budget-Friendly Surprise

Introduction

Staedtler’s Supersoft coloured pencils, part of the brand’s Design Journey range, promise one thing above all: a soft, high-coverage core at a price far below artist-grade sets. For years, one of the most common questions from colour pencil artists has been the same, looking for a cheaper and more easily available alternative to Prismacolor that still delivers that soft, buttery laydown. So the obvious question is whether this 24-set can fill that role.

The short answer: they are not quite Prismacolor-soft, but they are noticeably softer than expected, they layer and blend well, and they absolutely shine on dark paper.

Design and Build Quality

The pencils come in a metal tin with the usual Design Journey styling, including an icon indicating the barrel shape and a printed swatch legend of the set’s colours. Keep in mind that the laser-printed swatches on the tin are only a rough guide; the actual pigment colours look somewhat different in use.

The pencils themselves have a matte black hexagonal barrel with silver metallic printing, a colour ID cap dipped in the corresponding pigment on each end, and an alphanumeric code for identifying each colour. The core measures 3.2mm in a 6.9mm barrel, which is on the slim side. While hexagonal barrels are a matter of personal preference, these feel well balanced in the hand, and the quality of the wood is apparent when sharpening; points form cleanly without splintering.

The 24-colour selection is well thought out. You get a good spread of yellows, oranges, magentas, pinks, reds, purples, blues and greens, plus a small set of earth tones and black. Importantly, each colour family includes both warm and cool tones, which makes mixing far more practical than in many budget 24-sets.

Layering and Blending Performance

Testing was done on Strathmore 300 series Bristol vellum paper, which has just enough texture for colour pencil work. In a five-layer test using light layers of yellow, red, blue and green, the vibrancy held up impressively for a budget set, and a heavy application produced strong, solid colour without needing excessive pressure.

That last point matters more than it might seem. For artists with arthritis or wrist and hand pain, these pencils are a genuinely good option: you do not need to press hard to get rich, vibrant colour from them.

Blending is equally convincing. Red and yellow produced a clean orange, blue and yellow produced a solid green, and even the classic red-plus-blue mix delivered a respectable purple, which is often where cheaper pencils fall apart.

Solvent Response

The pigment breaks down very nicely under odorless mineral spirits. After building up multiple layers, solvent dissolves the pigment into a painterly, liquid form, filling the tooth of the paper and allowing additional layers to be applied on top. For artists who use solvents as part of their workflow, these pencils handle the process well, allowing repeated cycles of layering and solvent blending for richer depth and colour.

Performance on Black Paper

This is where the set genuinely surprised. On black paper, the colours are remarkably opaque, laying down rich, vibrant coverage that keeps the dark surface from bleeding through. The white pencil is also notably opaque, though a hint of black paper still shows through it.

Out of the many colour pencils tested on dark paper, this set ranks among the best. For artists who enjoy working on black paper, these are among the strongest performers available at this price, particularly when compared with dedicated dark-paper pencil sets that cost considerably more.

Artwork Results

A demonstration drawing of orange lilies on Saunders Waterford hot pressed paper showed just how far these pencils can go. The hot pressed surface offered more tooth than Bristol vellum, allowing more layers and deeper, richer colour. The result was artwork with genuinely impressive tonal depth, achieved with an inexpensive, non-artist-grade pencil set.

The broader lesson applies to any budget pencil purchase: pair an affordable set with decent paper and it will transform the results. On ordinary printer paper, the same drawing simply would not have been possible, because layering depends entirely on the surface you work on.

Things to Consider Before Buying

These pencils are not lightfast, and Staedtler positions the Design Journey range towards young artists, students, and beginners rather than professional work. If archival permanence is essential for your work, these are not the pencils for it.

The core is slim at 3.2mm, and the hexagonal barrel will not suit everyone. The tin’s printed colour swatches are also only indicative, so expect some variation between the lid and the actual pigment.

Who This Set Is Best For

This is an excellent entry point into colour pencils for teenagers and students exploring art, adults getting into colouring books, and anyone who wants to test the medium before investing in expensive lightfast sets. Starting with a poor pencil and bad paper is the fastest way to be put off the medium entirely; a set like this with good paper avoids that trap.

For artists with hand or wrist pain who need soft laydown without pressure, and for anyone who loves working on dark paper, this set punches well above its price.

Conclusion

The Staedtler Supersoft 24 set delivers soft cores, strong opacity, good blending, and exceptional dark-paper performance at a budget-friendly price. It is not a lightfast artist-grade set, and it does not pretend to be. What it is, is one of the most convincing affordable alternatives for artists who want soft, vibrant colour without the premium price tag, and a very smart first set for anyone just discovering colour pencils.