2013 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade soft pastels?

I'm monitoring your favoured brands of pastel and I'd appreciate it if all pastel artists click this link 2013 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade soft pastels? to visit my website Pastels - Resources for Artists and vote on the BRAND NEW POLL for your current favourite make of soft pastel.

Is it the same as in previous years or have you switched allegiance recently?

Kremer Soft Pastels

I've edited the choice of soft pastels this year to those which are currently available in open stock and rated as artist grade soft pastels. That means:

PASTELS ADDED

• Blue Earth (available from Dakota Pastels) and 
• Kremer Pastels (available from Kremer Pigmente - and Jackson Art in UK)

PASTELS DROPPED

• Blick (student grade), and 
• Winsor & Newton (no longer listed as an available product as per 2013 website)

PASTELS AMALGAMATED

• I've amalgamated all the different Diane Townsend Pastels into one category

You can see the trends in terms of the popularity of different makes of soft pastels in yesterday's post Unison is still favourite artist grade soft pastel.

Unison certainly take some beating - they've been top in each one of the four polls I've run to date - however the ranking of the top five pastels changes on a regular basis.

The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2012 Brand Poll Results)

This is my Annual Report on the results of the Annual Poll which asks which is your current favourite brand of artist grade coloured pencil.

Artist grade in this connection means:

• used by fine artists (whether professional or amateur) - people who would like their artwork to last and/or to sell it.
• suitable for fine art rather than commercial art where longevity is of no relevance once the artwork has been photographed.

Below is the chart of the results from the Annual Poll on my resource website Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists (VOTE on this 2013 Poll by clicking this link - 2013 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?)

Chart of the Results of the 2012 Poll:
Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

This year 347 people voted during 2011 to determine which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil.  This is fewere than in previous years but I didn't remind people about the poll at mid-year as I've done in the past.

The results are as follows

• The Favourite Artist Grade Coloured Pencil in 2012 - Faber Castell Polychromos (33.4%)
• 2nd - Sanford Prismacolor Premier (15%)
• 3rd - Derwent Coloursoft (8.4%)
• 4th - Caran d'Ache Luminance (6.6%)
• 5th - Caran d'Ache Pablo (5.5%)
• The Favourite Lightfast (6901) Artist Grade Coloured Pencil in 2012 - Caran d'Ache Luminance (this is a pencil which is accredited as being compliant with the standard ASTM D-6901 for testing Lightfastness in Coloured Pencils created by the American Society for Testing and Material).
• The Favourite brand of Artist Grade Coloured Pencil Media in 2012 - Faber Castell Polychromos - by a mile!

Which means Faber Castell is now the dominant brand and Polychromos is the dominant artist grade coloured pencil within the coloured pencil marketplace for fine artists.  

For a further explanation of how this comes about see below.

Analysis of changes in coloured pencil brand preference over time

It's worth remembering that the performance of different pencils in Opinion Polls is highly dependent on how easy they are to obtain and the patterns of buying behaviour in different countries.  

What I have found noticeable over time is that as more people buy online they are more likely to try new brands of pencils - and are no longer dependent on the pencil in open stock at their local art store - assuming that this store has survived the recession!

The recession has also inevitably had an impact.  One might expect the cheaper pencils to be doing better.  In fact the reverse seems to be occurring and those with more disposable income seem to be favouring the top quality pencils - even if they are more expensive.

Changes in coloured pencil brand preferences 2008 - 2012

I've been running the Poll since 2008 so it's developed a few trends in that time - and we'll look at these below.

CLICK THE CHART below to see a MUCH LARGER version of this chart which shows the percentage share each manufacturer earned in the annual polls.  The very minor brands have been eliminated from view in the chart for the purposes of this analysis.

• GAINERS: Faber Castell, Caran d'Ache
• LOSS OF SHARE: Prismacolor, Lyra Rembrandt
• NEUTRAL: Derwent, Blick and Talens Van Gogh

The Annual Poll was started partway through 2008.  The pattern over time, based on the poll results for the last five years, can be summarised as follows:

• There have been three dominant brands in the marketplace in the last five years - Sanford Prismacolor, Faber Castell Polychromos and Derwent (various)
• Two more brands Caran 'Ache and Lyra Rembrandt have been competing for attention - and one - Caran d'Ache - is beginning to have a serious impact in 2012.
• There are two minor brands - Talens van Gogh and Blick
• In 2012, there has been a significant shift
• Faber Castell is now dominant over the combined pencils of all other manufacturers. 
• One pencil - the Polychromos - now has a 1/3 share of the market.  It is more than  twice as popular as its nearest competitor.
• Prismacolor has lost 45% of its market share in the last year - and is no longer rated as the premier brand of coloured pencils.  For the last four years it has consistently had just less than a third of the market (28-32%).  This year its share has reduced to 18%.  (I'll comment on this further)
• Derwent and Prismacolour are now neck and neck in the popularity stakes
• The Caran d'Ache Luminance pencil - which is lightfast - has continued to build its share of the market DESPITE being the most expensive coloured pencil in the world!  This very clearly demonstrates that price is obviously NOT a barrier to building market share amongst fine artists if people want a quality pencil which is lightfast.  It comprehensively demonstrates that any failure of previous brands of lightfast pencils (which have been dropped) is very probably down to:
• the quality of the pencil in terms of application and use 
• the marketing of the product
• and/or both the above!

While there may be weaknesses in my poll results, so far as I am aware there is no other consistent polling of preferred brands of coloured pencils on a global basis.  If there is I'd be happy to study the results and any inconsistencies with the results of my poll.  (I used to crunch numbers and analyse them for a living!)

Conclusion

The following summary is a product of both the poll, consumer comments available on the Internet (and offline) and recent research.

To my mind the current situation can be characterised as follows.

• Faber Castell has been very focused around the quality of one pencil.  It delivers a high quality product of consistent reliability.  This has earned the Polychromos many admirers - who in turn recommend the pencil to others!  This focus on one pencil gives it a much bigger impact in the marketplace.
• Sanford has lost its way both in terms of  product range, its target market and the quality of the product produced.  I have observed lots of changes and no discernible direction in strategic terms plus lots of complaints about matters which the company has failed to address over the years. It no longer feels to me like a manufacturer which is serious about producing quality products for fine artists.  Its cheap unreliable pencil appears to be targeted at the younger / student market and children and adults who like colouring pages.
• Derwent has a huge range of pencils - none of which do particularly well - apart from the Coloursoft.  Effort and marketing appears to be spread thin.  They could have had the lead in the Lightfast Pencil market - and abandoned it.  Issues around lightfastness continue to be relevant to the artist grade range.
• Caran d'Ache is playing a blinder.  It took time to produce a well thought out pencil which has become very popular - the Luminance.  Despite its high price, this pencil is attractive, works well and is readily available - it looks likely to continue to be very popular and to grow its market share over time.  Not least because it is certified as ASTMS 6901 compliant - and is the only leading artist grade pencil which can claim this. Its growth has also not seriously dented the market for the Pablo Pencil.  The company persuade me (and others) that they recognise how long it takes a new product to establish itself in the market and have a focus on continuous improvement.

Thus we have my personal 'take' on four manufacturers who all demonstrate a very different approach to how to win share and make money from coloured pencils.  

While fine artists are only a small part of the coloured pencil market as a whole one is led to wonder why more artist grade pencils don't emulate the success of the Polychromos!

I'm going to follow up this Poll Report with in-depth analysis of the main brands.  I have eclectic tastes rather than being a dedicated fan of one brand - so this should prove interesting.

I've started by updating the analysis of brands in the Artist Grade Coloured Pencils: Brand Information section of Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.  Each of the sections on the manufacturers of artist grade pencils now has a section which covers:

• SUMMARY
• Favoured by
• No. of artist-quality coloured pencils 
• Meets 6901 Lightfastnes Standard
• Characteristics of coloured pencils
• Pencil equipment/aids available? 
• Characteristics of Manufacturer
• Country

This is my post about The Favourite Watercolour Pencils Awards! (2012 Brand Poll Results)

You can now vote on the 2013 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

Do SUBSCRIBE

if you'd like to be kept informed about the other Poll results for 2012 

and/or reviews of art products and art books in 2013. 

You can find a subscription link near the top of the side column.

Links:

• How to vote for the best coloured pencils in 2013
• The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2011 Brand Poll Results)
• The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results)

Have you reviewed an art magazine?

My new website Art Magazines & Journals - Resources for Artists is, so far as I am aware, the only one which lists and links to all the better known magazines and journals for artists

It would be a good to develop it by adding in consumer views about the different journals.

I want to add in a section for reviews of magazines by artists.  So, if you've ever done an online review of a magazine or journal for artists - or read one - and can provide a link, can you please leave a link in a comment to this post so I can add it into my new resource.


What's your favourite magazine for artists?  There's also a poll this month on Making A Mark - about whether or not people subscribe to magazines for artists and which is their favourite magazine.

Click the link, you can find the poll in the right hand column - just below the pics of people who follow the blog.  Don't forget to answer both parts!

An introduction to "Making a Mark reviews......"

This is a new consumer oriented blog which will review quality and value in art books, art supplies and other products and services used by artists.

This new blog is a spin-off from my very popular blog Making a Mark. In future this blog - Making a Mark reviews...... will become the home of all reviews oriented towards the artist as a consumer.

This post is about

• why I'm creating this new blog
• what this blog will focus on and cover
• how it will work - what principles underpin it
  
• how you can get involved.

Why a new blog?

A new blog enables me to create a specific focus for each blog:

• 'Making a Mark' (the blog) will focus more being an artist and making art. Specifically it will cover my my art, art projects, notable artists, interviews with artists, art exhibitions, art careers and aspects related to the business of being an artist - plus techie bits about the web and blogging from time to time.
  
• 'Making a Mark reviews...... ' will be more consumer-oriented. It will deal with the commercial aspects of art in terms of books and products for artists and items that we as artists spend money on.
  

This enables me to do more reviews without squeezing out the art-making aspects which are the essential focus of Making A Mark.

As anybody who has visited my website Making A Mark (www.makingamark.co.uk) will know I have three passions - drawing, writing and sharing information.

This new blog will also link to and support the makeover and the major development of the 'sharing' part of that website to create a new digest of information which is focused around specific topics. However, due to the major hiatus I've been experiencing recently with computers misbehaving and dying, I'm very behind with this makeover. However I will start to unveil new pages in the near future and the first one - no surprises here(!) - will be about coloured pencils.

How this blog works - a focus on quality AND value

value noun 1 worth in monetary terms. 2 the quality of being useful or desirable; the degree of usefulness or desirability. 3 the exact amount of a variable quantity in a particular case. 4 the quality of being a fair exchange • value for money. 5 (values) moral principles or standards

My aim is simple - to create a consumer's guide to quality and value in art books, art supplies and services to artists

This blog covers:
- art book reviews (art instruction and art history)
- reviews of art media, art materials and art equipment
- reviews of places where you buy (art shops, online art suppliers and art bookshops)
- reviews of other products or services used by artists
- summaries of good quality and relevant reviews by other practising artists

Using this blog I want to try and identify what is good quality and what is good value in art supplies, art books and services relevant to artists. In doing so I'll also be trying to identify the places where we should be spending our cash - because they provide a cost-effective combination of competitive prices, excellent product knowledge and amazing customer service. Where possible I'll also be reviewing other services that we as spend money on as artists (eg websites, software etc).

Irrespective of whether you are on a tight budget or have no financial worries, as artists we all tend to appreciate good quality - when we know what that is - and absolutely hate wasting money. I also know that very many artists love sharing their experiences about art materials and art books and hopefully this blog will become another place where you can do that.

Here's some of the reasons why I'm interested in the consumer perspective:

• I've always been absolutely passionate about consumers getting a fair deal. People should be able to get good quality products for a reasonable price.
• I spent a large part of my career focused on the achievement of cost-effectiveness - otherwise known as value for money.
• I love finding out about new materials, aids and books which aim to help us out as artists. I'm never averse to trying something new - and I'm happy to share what I find out - hopefully in co-operation with you all as readers.
• I hate seeing people getting ripped off by poor quality books, art materials which are not fit for purpose, or OTT product claims.
• I have a very long track record of being a very picky consumer with a pronounced tendency to ask a lot of questions. I read all the labels, the product descriptions, every review on the Internet and anything else I can find before I buy big ticket items! I'm also an inveterate researcher who aims to check out product claims and find out all I can - including the views of other consumers. There's been no stopping me since I've found out that there's absolutely no need to stay in the dark. If you ask questions producers and retailers often answer and some are very helpful!
  
• I want to help you have a voice. Whenever I've highlighted and reviewed a product on my other blog, I've found that the comments it received added real value in terms of the knowledge and experience of you the consumer. I'd like to create opportunities for more of that!
  

How this blog works - the principles

Given that this blog is going to be talking about commercial products, I decided it would probably be a good idea to create a set of ground rules for how it works.

Basically it's all about trying to be both fair and achieve a balanced perspective.

I used to have a policy of not reviewing a book unless I thought it was good ("If you can't say anything good, don't say anything" etc). However with a recession upon us, I'm going to have to revise that policy and start indicating more clearly where books fall short
Making A Mark: Book review: The Coloured Pencil Artist's drawing bible

The basic principles of the approach which will be adopted by this blog are as follows. These will be updated as and when required.

• I'm on the side of the consumer. My principal motivation is finding out whether you and I are getting a good deal and products which do what they claim.
  
• All reviews will be honest AND fair to both producer and consumer. They will highlight both good points and aspects which might make you think again.
• In relation to the overall content, I'm making some highly generalised assumptions about key players as follows:
  
• consumers value information about products and like to be well-informed before they make a purchase
  
• consumers will endeavour to be fair, accurate and precise when commenting on products and will avoid exaggerating the impact of benefits or failures
  
• authors, publishers, manufacturers and producers are doing the best they can do - even if they don't always get it right.
• producers are in business and are not a charity and hence need to make decisions about product offerings influenced by what they think will make money
  
• producers want to hear about what consumers think about their products because this means that they can refine and improve what they have to offer - and sell more product!
  
• All reviews will be independent. I accept both free product samples and advance review copies of books due to be published HOWEVER:
  
• accepting ARCSs/product samples does not impair my judgement or my ability to write a fair review! Besides which I still have quite a few resources of my own in terms of art materials and a few hundred art books already in back catalogues!
  
• if I'm sent a book to read or an art product to try I'm under no obligation to write a review about it on this blog.
• Anybody who acts as a guest reviewer on this blog will maintain the standards set for this blog.

In a separate post which follows this, I'm going to be setting out a statement of how the comments policy will work. This will also be referenced in the side column for all new readers.

How you can get involved

Last week when previewing the introduction of this blog I wrote about some of the ways that we can use this blog to channel the 'wisdom of crowds'. Here are just some of the ways that I hope you can get involved with the development of both this blog and its reviews.

10 different ways of promoting a community of well-informed consumers

I see so many questions on my travels around the Internet about 'where can I find' or 'can you recommend...?'

I'm hoping to help promote a community of well-informed consumers in a number of different ways. The new blog will:

• check claims made and provide a fair and independent perspective
  
• avoid the use of weasel words.
• channel the "wisdom of crowds" by:
  
• asking you for suggestions of useful books, products, suppliers that you've found.
• running opinion polls from time to time
• ask readers to provide useful tips about ways you've found of saving money without compromising quality - which I'll summarise on a regular basis
  
• reference good quality reviews on other blogs
  
• invite guest reviewers to contribute posts about specific products outside my area of expertise
  
• invite experienced artists to offer their views on their favourite products.
• provide a blogroll dedicated to bloggers who regularly provide product reviews
• ask manufacturers and publishers to keep me up to date

The advantage of this blog is that I can also create a set of tags which enable you to identify quickly and easily the type of content you're interested in and what has been said to date - whether it's soft pastels, art pens or art instructions books.

If you'd like to get involved please leave a comment below.

If you'd like to let me know that you've written a product review on your own blog leave a comment on this post. All comments are moderated so I'll always know when you've left a comment.

and finally......

Links to all the blog reviews will be added to the information, advice and reviews which can be found in my "Resources for Artists" sites.