I was wondering what is the difference in the colored art pencils that you buy from art supply stores and the ones that you buy in wall-mart? I hope this is'nt to dumb of a question to ask but i know someone can help me out with better understanding the difference in the 2...thanks and have a great day all.

I am no expert but I can tell you there are 2 types of colored pencils. One type is wax based the other is water based. Of these 2 types, there are many manufactures and of course quality level. As most things in life, you get what you pay for. Since I have only used these in a limited fashion, I can not comment on the difference between the cheap and expensive. I did notice that as I would sharpen an inexpensive CP the points seem to break off inside the pencil before I could even use it.. the more expensive ones did not do this. One piece of advice that has been given to me over the years is to buy the highest quality of art supplies you can afford, it can help prevent excessive frustration!

There are two types of coloured pencil - student grade and professional grade. The difference between the two is the amount of wax or oil and pigment in them.

Student grade pencils are fine for learning with but do not have as much pigment in them as professional grade pencils and use more wax or oil to bind them. Watercolour pencils are similar to coloured pencils, but tend to have a dryer consistency and less wax and have a wetting agent, allowing the pigment to spread once water is added.

It is true that you get what you pay for and quality tools will help you achieve quality products. However, if you're simply trying out a medium for the first time and don't want to invest a lot of money then try some student grade pencils. You can learn a lot of the techniques of applying coloured pencil which is really what its all about. Then if you want to go further, try a few professional grade pencils. You can buy some from open stock in any art store and not have to purchase a whole set at once.