BiC Conté Pencils

Conté pencils by French brand BiC are a budget offering for beginner colourists that come in a maximum 24 pack for just over £8. 

​First Impressions

The round barrels have a glossy black coating that make them look very unusual and the colours of the leads really pop.The brand is printed in silver along with the words 'coloured pencil' but no colour numbers or names whatsoever. This is a major issue with the pencils as you have no idea what order they go in or any way to identify them at a glance. I recommend you make a colour chart and some swatch stickers to put on the pencil ends, as some of these colours are very similar.

Performance

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​Some of the colours are vibrant but others are more muted, and it takes a heck of a lot of pressure to laydown strong colour on the page. These wax-based pencils have very hard leads, so it's difficult to get a lot of pigment out of them without almost ripping the page. If you're wanting pale pigment or have a heavy hand pressure, you should be fine with these pencils.

As you can see from my picture they are quite scratchy looking, but they are clearly labelled on the back for 'children's use' so are not marketed as artist's pencils. They are difficult to blend due to their hardness, so bear that in mind before buying.

Erasing, Smudging and Sharpening

From Coloring for Two by Sarah Janisse Brown

Value

​Surprisingly, the wax lead erases really well, likely because the colours are quite pale anyway. The colours do not smudge at all, and they sharpen very well with no breakages as yet. 

At just shy of £9 for a pack of 24 and £5.99 for 12 the pencils are reasonably priced, but taking into account the lack of blending capabilities and the hardness of the leads you have to think carefully about what you want to achieve with your colouring before buying.

I was given these pencils in exchange for an honest review. You can find them on Amazon here:

BiC Conte Colouring Pencil (Tin of 12)