So when people say smooth I think “glides on nice and smooth” like creamy eyeliner, not buttery smushy soft like lipstick but surely not what these pencils feel like. They feel dry and hard. I’m not a fan of how soft waxy Prismacolors are and expected these to be firmer, but not THAT much. Needless to say they are not what I was hoping for. The colors are not opaque, getting full coverage usually ends with you burnishing the paper, flattening the texture and resulting in a high sheen. So they work best with paper that has a lot of tooth. They can hold a nice sharp point forever though, so excellent for very fine line work, and they are a nice way to add texture over washes of paint. I wouldn’t use them for coloring large areas, just thinking about it makes my hand hurt. Faber Castell makes wonderful products these are just not my cup of tea. For reference I find Luminance and Holbein’s to be the ideal amount of “smooth”, harder than Prismas, but keep a nice point firm and sharp long enough for detail work, and the colors offer easy rich coverage. If that’s what you are looking for, Ploys ain’t it.
