When working with charcoal or pastel, getting clean highlights can be tricky. The Brusarth Professional White Charcoal Pencils Set offers a targeted solution for this specific need. This set includes three pencils—each with a slightly different thickness or hardness—designed to add white highlights to your sketches and drawings. They are marketed as charcoal pencils, but in practice, they behave more like a hybrid between a soft pastel and a traditional charcoal stick, with a slightly waxy binder that helps the white pigment adhere to paper.
In real-world use, these pencils shine when you need to create bright, opaque highlights over dark or mid-tone backgrounds. Artists working with black or dark gray paper will find them particularly useful for rendering light effects, such as reflections on glass, shiny surfaces, or hair strands. They also work well for blending and softening edges when used with a blending stump or your finger. The three-pencil set allows for some variation in line weight and opacity: the harder pencil gives a finer, more controlled line, while the softer ones lay down more pigment for broader strokes.
- Key functional features: The pencils are slightly larger than standard drawing pencils, which makes them comfortable to hold for extended periods. They sharpen easily with a regular sharpener, though the softer leads may break if you apply too much pressure. The white pigment is relatively opaque and covers well on dark surfaces, but it is not as opaque as a white gel pen or acrylic marker. For very bright highlights, you may need to layer the pencil strokes or use a fixative to prevent smudging.
- Limitation or trade-off: One notable trade-off is that these pencils are not ideal for fine detail work on light paper. The white pigment can look chalky and uneven if applied too thickly, and it does not blend as smoothly as a soft pastel. Additionally, the pencils are somewhat fragile—the leads can snap if dropped or sharpened aggressively. They also produce dust that can smudge your work if not fixed with a spray fixative. For artists who need extremely precise highlights, a white gel pen or a fine-tipped marker might be a better choice.
Compared to generic white charcoal pencils or pastel sticks, the Brusarth set offers a middle ground. Unlike soft pastels, these pencils are less messy and easier to control for line work. However, they are not as versatile as a white oil-based pencil, which can be used on a wider range of surfaces. If you already own a set of white pastels or a white charcoal stick, you may not need these pencils unless you specifically want the precision of a pencil tip. For beginners, they are a decent entry point, but experienced artists might find them too limiting for complex highlights.
Who this product is for: This set is suitable for artists who frequently work on dark paper and need a reliable tool for adding highlights to charcoal, graphite, or pastel drawings. It is also good for illustrators who prefer a pencil format over sticks or markers. Hobbyists and students will appreciate the low cost and the ability to experiment with white highlights without investing in expensive materials.
Who this product is not for: These pencils are not ideal for artists who require extremely opaque, solid white coverage—such as for white lettering or bold highlights on black paper—since the pigment is semi-transparent. They also may not satisfy professionals who need a very smooth, blendable white for portrait work or detailed rendering. If you primarily work on white paper, you will likely find little use for them, as the white pigment does not show up well on light surfaces.