Introduction-
I am Em Studios, a self-taught artist. I love experimenting with stationery and art supplies, and as a result, I’ve tried out many different art mediums. Coloured pencils are a favourite of mine, as pencils are a diverse supply with a wide range of colours. I recently taught my students about colouring pencils in art class. We mostly used different coloured pencils to experiment on toned paper and drawing in both realism and cartoon styles.
I was very excited to receive the Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils, as they promise to last up to ten times longer than other pencils on average and do not require any sharpening. As most teachers would know, sharpening pencils is a big cause of classroom mess, and most children end up over-sharpening their pencils or spilling the sharpener container all over their desks. Having a coloured pencil that works well and requires no sharpening can be a great alternative to regular student colouring pencils. For this review, I put the Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils to the test in an illustration and introduced my students to this innovative new type of pencil .
First Impressions-
The Maped Infinity Pencils came in sturdy cardboard packaging, displaying the different colours available in both the 12 and 24 sets. The back of the packaging markets the pencils’ innovative design, namely that these pencils last longer and do not require any sharpening. The 24 set, which I swatched and used for the final illustration, include the base colours and variations.
The design of the pencils is very unique. Each pencil is only 12cm long and does not have plastic or paper wrappings, like other pencils or crayons. The whole pencil is made of coloured lead, which has a smooth, hard texture. The pencils have no colour names, but have the brand and some small designs embossed onto the pencil. Both ends of the pencil are pre-sharpened. One end of the pencil is broad and the other fine, which allows for colouring bigger or smaller areas with ease.
Swatching these pencils was an interesting experience, as I found the pencils have a texture similar to chalk pencils or chalk pastels. However, unlike pastels, the pigment could not easily be smudged and there was no colour residue on my hands. I was able to build up the colours on the swatches in multiple layers. The Infinity Pencils are even-toned, which allowed me to achieve smooth results. The pencils did have generally harder lead. I think the pigment binder has to be strong to allow the entire pencil to be made of lead. Some of the pencils had weaker pigmentation, however, it only caused those specific pencils to appear lighter or more pastel.
My overall first impression of these pencils is that they are pleasant to use and achieve good results. Although I applied a lot of pressure while working on the swatch card, none of the pencils were dull by the end of it! I could see the pattern of wear from using it, however, after swatching, the pencils were still sharp.
Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils Set of Twelve
Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils Set of Twenty Four
Illustration made using the Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils
Illustration using the Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils-
I decided to make a small eye illustration using the Infinity Pencils to test the practicality of the pencils. What I found most interesting about these pencils was that, despite pressing hard while using them and layering the same colours multiple times, the pencils never became blunt enough for me to feel like a sharpener was necessary. The pencils are not sharp enough by themselves to achieve high levels of detail, however, they never became so blunt that I had trouble colouring the smaller sections of the drawing. I was also able to colour large sections of the drawing with the wide end of the pencil.
One thing I found challenging with Infinity Pencils was line placement, as the broad ends make it difficult to figure out exactly where the pencil is on the page, and I often ended up not perfectly replicating my pencil lines while colouring. These pencils are not designed for blending, and although I was able to successfully blend areas of the illustration, it took many layers and a slow build-up of pigment.
My students had a very positive reaction to these pencils, and they loved the unique design. I challenged my students to try and blunt one of these pencils in class. One of the boys rose to the challenge of putting the Infinity Pencils to the test, and despite colouring an entire page yellow, the end he worked down had caused there to be a sharp point on the slope. He effectively caused the pencil to have a sharp end once more and promptly gave up on the challenge. The pencils also survived being dropped and overcame all the basic classroom challenges.
These pencils are very unique and have a set of advantages and disadvantages that give the product character. Overall, I had a positive experience with these pencils.
Conclusion and Closing Thoughts-
My final thoughts about the Maped Infinity Coloured Pencils are that they have the potential to be an excellent classroom alternative to regular coloured pencils. With the self-sharpening and long-lasting features, these pencils can aid in reducing classroom waste and provide students with a fun new supply to use in the class. These pencils are student-grade, and the colours are less vibrant and opaque than what is expected from more professional brands, however, the selling point of these pencils is the student-friendly features. It is very different from the supplies I usually use to create artwork, and I enjoyed using these pencils to doodle. Both the 12 and 24 sets are great gift ideas, and my students loved experimenting with how these pencils work.
I would recommend this product to students, art hobbyists and stationery enthusiasts. It is a unique, novel and fun supply.
