Are Star Joy Gold Edition the next MUST HAVE Budget Pencil Set?





Are Star Joy Gold Edition the next MUST HAVE Budget Pencil Set?


Call it progress or call it reverse engineering but cheaper coloured pencils are getting better. Those passionate about pencil art seem to want more options for beginner artists or hobbyists who dont have the means to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollar and with that in mind, and manufacturers appear to be listening!

With that in mind, let me introduce you to Star Joy Gold 120.


First Impressions

The first thing that I noticed about the Star Joy colored pencils was the way they feel. The barrel casings have a velvety matte finish unline anything I've ever held before and while it may not make a difference to performance, appearance is everthing right? They're nice to hold and look fantastic in their colour sets



One of the first things you notice when you open the box though is the order does seem a little strange - and there's a fantastic reason why, explained by StarJoy themselves in the video below.  





 Swatching

I like to test new pencils on quality and cheaper papers because this gives a really clear indication of how your pencils will work both in cheaper coloring books and for more important quality art projects. I was impressed with the hard core and the massive variety of colours while swatching but I noticed a significant difference when I moved to the cheaper paper.

Through all of my colored pencil work the one thing that has been proven true so far is that you can skimp; but not on everything. Cheaper pencils are fine if you're prepared to invest in quality paper and quality, softer pencils will work on cheaper papers. 

I loved the vibrancy and diversity of the colors available in the Start Joy range but I definitely recommend better paper for them. 

Start Joy Gold Edition 120 Set. Note the difference in the smoothness of the swatches from left to right? The quality paper definitely helps these pencils perform better. 



Star Joys on a Coloring Page 

Based on this, the next natural step was to test the Star Joy's in a coloring page that included blending, layering and sharpening to see what kind of results we can produce and I was quite happy with what I discovered.

Being a hard core, oil based tip, the Star Joys sharpen to a nice fine point which makes them great for fine details and I really enjoyed coloring with them in small spaces. Next I tested them with comparable colors in a more expensive, oil based set - the Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils. Here are the results:

With Star Joy on the Left and Lyra Rembrandt on the right, you can see that their lay down was comparable, if not quite as bright in the purple / pink tones but brighter on the brown and yellow tones. I personally thought the Star Joys layered really well, if not better than the Lyra's on this artist's paper.


Now if you've been following my journal a while you know that I absolutely love the Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils and recommend them if you can afford the investment but I was really happy with the results of the Star Joy's against a similar, yet more expensive pencil.


Are Hard Core Pencils right for Beginners?


As with most oil based pencils, the Star Joys need a soft touch and a lot of layers to create that smooth, blended look but this is not a reason to avoid them. Many beginners gravitate towards wax based, soft cored pencils because they are considered a little more forgiving and easier to blend but the layering technique is also a valuable one to learn. Many people choose Prismacolor, Arrtx and Holbeins but consider the oil based pencils too, if only just to widen your skillset. 

A hard core pencil has a a plethora of advantages and if you're a beginner colorist, I urge you not to be afraid of the harder pencils. They are a brilliant pencil to learn with and to control your pressure. As you get more confident, hard core pencils will help you create incredible art. 


Star Joy Gold Editions, used in
Christine Karron' s WildFlower Folk, available on Amazon


In Conclusion


A fantastic pencil for the price, lush with unique colors and a fantastic finish, I highly recommend trying the Star Joy Pencils and working on the hard cored, layering technique that will give you a beautiful polished finish with some fine detail too! I've loved using these pencils along side the ARRTX 126 for a best of both worlds experience. 





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