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| A grail pencil: Berol Karismacolor |
Although I like to try anything, and I’m always interested in
finding vintage pencils that are of better quality than average contemporary
products, I don’t have many colored pencil “grails.” Perhaps one that would
qualify is the Berol Karismacolor.
When I first saw photos of it, I was immediately attracted to its appearance:
a lovely round, natural wood barrel with a clear varnish and a unique diagonal
end cut that exposes the core – both brilliant and beautiful! Then I read that
it was Roz Stendahl’s favorite colored pencil before it was discontinued
years ago, and that really piqued my interest: If Roz favors them, they must be
a high-quality product.
Searching for some on eBay, though, was discouraging. Good sets of
Karismacolors are now rare and therefore ridiculously expensive. I didn’t need
a full set – all I wanted was a few to try – but that was even harder to find.
I hang out in Pencil Land, however, and every now and then, the
elves and fairies sprinkle magic pencil shavings on me. A very nice person found
out I was looking for Karismacolors, and he generously sent me a handful as a
gift. Apparently acquired as seconds, the pencils have some misprints, and some
of the end cuts are chipped, so they aren’t of much value to collectors, but
they are perfectly good to me.
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| US- and British-made Berol Karismacolors |
Most of the mix I received are made in the USA by Berol, but
interestingly, one is marked as made in England. The cores are deliciously thick and soft and sharpen beautifully.
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| Thick cores! |
The highlight of the pencil’s distinctive design is the bezel end
cut. I have never seen any other pencil with this detail! It evokes contemporary
chopsticks and decorative bamboo poles.
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| A unique design detail that I love! |
How do they apply? Making a sketch of Rainier cherries in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook, they were very soft, creamy and easy to
blend and layer. The pigment content and quality are similar to vintage Design Spectracolors and US-made Prismacolors, which are both excellent. These are pencils I will happily
use, even as I admire those end cuts displayed in a (grail) cup.
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| 6/27/19 vintage Karismacolors in Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook |
Hello. I really liked your post about the Karisma coloured pencils. I hadn't realised how rare they had become until I started using mine again which I probably purchased over 25 years ago! I had stopped drawing with pencil crayons about 18 years ago and these were stowed away in a box in my art room which I dug out last year and started using them again. I hadn't realised how good they were and how much I liked drawing in pencil crayons. I wanted to replace some colours and then realised they were discontinued and were classed as very rare. I read endless reviews on pencil crayons and eventually purchased 'Art-n-Fly' oil based colored pencils. They're good but not a touch on my Karisma ones, so it was nice to hear someone else rave about them. I am using my Karisma's down to the butt and enjoying them while I can!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alison
Lucky you, Alison, for still having your old set! I think US-made Prismacolors (Sanford-branded) are the closest in quality and "feeling," and they are relatively easy to find on eBay (at reasonable prices if you find a slightly used set). Enjoy your Karismas!
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