With the popularity of YouTube influencers in the arts and crafts space going through the roof right now with many of them seeing constant exponential month on month growth, we have noticed more and more people reaching out with questions around the various items these YouTubers have in their stationery collection. Due to this, we have decided to publish this article going over the pencil selection for the arts and crafts YouTubers that we most commonly see people reaching out about.
Please keep in mind that this list is only of what seems to be their preferred pencils that they tend to use on a regular basis. There are definitely occasions where some of these arts and crafts influencers have used other pencils for their artwork but we will list the pencils that they are seen to be using the most.
Please also note that a large number of these YouTubers are either professional artists or make a full-time income from their YouTube channel. Due to this, they have a much higher budget than our average reader and there is usually no need for many of our readers to spend as much on their pencils as their favourite YouTubers do. Something like a set of Castle Art premium Colored Pencils (usually $30-$40) will usually be enough for any of our readers who are new to arts and crafts or are on a budget.
We have also added our table of contents below so you are able to quickly and easily navigate to your favourite YouTuber to check the pencils that they use for their arts and crafts. Due to covering so many influencers the table of contents should be able to help save our readers some time by removing the need for them to skim the whole article to fine your favourite YouTuber.
What Pencils Does Johanna Basford Use?

Johanna Basford definitely has the most extensive pencil collection of our featured YouTubers with her choosing to use the following seven pencil models on a regular basis for her artwork:-
- Staedtler Ergosoft Colouring Pencils.
- Arteza Triangular Pencils.
- Castle Arts Botanical Pencils.
- Faber Castell Polychromo Pencils.
- Faber Castell Colour Pencils.
- Staedtler Aquaralle Watercolour Pencils.
- Derwent Blending Pencil.
Each of the pens has their own specific use in Johanna’s art collection but the majority of the heavy lifting in her YouTube videos does seem to be done with the Staedtler Ergosoft Colouring Pencils that are an excellent choice. Although the Staedtler range of pencils is an excellent option for anyone wanting to get into arts and crafts or upgrade their current stationery, Prismacolor are another high-end brand so our Staedtler vs Prismacolor comparison article may help you may your choice between the two.
Depending on exactly what you are planning to do in your arts and crafts sessions, we would imagine that a large number of our readers are simply able to go without a number of the pencils that Johanna uses. For example, the Castle Arts Botanical Pencils are more of a specialist option and unless you are planning on working with a large amount of botanical art then you can usually do without.
Sticking to the Staedtler Ergosoft colouring pencils is an easy way to help keep your costs down while also being able to get a very similar style to Johanna and not have to break the bank. Although some of her speciallist pencils can perform better in certain niches, we are fully aware that many of our readers will not have he budget to duplicate her collection.
What Pencils Does Moriah Elizabeth Use?
Moriah Elizabeth tends to stick with either Prismacolor sketching pencils or Prismacolor premier soft core depending on if she is doing her initial sketch or actually coloring her work. When it comes to pencils, Prismacolor are definitely one of the better options and if you have the budget to pick up both pencil sets that Moriah uses you can get an absolute ton of versatility out of them.
If you are only looking for one option then we would highly recommend that you go with the Prismacolor premier soft core color pencil option over the Prismacolor sketching pencils as you will be able to get more value out of them. There are a number of solid sketching pencils on the market that are very budget-friendly but it can be a pain to find a solid set of colored pencils that perform as well as the Prismacolor premier soft core while also offering that much versatility in a single pack.
What Pencils Does Rob Biddulph Use?
Rob Biddulph usually uses a set of Prismacolor pencils but he has also been seen to use Stablio pencils in a large number of his videos too. It is unclear if the switch between the brands is due to a sponsorship deal, a chance in preference or simply just what he has to hand but both options can offer solid performance.
It definitely does seem that Rob uses the Prismacolor pencils more frequently than his Stablio pencils though suggestion that he does tend to prefer the Prismacolor brand. As you will see as we continue through our article, Prismacolor is a very popular option amongst YouTubers in the arts and crafts space so you can often use the same pencils as your favourite YouTubers by simply going with a decent Prismacolor pencil set.
What Pencils Does Drawholic Use?
Drawholic tends to use a set of Prismacolor pencils for the vast majority of their videos and rarely seems to use any other pencil brand. As we have touched on earlier in the article, this can be petty standard due to even an entry-level set of Prismacolor pencils offering excellent performance and great versatility ensuring that most people will be able to get everything that they need out of them for general arts and crafts.
What Pencils Does Heather Rooney Use?
Heather Rooney almost exclusively uses either Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils or Caran d'Ache Grafwood pencils for her arts and crafts videos on YouTube. It is very rare that she uses anything else so we would guess that she is a huge fan of the Caran d’Ache range of pencils.
Heather is unique in the fact that she is the only YouTuber on our list who uses Caran d’Ache and although they are a very popular brand with a great reputation, they just don’t seem to be used by many arts and crafts influencers. Heather puts her pencils to good use in her YouTube videos and really shows you what you are able to do with your Caran d’Ache pencils and shows just how well they can perform.
What Pencils Does Vexx Use?
Vexx almost always uses the No products found. set for her pencil work being quite specific in the exact type of pencil that they prefer. A large amount of the artwork on Vexx’s YouTube channel is done using marker pens rather than pencils though with the Posca paint marker pens being their main marker pen of choice.
If you are also interested in marker pen art then our article going over the marker pens that popular YouTubers use may be worth reading too. There are a fair few YouTubers featured in this article also featured in our marker pen article so you may see your favorite arts and crafts YouTuber there too with the marker pens that they prefer to use.
What Pencils Does ZHC Use?
ZHC tends to use a range of various mechanical pencils for their YouTube videos where they use a pencil but the actual mechanical pencil tends to change on a regular basis. He also tends to use a lead holder on a regular basis over a mechanical pencil when working with lead too.
ZHC tends to prefer to use markers in the majority of his videos rather than a pencil, especially the ones where he is customizing gadgets and tech. ZHC usually uses Posca paint marker pens too when using a marker due to their excellent performance relative to their price tag in the market.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over the the pencils that the the popular arts and crafts YouTubers use to a close. We hope that we have helped you find the pencil set that your favourite YouTubers use. As you can see though, a large number of the featured YouTubers in our articles prefer the Prismacolor range so picking a set of Prismacolor pencils up can get you a similar style to many of the featured YouTubers.