Kird Barken 80 Colored Pencils – Professional Oil-Based Set Review
Kird Barken 80 Colored Pencils – Professional Color Pencils for Adult Coloring Books,Coloring Pencils with Oil-Based Cores,Soft Core, Art Supplies Gift for Beginners & Adults
Kird Barken
- 【High-quality colored pencils】: This upgraded set includes 80 richly pigmented colored pencils, offering a broader color spectrum than traditional sets. From skin tones and brights to earth and pastel hues, it meets all your artistic needs with vivid, smooth color application.
- 【Smooth Oil-Based Core for Seamless Blending & Shading】: Each pencil features a durable, soft oil-based core, ensuring smooth color laydown, effortless blending, and rich gradients. Perfect for building textures and creating realistic effects.
- 【Labeled for Clarity + Custom Color Swatch Chart】: Each pencil is clearly marked with its color name and number, allowing for easy identification and precise color selection. To help you stay organized, we’ve included a blank color swatch chart—create your own color reference guide and build a personalized palette for faster, more intuitive drawing sessions.
- 【Elegant Gift for Artists of All Ages】: Packaged in a stylish, protective gift box, this set makes a thoughtful art gift for adults, students, teens, or hobbyists. Ideal for birthdays, holidays, back to school, or creative self-care.
Quick Verdict
Pros
- Impressive 80-color range covering skin tones, pastels, brights, and earth hues
- Oil-based cores deliver smooth blending and rich gradients without wax buildup
- Soft cores layer easily for realistic shading and texture work
- Each pencil labeled with color name and number for easy identification
- Comes with blank swatch chart to create a personal color reference guide
Cons
- Packaging, while protective, feels slightly basic for a professional set
- No sharpener or eraser included — you'll need to source these separately
- At 80 pencils, organization in the box can get tight over time
Quick Verdict
The Kird Barken 80 colored pencils deliver solid performance for the price. The oil-based cores lay down smoothly, blend without that waxy drag you get on cheaper sets, and the sheer color range handles everything from skin tones to pastels without you needing to mix constantly. At around 4.4 stars, these aren't flawless — the packaging feels a touch basic and you'll want your own sharpener — but for adult colorists wanting variety without professional prices, this set earns a recommendation.
What Is the Kird Barken 80 Colored Pencils Set?
I opened this box on a Tuesday evening, half-expecting the usual disappointment that comes with bulk art supplies. Sixty dollars later, I was pleasantly surprised. The Kird Barken 80 colored pencils arrive in a protective gift box with each pencil individually numbered and labeled by color name. The set spans skin tones, brights, earth hues, and pastels — 80 distinct colors that genuinely cover more ground than a typical 48 or 64-piece set.
These are oil-based colored pencils, which matters more than most listings admit. Wax-based pencils dominate the budget market, and they bring a particular frustration: the waxy buildup that makes blending feel like pushing paint through butter. The Kird Barken set sidesteps that. Each pencil has a soft oil-based core designed for smooth laydown, easier blending, and richer gradients. Whether you're working on adult coloring books with intricate patterns or building up layered landscapes, that core difference is immediately noticeable.
Key Features
- 80 richly pigmented colors covering skin tones, brights, earth, and pastels
- Oil-based soft cores for smooth application and seamless blending
- Each pencil labeled with color name and number for easy identification
- Includes blank color swatch chart to build a personal reference guide
- Packaged in a stylish, protective gift box suitable for gifting
- Durable wooden casing around soft pigment cores
- Ideal for adult coloring books, hobbyist art, and creative self-care
Hands-On Review
Let me be honest — I approached this with the skepticism of someone who's burned before on "professional" sets that turned out to be glorified school supplies. The first thing I did was grab my usual test page: a complex mandala design with fine lines and tight spaces. The Kird Barken pencils handled the detail work better than expected. The cores aren't rock-hard like some oil-based sets, which actually helps when you're working in small areas without constantly needing to resharpen.
Color selection was genuinely enjoyable. Having spent time with sets where I had to guess which "warm gray" or "dusty rose" was which, the labeled cores saved real frustration. By day three, I'd stopped reaching for the chart and could grab the right pencil by feel. The blank swatch chart that comes included is a small touch but a smart one — I spent twenty minutes building my own reference and now color matching takes seconds instead of guessing.
Blending is where oil-based pencils typically pull ahead of wax, and these delivered. I tested a sunset gradient using five colors in sequence, building from pale yellow through coral to deep magenta. The transitions were smooth, with no streaking or that muddy过渡 that happens when colors don't blend cleanly. The pigment lays down rich — not quite the density of premium brands like Prismacolor, but noticeably better than mid-tier competitors at similar price points.
What surprised me was the paper compatibility. I tried these across three paper types: standard copy paper (for science, I don't recommend it), a mid-weight coloring book paper, and a premium thick watercolor paper. The pencils performed consistently on the coloring book paper, with good layer buildup. On the heavier paper, I had to press slightly harder, but coverage remained even and blendable.
Who Should Buy It?
Adult colorists looking for variety without premium prices will find the Kird Barken 80 colored pencils a practical choice. The broad spectrum means less time mixing and more time actually coloring.
Beginners building their first serious art supply collection benefit from the labeled cores and included swatch chart — both reduce the learning curve significantly.
Hobbyists who enjoy gifting art supplies will appreciate the presentation box. It looks intentional, not like bulk packaging repackaged.
Skip this set if you're a professional artist who needs museum-grade pigment density. You already know what you're looking for and these won't replace your Prismalchars or Luminances. Also skip if you want a compact travel set — 80 pencils is a commitment, and you'll want a dedicated workspace.
Alternatives Worth Considering
Prismacolor Premier 72-Piece Set: The gold standard for adult coloring, with superior pigment density and buttery smooth laydown. Costs significantly more, but the performance gap is real if you're serious about layering and blending.
Arteza Professional 72 Colored Pencils: Another oil-based option with similar price positioning. The color range overlaps considerably, though some users report slightly harder cores on the Arteza set.
Crayola Colored Pencils 72-Pack: The familiar bulk option. Fine for casual use, but the wax-based formula doesn't blend or layer as effectively as the Kird Barken oil cores.
FAQ
Sí, absolutely. The labeled cores make color selection intuitive, and the soft oil-based formula is forgiving enough for learners while still performing well for intermediate artists.
Final Verdict
The Kird Barken 80 colored pencils occupy a sweet spot in the market: professional enough to perform, affordable enough to be accessible. The oil-based cores genuinely make a difference in blending and layering, the color range covers more than most projects will ever need, and the labeled pencils remove friction from the creative process. Yes, the packaging won't win design awards and you'll need your own sharpener. But for adult colorists building their toolkit without breaking the bank, this set delivers where it counts.