Having been in the art magnet portion of my high school for a couple of years, I have to say these colored pencils are the best of their quality that are readily available -- to my knowledge, you can find the smaller boxes of Prismacolors at Walmart. The graphite is soft, allowing for easier blending of colors and creation of shades of one's own, as well as color layering in your work. I will say this: they are a bit on the pricey side, but they're worth it for the kind of work they enable you to create.

Can't live without these. No siree.