Holbein 150 Colored Pencils as a Gift: Who Is the Wooden Box Set For?

The Holbein 150-color wooden box set is the right gift for someone who already draws in colored pencil regularly, works in layers, and doesn’t own a full range yet. It is the wrong gift for someone who draws occasionally, who mainly paints, or who already has a complete set of another brand they love. Before you buy, check three things: what they already own, whether they have a flat place to keep a large box, and whether the shop can confirm the box dimensions and gift wrapping.

This guide is about fit, not about praise. I haven’t drawn with this set and this page doesn’t describe how it feels; the specifications come from Holbein’s own product pages and the shop’s listing. The point is to help you decide whether 150 pencils in a wooden box will be used, or will sit on a shelf being admired.

Who this is for

• The person who draws in colored pencil already — sketchbooks, portraits, botanical work, illustration — and keeps reaching for a color they don’t have.
• The illustrator or comic artist who colors by hand and works in layers, where a wide range of close shades matters.
• The adult coloring or botanical-art hobbyist who has moved past a starter set and is buying single pencils to fill gaps.
• The art student whose course uses dry media. A full range at the start of a program is a real head start.
• Occasions: a milestone birthday, graduation from an art program, a retirement into a long-postponed hobby, or a “you said you wanted to draw more” gift with intent behind it.

Who it may not be for

• Someone who mainly paints (watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oils). Colored pencil is a different practice; they may use a few pencils for detail, not 150.
• Someone who draws digitally. A tablet artist rarely returns to pencils in quantity.
• Someone who already owns a full range of another brand. A second 150-pencil set is duplication, however good. Ask first.
• Someone with no flat storage. A 150-pencil wooden box is large; in a small flat it lives on a table or not at all.

If any of those apply, the smaller Holbein sets or a Japanese fountain pen may be the kinder gift.

Why this set, when it fits

Holbein describes its Artists’ Colored Pencils as oil-based pencils developed for drawing rather than writing: a soft, fine-grained core that lays color down quickly and evenly, layers well (light over dark and dark over light), and holds on rough or smooth paper, including over watercolor, gouache and acrylic. The barrel is a thick 7.8mm round, which Holbein says is for grip and less hand fatigue. Holbein states the pigments are high-grade with good fade resistance, and that lightfastness varies by color, marked per pencil.

Where 150 colors help: skin tones and botanical greens, where the difference between adjacent shades is what makes a drawing look right; layered work, where you want the exact color rather than a mix; and simply not stopping to buy singles. Where they don’t: for someone who draws in line and a handful of colors, most of the box stays unsharpened.

What is in the box, and what isn’t

The set the shop lists is Holbein’s Artists’ Colored Pencils, 150-color wooden box set, product code OP946 (the shop’s barcode matches Holbein’s OP946). According to Holbein’s product page it contains:

• 150 Artists’ Colored Pencils (the full range), oil-based, 3.8mm core, 7.8mm barrel
• A pencil sharpener
• A bottle of Meltz, Holbein’s blending solvent for softening and blending pencil work

The paper-box 150 set (OP945) is the same pencils without the sharpener and Meltz. Holbein also sells a separate limited “Wood Box” 150 set (OP948, 465 × 220 × 77mm, about 4.0kg) at a higher price; that is a different product and not the one linked here.

Not included, and worth adding if you want the gift complete: paper suited to layered pencil work, a blending stump or paper towel for Meltz, and a good hand sharpener if the person prefers one. Any of those are available locally.

Smaller sets that exist

If the full range is more than the person will use, Holbein’s own shop lists these Artists’ Colored Pencil sets:

Set	Product code
36 colors	OP930
100 colors, paper box	OP940
150 colors, paper box	OP945
150 colors, wooden box with sharpener and Meltz	OP946

The shop linked here stocks the OP946; whether it stocks the smaller sets changes, so search the shop by product code. Only the 150-color wooden box set is linked from this page.

Two the shop stocked when checked

If the wooden box is more than the occasion calls for, the shop linked here also listed these on 16 September 2026:

The same 150 colors, in a paper box. The OP945 set has the same range of colors without the wooden box, the sharpener or the Meltz blender, at roughly ¥35,340 instead of ¥57,250. It’s the sensible choice if the pencils matter more than the presentation.

Or start with 24. The OP920 set is about ¥7,018: the same artists’ pencils, a starting range of colors, and a box that fits in a bag. It suits someone who draws now and then, or a first gift before you know how they’ll use it. There’s more on that set in colored pencils for an analog bag.

Storage, shipping and the box

• Dimensions and weight. Not published by Holbein for the OP946, and not on the shop’s listing. If space matters, ask the shop for the shipping carton size before ordering.
• Storage. A wooden pencil box wants a flat surface: a desk, a shelf, a drawer. It is not a carry-around set; for that, a small tin of 12–36 is the better choice.
• The wooden box is the product, not the wrapping. It ships inside an outer carton for transit. Gift wrapping by the shop is not listed as a standard service — ask, or wrap it yourself.
• Breakage. Pencil cores can crack in transit. The shop’s policy covers damaged arrivals reported within 7 days with photos.

What to ask the person before buying

• What do they draw, and in what medium? (If the answer is “paint”, stop here.)
• Do they already own a large colored-pencil set, and which brand?
• Do they work in layers and blends, or in line and flat color?
• Where would a box the size of a large keyboard live?

Two of those can be asked in a normal conversation about their work without revealing the gift.

How to buy from Japan

Okurimono Japan doesn’t sell anything. “Check Price” takes you to the product page on Discovery Japan Mall, an independent Japanese retailer (not Holbein’s own shop) that ships internationally and shows prices in your currency. You pay them directly by card or PayPal. The shop states orders usually ship within 5 business days with tracking and insurance, and shows courier delivery estimates by region on the product page; customs duties, where charged, are collected on delivery. Returns are for damaged, defective or incorrect items only, reported within 7 days with photos. The price on this page is an approximate conversion at the time of writing; the live price is on the shop. Full details on How to Buy.