Okurimono Japan
Ukiyo-e style illustration: an artist in kimono draws a great blue wave at a low desk with a short pencil, a fan of colored pencils spread beside the paper and an open gift box with a red ribbon behind.
Illustration: Okurimono Japan

Gift Truths No.20

Gave them 150 colored pencils. One blue is half the length of the rest.

That's how you know it worked. Every big set has one color that does all the work.

Where this came from

The article behind it.

Buying guideSep 13, 2026

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

A guide to giving the Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils 150-color wooden box set (OP946): who it suits, who already owns too much of it, what is in the box, the smaller sets that exist, storage and shipping, and what to confirm with the shop before ordering.

The gift

The ones I’d actually send.