Lightfastness Testing of Colored Pencils

Summary

Markers were by far the most vulnerable category. Alcohol markers, in particular, faded fast, even from well-known and expensive brands like Copic and Winsor & Newton. Some colours disappeared entirely. Water-based markers didn’t fare much better. While a few showed slightly better results, most still saw significant fading by the end of the test. Some of the markers advertised as lightfast did perform noticeably better, including the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens, the Winsor & Newton Watercolour Markers, and the Talens Pantone. These all outlasted the other markers, although did still show some fading towards the end of my 6-month testing period. If you love working with markers, your best option is to protect your work. Scan it, photograph it, or frame it with UV-resistant glass. Without protection, expect fading over time – especially in pinks and neon shades, which were the weakest performers across all brands.