Colourful Drawings: The Complete Pastel Pencils Buying Guide

Capable of creating realistic portraits and stunning sceneries, pastels are a favourite among artists. However, their delicate and powdery nature might make them challenging to work with, particularly for finer details. This is when pastel pencils come into play. Consider them a bridge between ordinary pencils and the vivid world of pastels. They provide the precision required for microscopic details and sharp lines, making them a popular choice.

How to Choose the Best Set?

Bring your art to life with a pigmented and easily blendable pastel pencil set. When looking for the best option available, there are some factors to keep in mind.

Intended Use and Presentation

Pastel pencils have a wide range of applications, and to pick the finest set, you must first decide what you intend to do with them. If you only want to add details to your work or plan to use a couple of the deeper or lighter tones, purchasing a set is unnecessary. Many businesses allow you to wager on individual pencils or sell them in small grayscale gradient packages.

If you plan on landscaping, having a diverse colour palette is essential. Pastel sets with more than 40 colours are ideal for this style of painting, but they can quickly wear down when covering huge areas, so consider purchasing some soft pastel sets on the side.

If you’re going for portrait art or realism, there are a few manufacturers that only provide specific sets for portrait painting; however, if you want a larger set, make sure it includes adequate colours for the skin and undertone.

Pigment Quality

Low-quality pigments are abundant on the market, and first-time users are readily misled by the intensity and colour range of some brands that function well on paper but fade quickly. High-quality, lightfast pigments are slightly more expensive but well worth the investment for serious novices, enthusiasts, and professional painters.

One quick approach to ensure pigment quality is to verify the lightfastness grade of the pastel pencil, which should be clearly stated on the colour chart or package.

Artist-grade pastel pencils typically have the highest level of lightfastness, meaning they will resist fading over time. While some student-grade brands may also have decent lightfastness, it is recommended to seal them after use to prevent them from losing their vibrancy for a longer period.

Consistency

Pastel firmness varies; some are as soft as traditional pastels, while others are harder, gritty and chalky, or soft and smooth to apply. Although some manufacturers mark the consistency on the box, you must try these pencils for yourself to determine how well they operate. Because the most popular brands are well-known, reviews and videos will allow you to see how these pastels perform.

Colour Range

If you intend to use pastel pencils as your primary medium, choose a brand that offers a wide colour range, not only in sets but also individually. This way, you’ll be able to easily obtain the colours you need in the future and won’t have a limited colour palette that requires you to purchase sets from different brands to complete.

Price Point

The price of pastel pencils varies greatly depending on the brand, quality, and number of pencils in the package. While it may be tempting to go with the lowest option, keep in mind that when it comes to art equipment, you usually get what you pay for. Some high-quality pencils, while more expensive initially, may last longer and have a better colour payoff, requiring you to change them less frequently. It’s also worth mentioning that purchasing individual pencils in colours you use frequently can be less expensive than buying new sets regularly.

Best Pastel Pens: Our Top Picks

Mont Marte Pastel Pencils 24 Pc: Best Overall

Mont Marte Pastel Pencils are the ideal art tools for everything from fine detail work to rapid emotive sketching. These pastel pencils are simple to use and perfect for blending and smearing. Their finest pigments give a high level of lightfastness and coverage. They are easy to use and can be combined with soft and hard pastels to produce fine lines and details. The set contains 24 vibrant colours which are easy-to-apply, and highly pigmented.

Faber Castell Pitt Pastels: Best Budget

While not as well-known as some other brands, Faber Castell is most recognised for their pastel pencils, which are of great quality, easy to use, and come in a wide selection of colours. These pastel pencils are also highly pigmented and reasonably priced, making them an excellent choice for both beginners and professionals.

They are very easy to sharpen, which may make or break the pleasure of using pastel pencils, and they do not wear down as quickly as some other brands. Preferred by many artists and highly recommended, these pastel pencils are the best in the market.

Caran d’Ache: Best for Professionals

Caran d’Ache, best known for its luminance colouring pencils set, is one of the top brands for high-quality art supplies. Used and recommended by professionals, the brand’s pigment quality and lightfastness distinguish these pastel pencils, as does the lead thickness, which makes them more robust and easier to use.

Caran d’Ache pastel pencils have the same substance as classic soft pastel bars, which are exceedingly soft and easy to apply; nevertheless, they can be overly soft or crumbly, causing the pencils to break if not properly cared for and stored.