Find the Best Oil Pastels for Landscapes, Still Lifes, and Portraits
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Made from pigment mixed with nondrying oil and a wax binder, the first oil pastels were invented by the Osaka-based company Sakura in 1924 for use in Japanese schools. While oil pastels never caught on with Japan’s educators, they interested artists—including Pablo Picasso, who collaborated with the French manufacturer of art supplies Sennelier to develop a higher-quality version of Sakura’s product. Sennelier’s launch of their oil pastel in 1949 was followed Holbein’s in the 1980s and Caran d’Aches’s in the 1990s.
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A cleaner medium than chalk pastels, but still softer and more blendable than either colored pencils or crayons, oil pastels are a great tool for both sketching and making finished pieces. Thinned with oil or solvents, they can also be used for painting. A concern with oil pastels is that they never completely dry and should ideally be treated with a fixative or framed behind glass. But they make up for that in ease of use, workability, and vivid color.
It’s tough to pick the absolute best brand, as your preference will depend largely on your subject matter and style. In fact, most artists will mix brands and fill their arsenal with colors of different firmness. A common combination, for instance, is to layer super-creamy Senneliers over slightly firmer Holbeins. Higher-grade pastels can be bought individually, so we encourage you to shop around. Here are some recommendations to get you started.
ARTnews RECOMMENDS
Caran d’Ache Neopastels and Sets
Caran d’Ache pastels strike the right balance between price and performance. Sightly harder than the other top brands, they are renowned for their opacity. The colors are strongly pigmented and easy to spread and blend; impressively, they also go on while leaving virtually no dust. These are certified as nontoxic by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI); the line’s colors do not include cadmium, cobalt, or other mineral pigments requiring a warning under California law. You can buy them individually or in sets of up to 96 sticks.
Caran d’Ache Neopastels and Sets
WE ALSO LIKE
Sennelier Oil Pastels
People love to compare Sennelier’s pastels to lipstick. Indeed, these top-notch pastels are the softest of their kind, and they simply glide on paper. But they can be quite slick and smeary and can even melt in the hands; as a result, some artists might find these pastels just too finicky. Still, Senneliers are buttery and blendable and have a higher pigment-to-binder ratio than any other brand. They perform best when used as top layers or highlights. Artists can purchase the complete range of 120 colors (including a few metallic colors) individually. Be aware, though, that these pastels use some pigments, such as cobalts and cadmiums, that are now known to be toxic.
Sennelier Oil Pastels and Sets
EDUCATORS’ CHOICE
Sakura Cray-Pas Specialist Oil Pastels and Sets
While much better than student-grade brands, these sticks aren’t the best of the best when it comes to soft pastels: They are firmer and less blendable, and they come in a limited range of colors. But they show exceptional color intensity, are lightfast, and go on smoothly, making them a great option for serious students and even professionals who want a harder pastel for detail work. These also have a square cross-section, meaning that you’ll have edges for producing straight, sharp lines.
Sakura Cray-Pas Specialist Oil Pastels and Sets
TOP OF THE LINE
Holbein Artists’ Oil Pastels and Sets
Holbein’s pastels are softer than the Caran d’Ache Neopastels but not as creamy or gooey as Senneliers, which makes them an incredibly luxurious option that remains quite versatile. They layer well, blend beautifully, and can be used for intricate detail work. Because they are square rather than round, you can also use the edges to mark clean lines. The eye-watering prices of these pastels (about $4 a stick) reflect their high pigment load, extreme lightfastness, and stability: They won’t crack or completely harden because of their wax content and Holbein’s addition of highly refined mineral oil. Finally, Holbein offers 225 colors—the largest spectrum available.
Holbein Artists’ Oil Pastels and Sets
ALSO CONSIDER
Van Gogh Oil Pastels and Sets
Van Gogh’s soft pastels are described as student grade, but we feel that these are worthy of any serious artist’s attention. Each stick lists the pigments used as well as the color’s lightfastness rating, so you know exactly what you’re working with. These pastels lean slightly firm—similar to the Cray-Pas Specialists—and perform beautifully, mixing with little effort and going on smoothly without flaking. Their high pigment-to-binder ratio results in deep and intense colors whether applied alone, over acrylics, or blended with oils. They are available in 12-, 24-, or 60-stick sets to provide artists with an excellent range of hues to work with.
Van Gogh Oil Pastels and Sets
Brought to you by the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world, ARTnews Recommends helps you make the choice that suits you best from products in hundreds of art and craft supply categories. Our offerings are based on intensive research, interviews with artists and craftspeople, and the accumulated experience of the site’s editors and writers. We provide trustworthy and helpful advice about materials to artists ranging from beginner to professional.
1. Sennelier Oil Pastels
Our top recommendation in this category of art materials is also the top of the line, because oil pastels tend to be fairly affordable compared to many art mediums. And, if you can afford them, Sennelier oil pastels—buttery, blendable, and with a higher pigment-to-binder ratio than any other brand—are the best you can buy. With a storied history (Picasso asked this Paris-based purveyor of art supplies to make a line of oil pastels for him in the late 1940s), Sennelier remains the gold standard for oil pastels. This set comes with Sennelier’s 48 basic colors with another 24 colors suitable for specific genres, including portrait and landscape drawing. Because Sennelier’s complete range of 120 colors can also be purchased individually, this set balances economy with sufficiency. Be aware, though, that Sennelier uses top-quality pigments, including some, such as cobalts and cadmiums, that are now known to be toxic. Wash your hands after use.
Sennelier Oil Pastels
2. Caran d’Ache Neopastel Oil Pastels
Somewhat less expensive, but also a great choice, Caran d’Ache oil pastels are likewise strongly pigmented and easy to blend. Slightly harder than the other top brands, Caran d’Ache pastels are also renowned for their opacity. Unlike Sennelier’s oil pastels, these are certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute Inc. (ACMI) as nontoxic; their colors do not include cadmium, cobalt, or other mineral pigments requiring a warning under California law. As with Sennelier, you can buy Caran d’Ache oil pastels individually, but with this box of 96, you probably won’t need to.
Caran d’Ache Neopastel Oil Pastels
3. Mungyo Gallery Artist’s Soft Oil Pastels
Creamy, highly pigmented, and less crumbly than student-grade brands, the Mungyo Gallery Artists’ oil pastels are professional-quality pastels at student prices. Like Caran d’Ache, they are certified nontoxic. A warning for consumers: Mungyo Gallery Artists’ Soft Oil Pastels are not the same as their student-grade Gallery Oil Pastels and the difference is not always made clear in product listings.
Mungyo Gallery Artist’s Soft Oil Pastels
4. Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artist Crayons
Technically, a wax crayon rather than an oil pastel, and falling somewhere in between in terms of feel, Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artist Crayons are an option for those who don’t want to use spirits or oils as thinners. Professional quality, lightfast, and easily worked when dry, they can be thinned and blended with water. Like all water-soluble pastels, these tend to leave a faint line when washed—don’t expect them to be as fully dissolvable as watercolors but treat them as you would their oil-based counterparts.
Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artist Crayons
5. Sakura Cray-Pas Espressionist Oil Pastels
From the makers of the original oil pastel, Sakura’s Cray-Pas Expressionist pastels have a high wax content, making them firmer and less blendable than other oil pastels. Still, they go on smoothly and are nontoxic and lightfast. While they come in a limited range of colors, they’re a great quality oil pastel at a great price, suitable for older children, students, and even professionals looking for a harder pastel for detail work.
Sakura Cray-Pas Espressionist Oil Pastels
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