From chalk pastels to pencil pastels to oil pastels and everything in between, we researched dozens of art pastels to find the best ones, evaluating pigment, quality, and use. Our top pick, the Sennelier Soft Pastels, come in dozens of sets in a variety of color collections, blend beautifully, and have a paint-like finish. Here are the best art pastels.
Type
There are three main types of pastels—soft, hard, and oil—and every artist has their own personal type, which makes this a must for choosing the best pastels. If you’re new to pastels, Colletta recommends trying all three different types of pastels first to see which ones you find the easiest to work with, for the type of artwork you are trying to create.
Color
“You want to find a pastel that has the hues and intensity [desired] for your artwork,” says Colletta. This means selecting a set of pastels with the colors you want, but also experimenting a bit. “Each different type of pastel has its strengths and weaknesses in terms of color selections and vibrancy.”
Why Trust The Spruce Crafts?
Contributing writer Jessie Quinn has a Bachelor’s Degree from Academy of Art University and, as the daughter of an artist, has spent a majority of her life immersed in visual arts and various mediums, including painting and drawing with pastels. In addition to her artistic upbringing, Jessie loves to craft and has spent hours upon hours tracking down high-quality supplies for her projects. When researching the best art pastels, Jessie leaned on these experiences to inform her research. As a result, she put quality at the top of the list, while also considering pastel type, pigmentation, and use.
