SennelierCardboard Oil Pastel Set, 24 Count (Pack of 1), Portrait

I didn't realise these were trial/tester/taster sized (measure about 3.5 x 0.5cm), smaller than an actual lipstick!!!Anyway, that is the only negative, for these are a real eye opener to what real oil pastels are and can do. And I though oil pastels were all the same!I bought a cheap box of Faber Castell pastels (not even as cheap as those raved about Pentel pastels) last year and found them crumbly, difficult or impossible to blend (some are so resistant that once apple, do not move from the surface, resisting any blending, even with solvent/ODM) and plain rancid, kept so long forgotten about in my cupboard. The colour varied too, some were semi transparent (full of binder no doubt), others were super bright and fine, were the texture not so poor.These in comparison, being artist quality, are in all earnest, beautiful to use. They have no smell, are so soft that when I wipe them clean between my fingertips they seem to melt (and indeed do at higher temps), and light strokes are so pigmented, the colour stretches. They are so, so, so easy to blend - with finger, stump and yes, solvent. They layer easily, and being oil pastels you can't be mean with your touch, but several layers only add such depth, form and rich colour. I would say they're softer than lipstick.I also bought the Sennelier transparent oil pastel blender before this set and that enough convinced me to try these pastels for it's texture astounded me (and alas, not included in this set), another great tool for blending and in many cases, better than your finger (I thought I'd be clever and try a plain wax candle, and nope, they don't work the same, if at all, for they are not the same thing: candle wax at RT is hard, the pastel blender is as soft as the pastels themselves in the same conditions.) All the pastels wear out too quickly for my taste but that depends on pressure and how many layers you apply, as does the blender, but they all clean easily with your finger. No crumbling yet (you know, hard bits of hard pastel all over the place that are so hard, that only a lighter will melt), as I've seen.I am dreading having to replace them for the real sized pastels will be costly individually. The selection is wide, from earth shades, a flesh I think, all the primaries and many secondaries, and best of all, a selection of chromatic greys. And may I note, the white is the softest yet, it is so creamy it resembles oil paint.They suggest their own oil pastel paper, but I prefer smoother paper, so that the pastel does not fight with the grain. This way, I don't lose so much pastel to the the paper either. Also, unlike non-professional pastels, they're not permanent, that is, works smudge easily.Keep these away form the kids, they're far too expensive for play.

I have just done an art course, so I'm no expert, but these are nice pastels and felt good quality. Needed a green though, which was surprising

What a delight to use these pastels. Rich, buttery and full of colour. I used every way of blending I could think of including fingers, pencil blend and blending stumps. Whichever way, they blend easily - where I went wrong or ended up with too much pastel I found it easy to scrape off with a knife so I could rework it.I recommend making your own colour chart because the stick colour and actual colour can be quite different. It really helped me match colours - especially for skin tone.I love the idea the pastels needed for portraits are in one box, which I thought was great value, but I soon found I needed additional pastels to bolster the colour range - especially greens.I'm a beginner and while my work will never be a professional standard it benefitted so much from using these - so I highly recommend them to everyone.

The pastels are indeed very smooth to work with, and Sennelier does include LIGHTFASTNESS ratings for each stick, whereas too many other manufacturers do not. However, I also prefer to have the actual pigment references to check up on the ratings. It is an unfortunate truth that manufacturers are NOT entirely to be trusted on their ratings.

This is my first purchase of luxury oil pastels and I love the creamy texture! The quality is beautiful and a little goes a long way. Easily blend-able, good range of colours, great starter kit!

Soft and brilliant to add colour and texture!I use with other pastels and together I love the sennellier quality!Highly recommend

These pastels are a real pleasure to use, creamy and easy to blend, good coverage and true to colour.

Excellent choice