The Best Pastels

Pentel Arts Oil Pastels

Great value

This awesome set includes tons of colors for a great price.

Best Bulk Buy

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Whether you’re looking for a great deal on pastels for yourself or for your classroom, these Pentel Arts Oil Pastels may be the best choice for you. There are 12 vivid colors to choose from, with over 430 pieces included altogether. The best part? The whole set is super affordable. They’re great for even the most complicated pieces — blending is a breeze, layering is easy, and you can create nearly any shade using the included options. They’re an excellent choice when you want plenty of pastels that don’t cost a pretty penny.

Pros:

• Acid-free formula means your art lasts longer
• They’re smooth and easy to use
• High-quality packaging helps keep them organized

Cons:

• Oil-based pastels can stain clothes
• The smell of oil is very strong and can be overwhelming for those who are sensitive

Mungyo Soft Chalk Pastels

Convenient coloring

These lovely pastels are easy to use on a variety of surfaces.

Best Chalk Pastels

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Soft pastels are easy to work with and can create dreamy colors and textures you just can’t achieve with other mediums. That’s why we enjoy Mungyo Soft Chalk Pastels. They’re small and easy to work with your hands, making them ideal for small, detailed designs. The colors are bright yet not too overstated, so you’ll always end up with that signature soft chalk-pastel matte finish. One of the things that make this particular pack such a good choice is the packaging — it keeps all of your pastels neatly organized, so you don’t need to mix them.

Pros:

• There are 48 colors included, giving you a large selection for your next art piece
• It includes two large black and two large white pastels for easy blending
• They’re non-toxic and perfect for kids who are still learning to use pastels

Cons:

• This set is relatively pricey
• The square pastels aren’t very long-lasting

Faber-Castell Blendable Oil Pastels

Superior blending

Each of these gorgeous colors blends beautifully for unique artwork.

Best Oil Pastels

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Oil pastels are known for being easier to blend, and they also create gorgeous textures and exciting contrasts. For those reasons and more, we recommend the Faber-Castell Blendable Oil Pastels. They’re available in several different sets that range in size from 12 – 288 pieces, so whether you’re a beginner who wants to dip their toes in or an expert who wants a larger variety, you can find the right set for you. Meanwhile, the fantastic formula makes it easy to blend these pastels with water, oil, and more.

Pros:

• This set comes in a hard case for long-term storage and protection
• The colors last, and your artwork won’t fade as quickly as it can with chalk pastels
• They’re affordable

Cons:

• These can stain clothes and other surfaces
• We wish they were a bit smoother

Prismacolor Premier NuPastel Firm Pastel Sticks

Premium quality

Hard pastels let you use your favorite pretty colors with less breakage and dust.

Best Firm Pastels

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Hard pastels are one of our favorite choices for coloring and sketching, and the Prismacolor Premier NuPastel Firm Pastel Sticks are the perfect example. They’re made to color smoothly with less dust and breakage. That means you can color and blend to your heart’s content without the staining and mess. Each stick is long and thin to make detailing and shading easier, so you don’t need to worry about running outside of your lines or struggling to hold them.

Pros:

• Hard pastels are stronger and don’t break or crack as easily as others
• You can add water to soften them for different levels of texture
• Each stick has its number marked on the side for simple reordering

Cons:

• Hard pastels don’t have quite the same level of vibrancy as soft oil pastels
• This professional-level set is a bit expensive

Pentrista Washable Oil Pastels

Affordable and convenient

Washable convenience meets vibrant colors when you choose these pastels.

Best For Kids

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Kids are messy. It’s a fact of life that all of us parents have to face. Even though they’re prone to making messes of their art, they should still be encouraged to explore different mediums. That’s why we turn to the Pentrista Washable Oil Pastels. Your kiddo can color, shade, practice blending, and more, all without staining or ruining their clothes and other surfaces. If they do happen to color where they aren’t supposed to, all you need to do is wipe it up. No mess, no stress.

Pros:

• They’re made to be comfortable to hold for kids of all ages
• The non-toxic formula is safe
• They’re smooth and blend easily, so your child can really explore the medium

Cons:

• We wish they came with a few more colors
• The packaging isn’t as durable as we’d like

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes pastels different from crayons?

Crayons are made with wax, while pastels are made with oil or chalk. The wax in crayons makes them harder so that they don’t leave any mess or dust behind. But they’re also hard — if not impossible — to blend well. Meanwhile, pastels are softer and more pliable, much like paint, which makes it easy to blend and add texture to your work. They are more likely to leave messes behind, though.

How are pastels made?

Pastels are made using a pigment, chalk or clay, and a binder. Soft pastels use gum arabic for binding, while oil pastels use wax and oil. No matter which one is being made, they start as a paste that is worked into the desired shape and then left to dry out. The dried-out stick is the finished pastel that you can use to color, draw, and blend to create art.