If you want to create drawings with vibrant colors then you need a pastel pencil set. Pastel pencils make your drawings appear vibrant with excellent color depth.
Pastel pencils allow you the same control as a pencil and allow you to blend like standard pastels. If you are artistic, then you will love the vibrance of the color a pastel pencil brings. The drawings created with these pencils appear as traditional paintings and produce rich, appealing colors.
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With this in mind, we wanted to share our picks for the best pastel pencils available for artists.
9+ Best Pastel Pencils for Artists in 2022
- Faber-Castel Pitt Pastel Pencils — The best pastel pencils for artists in 2022 overall (Editor’s Choice)
- KOH-I-NOOR Pastel Pencils — The best budget pastel pencils for artists
- Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils — The best value pastel pencils for artists
- Stabilo Carbothello Pastel Pencils — The best professional use pastel pencils for artists
- Derwent Pastel Pencils — The best soft pigmented pastel pencils for artists
- PANDAFLY Professional Pastel Chalk Pencils — The best pastel pencils for portrait drawings
- Cretacolor Pastel Pencils — The best pastel pencils with excellent color quality
- Marco Chroma Manga Pastel Colored Pencils — The best ergonomically designed pastel pencils
- General Pencil Pastel Chalk Pencils — The best sturdy pigment pastel pencils
Which is the Best Pastel Pencil for Artists Available?
Faber-Castel Pitt Pastel Pencils is the best pastel pencil available. Have a look at the table given below to find the comparison between various pencils and choose the one that fits your requirements.
Types of Pastel Pencil
There are five types of pastel pencils. They are Soft, PanPastel, Hard, Pencil, and Oil. Let’s take a closer look at each type.
Soft
Soft pastel is the traditional form of pastel pencils. They are a combination of pigment, water, and an artificial binder. The texture of these pencils is soft, so they create a smooth, smudgy and intense color. You cannot mix these pastels in a palette, so you must use an extensive range of colors for soft pastels.
PanPastel
PanPastel comes with professional quality soft pastel colors in a unique pan format that comes in round-shaped tin boxes. These pencils come with a separate spatula for them. The main advantage of such colors is that they can blend and apply pastel colors like paint.
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Hard
These pastels are drawing sticks made with pigment, water, and chalk. They create sharp and bright lines on light and dark papers. You may sharpen these pastels but you cannot create a fine point as in pencils.
Pencil
These pastels are like normal pencils. They have soft wax pastels enclosed in a wooden shaft. You can sharpen them to a fine point.
Oil
Oil pastels come with a mixture of pigments that you may combine in a binder. The binder is a mixture of waxes and mineral oils so the pastels are greasy and don’t appear dry.
How to Choose the Right Pastel Pencils
People who are new to the art of drawing might not know about pastel pencils. They have colors that appear vibrant and make your drawings look appealing. These are the factors that you must consider when selecting a pastel color.
Vibrant Colors
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The colors of the pastel pencils need to appear vibrant. Some brands have dull colors that require you to use them several times to make the color visible so you must choose the pastel pencils that have the right amount of color vibrancy.
Number of Colors
If you want to draw only portraits, then choose the light-colored panels. If you are planning to draw colorful landscapes then you can select brilliant attractive colors.
Durability
The pastel pencils you buy must last. You must purchase pencils with lead strong enough to handle harsh conditions. You must get pastel pencils that are durable enough so that you can sharpen them easily.
Price
You must keep in mind the need for pastel pencils when you invest in them. You must select a less expensive set if you are planning to use them sparingly or an expensive one if you are a professional artist and you plan to use them daily.
9+ Best Pastel Pencils for Artists in 2022
1. Faber Castel Pitt Pastel Pencils (Editor’s Choice)
The best pastel pencils for artists in 2022 overall
Dimensions: 7.48 x 12.8 x 1.3 inches Color: Assorted Colours in Range: 60 Material: Wood Lead Point: 4.3 mm diameter
The Faber-Castel Pitt Pastel Pencils come as a set of 60 colors in a metal tin, making it the largest set available from a Faber-Castel set with a good variety of colors.
The Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils are unique as they are dry-based pastels. They can complement general pastel works with details when necessary. They are pencil-form pastels so they do not smudge like conventional pastels. They have a sharp-friendly point and you may use them for intricate details with their wide range of colors.
Pitt Pastel pencils have a high level of pigment but they are wax and oil-free, making them perfect for fine details of pastels. You can easily smudge them to create fine color transitions and they perfectly complement the pastel crayons.
These pastel pencils are an ideal choice for beginners and professional artists. They are available in smaller sets of 36, 24, and 12 counts as well. It conforms to the ASTM D4236 standard.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Pigment rich | ➖ Color name is not printed on the pencils |
| ➕ Blends easily | ➖ Breakage can happen if not sharpened correctly |
| ➕ Oil-free binding agent | |
| ➕ Great for intricate details | |
| ➕ Comfortable to use | |
| ➕ Light-resistant |
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- Pencils contain a high level of pigment
- Wax and oil free
- Perfectly suited for fine details in pastels
- Easily smudged to create fine color transitions
- Metal tin set of 60
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2. KOH-I-NOOR Pastel Pencils
Best budget pastel pencils
Dimensions: 7.87 x 7.87 x 3.94 inches Color: Assorted Colours in Range: 48 Material: Wood Lead Point: 4.2 mm diameter
The KOH-I-NOOR Gioconda soft pastel pencils are a set of pastel pencils that captures the blending ability and vibrancy of pastels with control. The pigments used are a mixture of calcium carbonate with other binding agents that creates a unique look to the pencils.
This is a set of pigment-rich pencils and the result is intense. The blending level of these pencils is not high. The blending becomes good with a certain set of colors and it is not with other sets.
The application of the color is smooth but there are a few hard spots in the lead that can disrupt the smoothness of the lead.
These pencils come in a strong tin case. These pastel pencils come in a stained wood finish on the outset with a color-coordinated base. You also have the color number printed at the bottom, which makes it a nice-looking presentation from the makers.
The KOH-I-NOOR color range of pencils is available in a set of 12, 24, 36, and 48 pencils. You can also purchase single pastel pencils as well.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Good sturdy metal case | ➖ Only the color numbers are printed |
| ➕ Vivid color | |
| ➕ Sharpens nicely | |
| ➕ Smooth application of colors |
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- GREAT PRESENTATION PACK
- KOH-I-NOOR FAMOUS GIOCONDA RANGE
- KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH a.s. is one of the world leaders in the production and distribution of first-rate stationery for artists, schools and offices, using 100% FSC wood.
- Model number: 8829048001PL
3. Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils
The best value pastel pencils for artists
Dimensions: 11.61 x 7.28 x 0.51 inches Color: Assorted Colours in Range: 24 Material: Wood Lead Point: 5 mm diameter
The Conte Pastel pencils are large pencils with an 8mm barrel and 5mm thick lead.
The diameter of the Conte a Paris pastel pencil gives you genuine freedom of creation with a perfect companion to soft pastels and crayons when you require intricate details.
The quality and strength of the pigment are excellent. The problem with some of the pencils in the set is that once you use the sharpener with these pencils, the core of the pencil crumbles and falls apart.
You may purchase these pastels in a single piece. It is an excellent option for artists as the last thing an artist would want to happen is running out of a pigment color during a project and must buy a full set to obtain that single color.
This is a set of 24 assorted pastel pencils but is available in a 48-count set as well. The 24-piece set is available in a metal tin but the 48-set color pencils are available in a cardboard box. They may not make them ideal to store because you need a case for them when you are not working from home.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Vibrant colored pencils | ➖ Breakage with the pencil sharpener |
| ➕ Lead with 5mm thick | |
| ➕ 48 color range | |
| ➕ Lightfast pigments |
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- The exceptional diameter of the Conte a Paris pastel pencil (5 mm) lead gives genuine freedom of creation and has an unrivalled feel
- The pastel is perfect pencil companion to soft pastel because its lead is slightly harder with less pigment
- It is preferable to Conte soft pastels and crayons when details is required for small and medium sized formats
4. Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils
The best professional use pastel pencils for artists
Dimensions: 13.25 x 8.05 x 1.35 inches | Color: Assorted | Colours in Range: 60 | Material: Wood | Lead Point: 4.4 mm diameter lead
The Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils are available in a range of 60 colors. All the pencils are covered with a wood barrel with the same color of the pigment.
You can dry-blend or smudge them using a blending stump to create amazing effects. The results of blending the colors in the pastel are incredible when you use them in dark backgrounds and delicate papers. You may also use the pigments of these pastels with a brush and water.
This is a 60-piece set that comes in a metal tin. It is available in 12, 24, 36, and 48 tin cases and you may also purchase single pastel pencils.
This set of CarbOthello pastel pencils is perfect for professional use because the pigments in the colors use toxic materials, so it is also harmful to children.
If you are a beginner, make sure you use tools when you use the colors for blending. Otherwise, make sure you wear proper gloves while using these colors.
On the face of the pencil, towards the end is printed the logo of Stabilo in gold along with the color number. This number serves as a reference for future purposes as well.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Good blending ability | ➖ Toxic materials used to create pigments |
| ➕ 4.4mm lead diameter | |
| ➕ Pigment rich | |
| ➕ Soft lead hardness |
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- Charcoal-like feel
- Highly pigmented colors
- 4.4 mm diameter lead
- Great results on dark or toned papers or surfaces
- Finished artwork can be treated with a fixative
5. Derwent Pastel Pencils
The best soft pigmented pastel pencils for artists
Dimensions: 13.95 x 1.02 x 7.8 inches | Color: Assorted | Colours in Range: 72 | Material: Wood| Lead Point: 4.5mm diameter lead
Derwent offers pastel pencils that come in burgundy color with the color of the lead appearing at the bottom of the pencil. The name of the color and its color code is also printed on the body of the pencil.
Derwent sells Pastel Pencils in the range of 12, 24, 26, 48, and 72 sharpened pencil sets. The 72 pencil set is the highest range of sets available in an attractive wooden box set. These wooden boxes are attractive and offer striking beauty.
These pencils come in metal tins that provide extra protection and security to the pencils. Inside the tin, each pencil has its own neatly shaped place. The pencils are comfortable to hold, making them perfect for any artist.
Derwent pencils are fragile, and the core part of the pencil can break with the slightest pressure. Sharpening these pencils can be a difficult task by itself because, by the time you reach a sharp point of the pencil, you would have chipped off at least one inch of the pencil.
These pencils are smooth to draw on, but it also depends on the kind of paper you use for drawing with these pastels. If you use a rough paper, the oil in these pastels will jump out and you will have a rougher, more complex application that allows for more personality.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Strong colors | ➖ Difficult to sharpen |
| ➕ The name of the color is printed | ➖ Fragile |
| ➕ Blends easily | |
| ➕ Can be used dry or wet |
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6. PANDAFLY Professional Pastel Chalk Pencils
The best pastel pencils for portrait drawings
Dimensions: 7.09 x 2.56 x 0.35 inches Color: Colours in Range: 4 Material: Basswood Lead Point: 0.4mm diameter
Your imagination will run wild with the PANDAFLY Pastel Pencils. They are ideal pencils for drawing, coloring, crafting, illustrating, and designing. You may use them with anything that shows your creative side to produce stunning artwork.
PANDAFLY mixes charcoal particles with the finest of the clays and wood encased. The lead of the pencil is crack and break-resistant, non-toxic, and safe and are smooth, layered pencils that are easy to sharpen while conforming to the ASTM D4236 certification of art products.
The 0.4mm thick pencil leads are ultra-smooth and lay down evenly so that they blend, shadow, and layer effortlessly.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Blend easily | ➖ Works well only with plain paper |
| ➕ The leads do not break easily | |
| ➕ White and black pencils’ lead hardness varies | |
| ➕ Made specifically for portraits |
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- PREMIUM COLOUR CHARCOAL PENCILS SET: Charcoal Drawing Kit including 8 pcs charcoal pencils: 3 pcs white charcoal pencils, 1 pcs brown charcoal pencils and 1 pcs suntan charcoal pencils, 3 pcs black...
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7. Cretacolor Pastel Pencils
The best pastel pencils with excellent color quality
Dimensions: 0.95 x 13 x 7.5 inches | Color: Assorted | Colours in Range: 72 | Material: Wood | Lead Point: 4.3 mm diameter
Cretacolor pencils come in a metal tin case with the colors kept under two separate plastic trays, but the casing has a chance of lead breakage, so you must find an alternate for this. The casing also has sandpaper in them for sharpening the pencils.
These pencils come with pencils in the ranges of 12, 24, 26, and 72 pencils. Cretacolor Pastel pencils have a soft core inside a wood pencil. The end of these pencils has the lead color to easily identify the colors to choose. The pencil’s end shows the color name and its number.
If you would like to draw wildlife, then these pencils are for you. The colors of greys and browns are abundant and there are plenty of colors available for abstract and landscape paintings.
Pastel pencils are subject to internal breakage but the lead of these pencils does not break that easily. It is always better to handle these pastel pencils carefully as they are capable of banging with each other and breaking from inside.
The palette of these pencil sets is beautiful and can hold a sharp point which is perfect for any detail. You may blend the pastels in these wood-cased pencils with other pastels. They give some brilliant colors and high lightfastness. You may mix and wipe the colors and are soluble in water.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Vibrant colors | ➖ Storage case could be better |
| ➕ Smooth and even texture | ➖ Color blending is a problem |
| ➕ Works well for fine details |
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- Colors can be smudged and blended
- Excellent for detail work, as they can be sharpened to a point
- Soft, oil-free strokes
- Pastel chalk pencils.
8. Marco Chroma Manga Pastel Colored Pencils
The best ergonomically designed pastel pencils
Dimensions: 11.93 x 7.83 x 1.77 inches Color: Multi-Color Colours in Range: 24 Material: Wood Lead Point: 3.3 mm diameter
Marco Chroma Manga Pastel Pencils is a quality pencil set of 24 colors. These color pencils can be used by graphic designers, illustrators, and artists.
This pencil set comes in a hexagonal shape with a 3.3mm thickness. You may line up and arrange the pencils neatly in a tin. This helps in easy transport from one place to another. These are the most economical pencils and come in high-quality wood.
You will have the joy of coloring with these pencils as they produce rich and intensified colors.
All the pencils come in white with the color of the lead being coated at the bottom of the pencil. It is ideal for painting in layers and used in filigree drawings.
It is an excellent source of inspiration. These pastel pencils are ideal for multi-layer drawing and color mixing. The compact box is easy to carry around and provides you with quick color identification.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Come in a protective case | ➖ Color visibility needs applying a bit of pressure |
| ➕ Comes with clear labeling | |
| ➕ Ergonomic design as it is easy to hold |
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- 2B Core Hardness: With the special technology of the lead, it won't brake when fall or hit
- Tin Box: Make it easy to bring your pack wherever you want
- Hexagonal shape: Comfortable for fingers all ages
- Designed for the best experience: Saturated colors and smooth gliding will provide a joy of coloring
- Customer Care: We want to provide the best customer experience. If you have any issues with your items, don't hesitate to contact us.
9. General Pencil Pastel Chalk Pencils
The best sturdy pigment pastel pencils
Dimensions: 9.6 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches Color: Multi-Color Colours in Range: 12 Material: Wood Lead Point: 3.3 mm diameter
The General’s Pastel Pencils has a fine array of non-toxic and oil-free pastel pencils aimed at beginner artists.
These pencils come with great quality that does not cause any breakage while sharpening, but you cannot purchase these pencils individually. If you want to look for vibrant results with your drawing, then these pencils are a great choice.
The pigment of these pencils is sturdy enough so you can draw even on the roughest of the papers. They hold their point well and require less sharpening which makes them capable of producing some fine details as well.
These are the best pastel pencils available for artists who are looking for budget color pencils. The low cost coupled with adequate results makes it an ideal choice for casual artists who don’t worry about immense control or lightfastness ratings.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Affordable | ➖ Colors are not vibrant |
| ➕ Strong Lead |
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- Product is unique and carries its own natural characteristics
- The brand of the product is general's
- This product is manufactured in united states
- The smooth, pigment rich formula of these pencils is wonderful for chalking, lettering, outlines, shading, rouging, and aging effects
- Acid free, oil free, artist and archival quality
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9+ Best Pastel pencils for Artists in 2022
The advantage of using pastel pencils is that you can use them to add more vibrancy to your drawings. You can also add more details to the drawings with these pencils. The best pastel pencils are also equally tricky to use but you will master the art of using them with time.
The reality is how much ever you spend on the pastel pencils, the pencils will not change the caliber of an artist. But sheer hard work and practice will. So make sure you continue doing that every day of your life. But at the same time, remember to have fun while making art!