Spoilt for choice!
There is a very large selection of brands and manufacturers for pastel colors. Beginners in particular will be very confused. In addition, the price differences are considerable. While you can get chalks for a few euros in cheap stores, you have to dig deep into your pockets in art supply stores. As an artist of many years’ standing, I can assure you: keep your hands off cheap chalk from the supermarket. It’s simply not worth it. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t also very good chalks for little money! 🙂
My tip for beginners – Faber-Castell
If you have never painted with pastels before and would like to try out this wonderful medium, I would definitely recommend Faber-Castell chalks. They offer a box of 72 mini chalks at an unbeatable price. Around 25 euros. You get an excellent selection of colors at a low price. The chalks are of good quality. They are predominantly soft and have a strong smear. Many stationery and art supply stores sell them.
Similar quality – Koh-I-Noor
The chalks from Koh-I-Noor have a similar quality to Faber-Castell and also include around 120 shades. You can also buy the Koh-I-Noor chalks individually in art supply stores for around 1.20 euros each.
Medium-priced brands such as Rembrandt
I also have a few Royal Talens Rembrandt chalks in my possession. The entire range comprises 218 shades. The price is in the mid-range, at around 2 euros per chalk. I am only moderately satisfied with many of the colors from this brand. Why? They are often very hard and you can only apply a few layers with them. They can’t compete with the quality of Schmincke and Sennelier. Nevertheless, Rembrandt has a very good spectrum with great nuances.
My favorites – Schmincke and Sennelier
The German brand Schmincke offers an impressive color spectrum of 400 pastel crayons. This leaves almost nothing to be desired for the artist. The chalks are very soft, so you don’t need to press hard to achieve a bold stroke.
Sennelier is a French brand and offers a color spectrum of an incredible 525 shades. In my opinion, the quality is identical to Schmincke. Schmicke’s chalks are slightly thicker than Sennelier’s and Sennelier is slightly cheaper. The chalks cost about 3-5 euros each. In sets, such as the Paris Collection from Sennelier, the chalks are slightly cheaper. The two brands are really expensive but once you have tried them you will learn to love the difference. You can often apply an extra layer with them where cheaper brands reach their limits. In addition, few other brands offer three shades of solid color with more white. The shades have been developed and thought through for a very long time.
Pastel painting is very popular all over the world. There are a number of other brands that are difficult to find in stores. For example, Unison Color from the UK or Terry Ludwig. They are very expensive. Even more expensive than Schmincke and Sennelier. 6-7 por chalk. I haven’t tried them yet. But I don’t think they are any better quality than Schmincke and Sennelier.
Why no cheap brands?
Pastel crayons that are not of artist quality are often very hard and poorly made. The dark blue tones in particular often do not have a proper smear. You won’t have any fun with them and would be better off investing your money in high-quality chalks that carry the label “studio quality” or “artist quality”.
Conclusion
To get started, I highly recommend the chalks from Faber-Castell or Koh-I-Noor. As you become more advanced, you can expand your equipment with additional color nuances. In the major German cities, all Boesner stores sell Koh-I-Noor, Rembrandt, Sennelier and Schmincke chalks individually.
| Koh-I-Noor & Faber-Castell | Rembrandt | Schmincke & Sennelier |
| hard – soft | hard – soft | very soft |
