Artist grade oil pastels will always provide superior color saturation as well as performance. This performance pertains to the blending ability of the oil pastel as well the durability of the pastel which will resist oxidation. Artist quality pastels will always have more pigment in them and the binder will contain a higher proportion of oil to wax. This is what give the rich color saturation and the buttery highly bendable texture. The best Artist grade brands to look for are Sennelier, Holbein Artist, and Caran d’Ache Neopastels and Sakura Cray-Pas Specialist. Student Grade Probably the best thing about this product is that it is one of the most affordable oil pastel sets in the market right now. Even though they are quite affordable, their quality is comparable to some of the more expensive brands. These oil pastels do have a couple of issues, but the price makes up for them.

Last, but not least, I tried Paul Rubens Haiya oil pastels on Canson XL sand grain paper. The texture of this paper is toothier than the Canson Mi-Teintes, but does not feel much like sanded paper such as Uart sanded paper. On 9×12” Canson XL sand grain paper Paul Rubens Haiya oil pastels feel like butter on toasted bread – smooth, creamy, perfect application. I have tried a couple of oil pastels that were great to draw with, but they produced an awful smell. It made drawing with them a nauseating experience. That is not the case with this set of oil pastels. They are non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and do not have any awful smells at all.

Best oil pastels for adults

The HaiYa range of pastels by Rubens offers extensive colour mixing capabilities. The set of 72 comes with a large range of darks and earth tones, which are useful in creating highly contrasted drawings and realistic shadow tones. The earth colours are great for creating warm shadows in portrait tones, or landscape scenes. One of the most distinctive features of the HaiYa series is its bullet-shaped pastel design. This unique shape offers an advantage over traditional forms, particularly when it comes to creating fine lines and intricate details. The pointed tip allows for precision work, making it easier to draw thin lines or add small embellishments. Whether you’re working on the delicate features of a portrait or the intricate patterns of a landscape, this bullet head design ensures you have the tool to achieve high levels of detail with ease. The pastels were not as opaque as I had hoped, especially on the dark paper. If you layer too much on this paper the pastels will just sheer out. By the way, I used the silver pastel on the koi, though on the tinted paper it doesn’t show too much. Koi, oil pastels on Canson Mi-Teintes paper (rough side). Sakura Expressionists are way way less creamy and soft and the biggest set they have is 50 colors. Set

Paul Rubens had launched many oil pastels sets before and in 2023 they upgraded their oil pastels with HaiYa oil pastel series. Most oil pastels are made with a combination of wax, oil, and pigment, which are all relatively safe materials.If you already worked with other artist grade oil pastels, the first thing you will notice is their smaller size in comparison. This could be desirable depending on your style and how you hold your pastels and even though they are smaller they still achieve amazing coverage. One thing artists consistently note with the Neopastel is how well they blend without muddying the colors and how they like layering with them. Yet, during my tests I think I would label Naples Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Cold Yellow, Yellow deep as semi- or fully transparent. Great Deal:This set of oil pastels is very affordable, high quality, and also perfect for beginners.