Have you ever asked why oil pastels make the most exemplary drawings from other kinds of pastels? It’s all down to their wonderful vivid hues. In this article, we discuss our picks for the 10 best oil pastels.
The waxy consistency of the pigmented cylindrical sticks results in smooth and buttery use. Oil pastels are durable, dependable, and fun as artistic instruments.
10 Best Oil Pastels: Our Picks
#1 Pentel Arts Oil Pastels
One of the best Pentel oil pastels reviews is that it enumerates all the things you can do with an oil pastel kit. You’ll have a massive range of colors to mix and play with, thanks to 432 sets of vivid and flexible oil pastels!
It can seem to be a daunting collection for some artists, particularly beginners, fear not. These stunning colors are simple to use. They’re blendable, and each color has a vibrant, colorful hue. You can use it to create subtle, gentle tints and shades by blending with other colors.
It’s more about performance versatility and optimal collection ranges. These oil pastels are appropriate for people of all ages. It is for beginners, intermediate consumers, and experienced artists whether you’re searching for oil pastel paintings for kids. Or maybe for teachers, hobbyists, or experienced oil pastel artists, these pastels will suffice. They can also be used on a variety of surfaces, including board, cloth, and canvas.
These oil pastels will last a long time because they are made of acid-free materials. This consideration is important to me because it will help maintain your artwork’s beauty and true to its original state for a long time.
What I like the best about these great oil pastels is just how simple they are to mix, even with your fingertips. Smear or smooth them out, and use colors to create a stunning effect. These oil pastels are easy to work with, and your children can love combining and blending the shades!
The odor of these oil pastels, which has a touch of chemicals, is perhaps their biggest flaw. The pastels will also sound rough at first, but they will get softer and cleaner when you practice on them. Regardless, the consistency of these oil pastels is outstanding.
You’ll get a better deal and value for your buck because they’re available in a large quantity. These pastels show their durability. And they can be used by both amateur and experienced artists.
Pros
- Acid-free materials construction
- Highly durable
- Portable
- Variety of usage
Cons
- Small size
#2 Crayola Oil Pastels
These bright pieces from Crayola will do the trick for young artist aspirants, teachers, and children looking for oil pastels. The oil pastels have a rich color and creamy texture that provides a smooth drive when applied to the paint.
These fantastic colors can be enjoyed by young artists and small hands. Thanks to the ergonomic and simple grip design. They can create artwork with soft hues, mixed colors, and vivid pops of color. These oil pastels are easy to use and blend whether you’re making posters in art class. Or maybe designing the first-ever oil pastel masterpiece.
Another aspect, which gives the oil crayon pastels the appearance of standard crayons is the pointed tip. For precise lines and strokes, the pointed tips are ideal. Having this feature makes the oil pastels much easier to use. These oil pastels are non-toxic, making them suitable for children as young as three years old.
The colors are stunning, and there is a lot of pigment in them, so they provide a lot of production. The willingness to mix goes without a hitch. Producing solid blocks of color is a breeze with its clarity and vibrancy.
Pros
- Simple grip design
- High-quality pigment
- Rich color
- Creamy texture
Cons
- Awkward smell
#3 Sakura Cray-Pas Oil Pastels
Sakura has a wide selection of oil pastels for beginners. Also, for teachers and intermediate consumers as well as experienced artists. Suppose you’ve recently begun to learn how to use oil pastels. This Junior Artist kit might be the ideal gift for your creative abilities! It delves into the properties that any artist will benefit from, such as the creamy feel and slick, bendable colors.
Collection of student oil pastels make oil pastel painting enjoyable and straightforward. Each oil pastel has a soft texture that makes the application smooth and easy. I like how you can mix and play with them using your choosing technique, as they are embellished with heavily pigmented and vivid colors.
These oil pastels are ideal for layering. Also, for finger blending, embossing, rubbing down paints, and sgraffito techniques. The pastels are pretty attractive. They have workable textures that can be used for impasto effects.
The colors are easy to match thanks to the texture, which keeps the consistency. When you smudge or smooth them over, they don’t get sticky. The non-toxic ingredients; are entirely safe to use. With a 50-piece package, you’ll have plenty of paint options to deal with.
Pros
- 50-piece package
- Variety of paint options
- Non-toxic ingredients
- Ideal for layering
Cons
- Not for experts
#4 Mungyo Gallery Soft Oil Pastels
Mungyo Oil Pastels are professional-grade oil pastels. They make rich and colorful colors and creative results in your artwork. Since the colors are so pigmented, you may achieve the desired tints or tones in only a few strokes.
Start with a quick swatch to see how vibrant the colors are right away. These pastels are great for impasto, graffito, and scraping. It is because of their high coverage. Professional artists would adore the sleek and soft texture of this lovely collection. It is essential when blending them to create subtle hues and specific color combos.
It will keep the artwork neat at all times because it is made to be low-residue. These oil pastels seem to allow you to produce art projects without leaving any sticky residues or dust behind. About the fact that they are branded as soft oil pastels, I am fascinated by their longevity. It keeps its softness and smoothness without quickly cracking.
They don’t crack, but they do have a soft feel that stretches over the surface like butter. These are high-quality skilled oil pastels that may need specific techniques and expertise. They are also suitable for beginners. Fortunately, these oil pastels are simple to work with. Plus, with this 48-piece package, you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck.
The light colors are patchy, which I find a drawback, but they aren’t all that bad. It’s just a little blemish that you can quickly fix. These soft oil pastels are most likely one of the most pigmented oil pastels available. A little goes a long way, and you can make up the shades and reach the variety of colors you like in only a few strokes.
Pros
- High-quality skilled oil pastels
- Sleek and soft texture
- Specific color combos
- Longevity
Cons
- Patchy colors
#5 Crayola Oil Pastels Portfolio Series
Maybe you often work with a variety of art mediums. Then you’ll probably enjoy this Crayola Oil Pastel Collection. These Portfolio Series oil pastels are water-soluble, unlike traditional oil pastels. As a result, you can use a wet paintbrush to render them look like watercolor paintings. In these oil pastels, you’ll get the best of all worlds: dried and watercolor textures.
The pointed ends contrast with the smooth edges in traditional oil pastel designs. Such a feature, in my opinion, is handy for making precise strokes and lines. When dealing with creamy oil pastels, this is a little more challenging.
This kit includes a variety of beautiful and vivid colors. And they are bendable, which is ideal for creating delicate shades or intense tints. You may also use a few strokes to make up the paint and give it a smear or smudge to create dramatic and creative effects.
These oil pastels are not only flexible but also easy to use. These oil pastels might be an excellent place to start if you’re a trained artist or crafter or a beginner at oil pastel painting. Each color offers superior quality and value without breaking the bank and isn’t too waxy, and doesn’t melt quickly. Kids can use these non-toxic pastels to help them develop their imagination.
Pros
- Water-soluble
- Strong tints
- Smudge to create dramatic effects
- Non-toxic pastels
Cons
- Not children friendly
#6 Pro Art Pro-3014 Oil Pastel
White oil pastels could just complete your arsenal with good oil pastels. You can use it for heavy and light pressure blends or creating subtle shades of your pastels. This 12-piece collection will allow you to create different shades in your work.
These pastels have a creamy feel and apply smoothly to the paper. They’re also simple to use, making them an excellent option for beginners. Another feature I admire is its adaptability. You can give them a pleasant stroke using various oil pastel techniques., And offer different textures and color variations.
White oil pastels are ideal for creating textural strokes and smoother paint layers. These white oil pastels do not dominate bright colors due to their high pigment content. They mix beautifully and make a rainbow of colors.
These oil pastels can get a little messy at times. I hope the package was a bit tighter so that the pastels don’t fall out all over the place when you take them out. These white oil pastels are a delight for those who want to produce delicate tints and lighter hues. Their sleek and creamy texture also helps them to perform well.
Pros
- Adaptability
- Subtle shades
- Sleek and creamy texture
- Color variations
Cons
- The container is not of good quality
#7 Sakura Xlp50 Oil Pastel
These Sakura oil pastels are a perfect contender if you’re looking for oil pastels. They can compete with professional-grade quality pastels. This Expressionist range is not to be confused with the Specialist range. It is designed for serious artists and experienced painters. The consistency of this 50-piece set is excellent. It makes it a perfect choice for student oil pastels.
These oil pastels are perfect for sketching and painting because they are easy to mix and blend well. The colors are beautiful and opaque. Pigmented shades, greens, blues, earth tones can be used for efficient color blending. The metallic gold and silver colors in the palette often make an impression on me.
The versatility of these oil pastels is another fascinating feature. I like that it can be used on various surfaces, including canvas, paper, cardboard, and even wood, on a painting, an abstract, a still-life, stenciling, scratch arts, and so on. You can experiment with colors and create different textures and shades. Because of their non-toxic materials, these oil pastels are also safe to use.
Pros
- Safe to use
- Versatility
- High durability
- Professional-grade quality pastels
Cons
- Low-quality packaging
#8 Caran D’ache Neopastel Artist Oil Pastels
Caran D’ache is known for its heavily pigmented oil pastels, which have a great color payoff. It doesn’t matter whether you use a gadget or your fingertips to combine them. Scraping them down to produce textures and specifics in your artwork is not a challenge.
These oil pastels don’t get muddy or dirty as you combine and overlay shades. I like how you can smudge the layers of colors in your art for lighter hues and dramatic results.
You’ll have enough simple colors with 12 vivid oil pastel sticks, particularly if you’re still honing your skills and techniques. At the same time, the rich color of these fantastic pastels stands out. They also have a gentle and velvety texture that feels smooth and simple to add. When identifying the colors and making strokes to change the results. It sounds like you’re rubbing butter.
The versatility of these oil pastels is also appealing. These soluble oil pastels can be used with turpentine. Its ideals if you’re looking for oil pastels for canvas. You should show off your skills and creative variations. Such as mixing, sgraffito, pigment layering, circles, or flat-wash. Whether you’re a beginner or an art instructor.
With a diameter of 10mm, these oil pastels are capable of covering larger areas. They produce and will cover a large area of your work, helping you complete your art project quickly. The shades are beautiful, and the opacity is incredible. Unlike cheaper types of oil pastels, they have excellent lightfastness and do not readily wear out.
These oil pastels are very resistant to water and fire, which helps to keep the colors vibrant. They are non-drying and non-oxidizable as well. The only drawback I see of these pastels is the limited color palette. Professional artists who work on large-scale projects or combine more color blends may not find the simple color range to be perfect.
Nonetheless, these pastels are unquestionably among the finest on the market. These pastels are simple to use and versatile for both practitioners and students. When combined with a white shade, the tints shift smoothly to lighter edges and hues. When you’re mixing the colors, they give you a lot of precision and let you do a lot of blending.
Pros
- Heavily pigmented oil pastels
- Excellent lightfastness
- Non-drying
- Non-oxidizable
Cons
- A bit expensive
#9 Sennelier Oil Pastel Intro
Sennelier oil pastels, in this 12-piece collection, are a flexible color. It has long been a favorite of talented artists and painters. These oil pastels have an outstanding level of quality. It has incredible coloring, soft clarity, and high-quality performance. As a result, if you’re hunting for high-quality oil pastels, this might be the right option for you.
I like how these pastels are creamy, sweet, and smooth, much like oil pastels should be. It’s easy to deal with, and the pastels slide on smoothly and naturally as you add them to the paint. I think the texture is pretty cool, and it allows you to play around with the colors and create your color combos.
These oil pastels are workable in terms of technology use. You may use them with a variety of blending techniques to create textures and vivid colors. You can quickly scatter the colors using the smudging method. It comes in a wide variety of rich and bright colors. You can create colorful color combinations in your artwork.
These oil pastels can be used as a resist if you’re painting with mixed media like watercolor. By creating strokes and making lighter hues, you can improve the appearance and textures of artwork.
These oil pastels, on the other hand, are lighter than other oil pastels I’ve tried. Such brands are a lot firmer than most. It’s impossible to use for detailing because it’s so lightweight. Also, the size of these oil pastels seems to be smaller than average.
These are some minor drawbacks. These oil pastels provide superior consistency and amazingly vivid colors. Its flexibility allows you to work using a variety of art mediums and techniques. While also enhancing the finer points of your work. Professional and seasoned oil pastel artists will enjoy its fascinating colors. Thanks to its professional-grade consistency!
Pros
- Professional-grade consistency
- Amazingly vivid colors
- High durability
- Good packaging
Cons
- Small in size
Best Oil Pastels – Things to Consider
Selection of Colors
Oil pastels come in a wide range of vivid colors, making them a visual feast. These oil pastels are often available in various collections. They allow you to build your color palette. These oil pastels are available in a variety of colors or a single hue.
They come in 12-piece, 16, 24-piece, 25, 48-piece, and 50-piece sets. Some manufacturers sell large sets of oil pastels. They range from 200 to 400 and occasionally even more.
You must remember the talents, strategies, and tasks. Before making your decisions, you will be focusing on them. Oil pastels are different from traditional crayons. They are a kind of artistic product.
As a result, if you’re a beginner who’s still honing your abilities, you may want to use fewer shades if you’re a seasoned oil pastel artist looking for new colors to introduce to your collection. The large variety of oil pastels can be challenging to work with.
Versatility
It’s critical to understand how your oil pastels can work. Suppose you deal with a variety of art surfaces and mediums regularly. Make sure your oil pastels have the versatility to respond to your chosen materials. Standard sheets, pastel papers, cardboard, cloth, or wood, for example, may all be used as these materials.
It would be ideal if the oil pastels could be blended easily. This allows you to create a wider range of colors and tints. To intensify your work with the natural, you may go from bright colors to delicate hues. Any oil pastels are water-soluble, allowing you to use them as watercolor pastels as well.
Another exciting aspect of their versatility is the ability to make impasto effects. Using these pastels to draw attention to specific details in your work. You should also use a solvent like turpentine to improve the consistency of your oil pastel painting. You can speed up the drying process of pastels by using such a substance. A cotton ball or q-tip may also be used to combine the colors.
The Opacity of Colors and Ingredients
The vibrant and invisible colors of oil pastels never fail to inspire. If you wish to add a package of high-quality oil pastel colors to your collection. You can also check the opacity of the colors. Pastel shades that are rich and fade-resistant are available for durable consistency.
Oil pastels labeled as acid-free will withstand the adverse effects of humidity. As a result, these oil pastels are less likely to disappear. You should look at the user feedback. And get a better idea of the colors and how they appear on various types of surfaces.
You can also review the additives and ensure that the oil pastels are healthy to use. This is also a requirement for inspecting any oil pastels. Mainly if you want to give them to your children or young ones to use for artwork, check to see whether the commodity is advertised as non-toxic oil pastels. Or whether it has no additives that might hurt you.
Quality and Textures
The waxy quality of oil pastels is one of their distinguishing characteristics. This texture feels seamless and gentle when applied to a wall making coloring, blending, and rendering strokes even simpler. They were also easy to disperse, owing to the fat. Since these oil pastels are durable, no fixatives are needed.
These oil pastels are so durable are also a plus, unlike oil pastel pencils, which may crack or leave dust on occasion. Oil pastels do not smudge, crumble, or leave any particles, ensuring that the artwork is still neat.
Brand Reputation
There’s no doubt that you’ll want to invest in professional-grade oil pastels. Suppose you’re focused on a large-scale project that necessitates the use of a lot of colors. You’d like to swap your old collection of oil pastels. Or you’d like to exercise your talents on your first set of oil pastels. The brand is one of the most important things you remember.
When you’re unsure which collections of oil pastels to buy or browsing through a list of well-known and trustworthy labels can be a valuable and simple trick. Several art labels sell outstanding collections of art objects, such as oil pastels. They’ve already built a solid reputation for providing high-quality, long-lasting, and dependable products.
This consideration also aids in narrowing down your choices and determining. Which products stand out in the marketplace. You’ll find a variety of brands on our list. They have been recognized for making some of the best oil pastels available today.
10 Best Oil Pastels FAQs
What is the best oil pastel brands?
With too many oil pastels’ brands to choose from, deciding on the right one can be difficult. Senior, Crayola, Pentel, Caran D’ache, and Sakura are famous and reputable brands to look at. Just like the ones we described in our oil pastel analysis.
These labels are well-known for their distinct characteristics, such as texture and consistency. Senior is a famous brand of professional-grade oil pastels. On the other hand, Sakura has a variety of oil pastels that appeal to both amateur and experienced artists.
If you’re just getting started with oil pastel painting, Loew-Cornell oil pastels might be the brand for you. Beginner and children’s oil pastel collections are available from such a company. They’re much more economical than most labels in terms of sales.
Which is better, oil pastels or soft pastels?
It’s difficult to say which pastels are superior. Perhaps the best way to know is to determine which consistency and texture you require and prefer. Each category has its own set of drawbacks and benefits.
Oil pastels have a waxy consistency that makes them difficult to crack or crumble. They’re long-lasting and flexible, and they’re ideal for sketching and creating creative results. Because of the creamy texture, they provide smooth and gentle strokes.
On the other side, soft pastels are more common. You can quickly mix and layer the colors, unlike with oil pastels. As opposed to oil pastels, soft pastels are ideal for adding fine lines and strokes to the artwork. However, if you want to add dramatic specifics and effects to your job, you can easily smudge them.
Soft pastels, on the other hand, are more delicate. They have a proclivity for crumbling or breaking, leaving dust and particles on your job.
Oil pastels and soft pastels are also perfect sticks of vivid color, despite their variations. They’re also straightforward to deal with. If you practice your skills and techniques, all styles can require your patience and commitment. However, they promise vibrant colors that you can layer and draw upon to do stunning artistic works.
What kind of paper is best for oil pastels?
It’s safer to use oil pastel papers explicitly made for them. To use as a surface for your oil pastels, you can buy pastel sheets, pastel cards, or cardboards.
As a result, the more substantial the surface or document, the better. Oil pastels should not be used on regular paper or sketch paper because of the oil content. Since most papers are small, oil pastels will only pass through and stain the paper.
How to care for and clean oil pastels?
It’s not essential to sharpen your oil pastels. However, to hold them in the best possible state, you should still store them in case to avoid breakage and other losses. Oil pastels tend to mix easily with different colors due to their oil content and waxy consistency, particularly when mixing or blending them with other colors.
To recreate the original shades of your oil pastels by removing any stains or other paints. This is particularly true when using white oil pastels. After each use, clean them with a clean, soft tissue, cotton ball, or soft cloth.
10 Best Oil Pastels Conclusion
To summarize, finding suitable oil pastels does not have to be a difficult task. It can necessitate any investigation and comparison. You will learn everything you need to know about oil pastels with the aid of our oil pastels reviews and in-depth guide.
Oil pastels can be chosen based on their color palette, flexibility, texture, and overall consistency. Then decide which selection of oil pastels is better for you. It’s also a good idea to keep track of the brand and price range, particularly if you’re new to oil pastels, with the right implementation of techniques. You’ll be able to create imaginative works with vibrant hues and lovely textures!