I Ranked 3 Oil Pastel Brands: Sennelier, Holbein, Caran d’Ache

[@artprof]

See oil pastel tutorials in this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLvt8_pMl6ywnv7HBncBFg9wYiA3Ec4usA

[@bluewren65]

There is one brand that needs to be mentioned. Mungyo Gallery is an artist quality pastel that is only a smidgeon softer than Caran D'ache and about 1/3 of the price. They have an amazing range of colours with really great pigment load. I just checked on Amazon and a set of 120 will run to about USD100. They are incredible value and a joy to use. Just be careful to get the "Gallery" and not the student grade. I really enjoyed the righteous indignation re Holbein. TAKE THAT, HOLBEIN! 🤣

[@anawieder5003]

oil paste;s are absolutely my favorite drawing medium, My favorites are Van Gogh,, mungyo, and sennelier for top layers. I also like Van Gogh and sennelier because I can buy them individually at the art store so I only buy what colors I need instead of spending money on colors I'll never use

[@HeyLauraVan]

The Marabu Art Crayons look like sets I’ve seen on Amazon with the label Kingart (so perhaps white-labeled). The Kingart ones are listed as “artist pigment crayons” and “gel sticks,” and are often compared to tempera sticks (that also come in a plastic casing) such as those by Shuttle Art. Among mixed-media artists on YT, there seems to be an interest in art supplies made for children. An interest in mostly discontinued Faber-Castell Gelatos led to artists discovering & sharing Shuttle Art tempera sticks. And people who loved the Caran D’Ache Neocolor ii re-discovered & shared the Stabilo Woody water-soluble crayons. These are fun sketchbook materials and I’m here for it!

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

Marabu, KingArt and Distress crayons are all rebranded Chinese products resold with an outrageous markup. The generic products are exactly the same and up to a 10th of the price (I am doing a video on this very topic at some point in the future because it infuriates me😂). They are great, fun products and I adore them in sketchbooks - just not worth the markup (don't get me started on the price of Gelatos!!). I would buy the Sunny silky crayons now instead.

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

(PS - I don't mind paying a lot for stuff that is really high quality and unique - I have a lot of Caran D'Ache products, and I love handmade papers, for example. I just object to ridiculous markups on white label items or children's products remarketed to crafters and art lovers)

[@o0superflu0o]

​@@TheStrangeConnectorArt Idk about the US, and those... crayons? clearly say "made in China", but at least for the European market, Marabu produces in Germany. I'd put them firmly in the "crafting" category though, similar to Pébéo.

[@Msboochie2]

@@o0superflu0oThose gel crayons are in the crafting category, as far as I recall. The Shuttle brand gel crayons have always been inexpensive. Marabu and Kingart came late to the party and have been marketing to crafters who have a little more disposable income, for the same product.

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

Clara, i love that you are into the same supplies as me!! I always feel like such an outlier because i am all about the Neopastels and Neocolor I ( the non watersoluble ones) and everyone always loves Sennelier and Neocolor II! i think i started watching Art Prof in fact because i came across one of your videos with Neocolor I pastels and was so excited to come across another artist who loves them as much as i do! They are so underrated!

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

Neocolor I are one of my all-time fave sketchbook media

[@trinec9320]

I have the caran d’ache 24 set and a mungyo 48 set which is perfect for my non pro artist needs and process. I’d love to know what you think of the Mungyo oil pastels. They’re pretty affordable and I find them to almost be a dupe of the caran d’ache neopastels, except they’re a touch softer than the caran d’ache and the vibrancy is a little different.

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

I have the Mungyo 200 case set (I got them from Japan as they were much cheaper there) and they are my faves after Neopastels. The only downside to Mungyo (the artist grade ones, not student grade) is that they are near-impossible (or ridiculously expensive) to buy open stock outside of Korea/Asia, so once you run out you have to buy a whole new set if you want replacements. I got the 200 and my plan was to slowly replace each fpastel with Neopastels as they run out as they are a similar shape/size (though there are less Neopastel pastels in total), but so far they are still going strong a year after I purchased them (though I do have a 48 backup too)!

[@butterpoweredbike6135]

Mungyo also make soft pastels that ppl seem to think are a decent affordable entry point. I'd be curious to know about those as well.

[@averymorgan1369]

I love love love oil pastels❤ this was so interesting, thank you

[@sl1456]

Holbein is my favorite brand of oil pastels! They’re the perfect degree of hardness/softness, layer well and have excellent pigmentation. I love that they come without wrappers because for me, wrappers just get in the way. I hate having to unwrap a stick to break it and use the side, or using a piece and having to pause my workflow to mess with the paper. I only wish the original expanded line of 225 colors was still available open stock. They are the best! Well, besides Sennelier of course, but Sennelier is a luxury category of its own!

[@MartyYokawonis]

I really like the sennilier oil pastels but I also bought a big set of caran d arch.

[@JonCaraveo]

Thank you for this video!!! Absolute GOLD!

[@StudioTinidril]

The Marabu art crayons are water soluble and most similar to Faber-Castell Gelatos (except I have several sets of Gelatos in fun stuff like iridescent, metallic, and neon and Marabu ones aren't as varied). I use them in my mixed-media journaling. Once you've applied water or even just burnished it with a finger or tissue, it doesn't lift up like oil pastels, so it works well inside a sketchbook or art journal (or junk journal). It also doesn't muck up a scanner bed if you are making digital copies of your art. These are also compatible with acrylics, again, because they're water soluble.

[@veystone2580]

I completely understand about the Sennelier. I regret buying so many of them, but that's how I learn. I use them the same way you do. I've also learned that these are the only ones I keep coming back to: Permanent Intense Red Ash Blue Moss Green Yellow Green Light And a metallic gold color I can't remember the name of. I even stopped buying their white because the white from Paul Rubens behaves exactly the same and costs only $10 for six, whereas one Sennelier costs over $5.

[@liz-anna2365]

Great comparison! Tx!!

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

Neopastels also last FOREVER. I still have some from when I was 8, and as a kid I used them a LOT! Though I use that set sparingly now and have newer ones I use instead because I wan to keep that set from my childhood for emotional reasons. BUT... they still work ok!

[@lcarolc03]

I so agree ! Holbein is great but I simply cannot adjust to wrapper-less oil pastels. They are too expensive to have to wrap them myself. When I don’t wrap them, they get filthy. Definitely not for me. Neopastels are perfect year round oil pastels. I use Sennelier a lot but honestly I cannot tolerate them in summer. I live in the Deep South where summers are hot and humid. Sennelier in large amounts in summer is very annoying.

[@MartyYokawonis]

The maibou are like the gelato crayons. They are a hybrid. Also Distress crayons are similar. These are marketed to art journalers, mixed media people, like the crafter market

[@shelmcmurtry]

Thank you for sharing all of your experience about pastels! I recently picked up some Rembrandt oil pastels and they don’t come wrapped in any paper either. What kind of paper did you use to wrap the Holbein?

[@fontainerouge]

I have the Sennelier full range ( incredible deals last year, could not pass 😉). Yes they can get gooey pretty fast ... but ... their neutral range is unique and so beautiful. (A bit too subtle for me at this point to make the best use of the range but ...I find them.... mesmerizing 😅)

[@jordanchen23]

Isn't sennelier like the producers Picasso sought out to formulate the original oil pastels?

[@maryweideman8782]

Very helpful video. Can you recommend the surface you think best for oil pastels? I’m a beginner, with a small supply of 12 oil Neopastels , and 3 starter Senneliers. Thanks. I’ve admired you work for several years now, since I first came across you during COVID.

[@artprof]

Regular paper is just fine! But it can be fun to try surfaces that are more rigid, like canvas boards, altho note that the image will be more textured. -Prof Lieu

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

I also put paper around my Holbeins, hahah

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

I think thy come with no paper so you can use them flat on the page, but oil pastels are so soft and melty it gets way too messy using them and storing them that way

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

Oh noes - I put a comment with recommendations for cheaper and great alternatives to Neopastels and Sennelier but I think I edited it too many times and it disappeared. *shakes fist at KZbin*

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

honestly this is the bane of my commenting existence here on KZbin. I have ADHD so I often need to edit comments multiple times to remove mistakes. Sometimes I will spend half an hour crafting a really detailed reply... and then *poof* KZbin just disappears it into nothingness

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

My faves of all time are Neopastels. My mum bought me a 10 set when i was 8 and i have loved them ever since. I much prefer them to softer pastels like Sennelier. In fact i think that when people hear talk of harder/softer pastels they immediately think of Pentels and imagine that a harder pastel will be waxy, crumbly and unpigmented. But these are not that… they are sooooo smooth. Whereas Sennelier are very greasy and blotchy to me. They do not finger-blend as well. They are good for impressionistic style unblended painting but make a greasy mess on most other paper. They work best on paper designed specifically for pastels. Whereas Neospastels will work on anything. They are wonderful. And the last longer. Though this is all personal preference - they are all excellent pastels in the end. A pointer: if you like Sennelier oil pastels your cheapest best alternative are Paul Rubens oil pastels (but be careful as i think they use some toxic pigments such as cobalts and cadmiums, so wear gloves); if you like Neopastels, then Mungyo Gallery oil pastels are an absolute godsend as they are very similar for a fraction of the price (but make sure you get their artist grade line which i think has MOPV written on it in the small print - NOT their student grade pastels which are awful and like children's oil pastels) . Follow my channel for more tips 😂

[@TheStrangeConnectorArt]

There are a lot of really interesting oil pastel brand coming out of China atm (Paul Rubens being a notable example, bth when it comes to pastels and watercolours). They tend to be more Sennelier-like, which I personally don’t like, but others may love, so sharing the info!