Paul Rubens Handmade Artists Soft Pastel Review

[@Nanakinsz]

Schmincke ... my favs, too! But the price on these was stunning! I hope Paul Rubens gets the lightfastness and pigment charts out ASAP, though. Thank you Miss Lindsey! LONG LIVE MESSY ART!

[@playmin]

The expression of this work is so fantastic. It's an amazing work. I was very impressed by the video. Have a fun and happy day.❤💚💯👍

[@rof8412]

I got some of the Jackson's handmade pastels and I'm so in love with them. So soft and smooth and so much fun to use. BTW, Jackson's has PanPastels on sale.

[@staceydailey6394]

Oh, I gotta go look! Thanks for sharing its hard to find those on sale

[@providencevalleyfarm5270]

HOORAY! These were in my cart since last week, but I kept putting off making the purchase since I couldn't decide which set I should get! Thank You, you're such an inspiration and you really do help me in so many ways, the least of which is keeping to a budget.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

There's an extra coupon in the video descriptin too!

[@lynncooper1781]

Absolutely beautiful,soft and colorful,turns to magic as the artist applies their imagination.❤️👍🎨

[@olderendirt]

I have some Sargents from high school in the 70s that I found packed in a box that somehow got put in my barn almost 30 years ago when I moved here. They are very chalky, but came in handy doing a transfer from paper onto slate, if anyone needs an alternative use for them. Nice review. It struck me that the PRs don't look like they had greens in the set. Thanks for the review and price comparison.

[@mjpete27]

I have only been working with true soft pastels for just about 2 years now, I am completely taken with them! This is a very strange starter set! I am still learning about what I like in a pastel. I have enjoyed trying different brands and they are so different depending on how much pigment to Clay ratio used in the creation of the sticks! Some pigments are corse or scratchy so every color and brand are so different! I enjoyed watching your review you are quite knowledgeable and so talented with so many different mediums! I believe that I will save up for more Schmincke sticks or the crem de la crem : Terry Ludwig’s handmade pastels!

[@JennaGetsCreative]

It's very useful to hear the other brands you think they compare to. I don't have a huge pastel collection yet but I do have a little 6 pack colour theme set of Senneliers that I've dabbled with so now I know exactly what you're describing! (And now I'm even more interested in Schmincke for yet another medium, too. Lol!) I branched into pastels by way of pastel pencils so I still kind of prefer harder pastels. I've got a small set of Conte pastels (and a big set of their conte sticks,) a 48 set of Goldfaber pastels, and a mystery collection of colourful sticks that are basically chalk from my retired teacher mother that are all harder and I've got the Senneliers and some Rembrandts for softer ones. They definitely all serve their own purposes but if I could only have one type it wouldn't be the softest ones.

[@patriciaschoenberg1261]

Thank you for the review. Your pastel drawings are gorgeous.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks!

[@justacatwhocantype]

My go-to for good affordable pastels is normally Koh-i-Noor, they have three different levels of hardness available and they are very inexpensive here, but I wouldn't mind trying these Paul Rubens ones because so far I have made good experiences with the brand. I have had their watercolors for a year now and I really love them, and just over a week ago I bought their oil pastels and I really like those, too. I wonder if they'll come out with some color pencils one of these days. That would be interesting.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That would be cool!

[@arteriasartsinteriordecor4872]

Thanks again for the informative and unbiased review. I have a couple sets of varied pastels, one full set by Grumbacher, that I have had for 40 years, as I don't do pastels much, hence the age of the set. However, they don't have an expiration date so there you go. Thanks again. 🙃🤗

[@thefrugalcrafter]

They will last indefinitely (they are probably better quality than new ones too!)

[@Linda-qq5mg]

Your paintings are lovely! Thank you for the review. I trust in your judgment!

[@DeniseBrooks1955]

Very useful information Lindsay, thank you!

[@nadeaner.cowley513]

Great review, thanks for sharing. Much love 💛

[@starr-starr]

I’m glad you do these reviews Lindsay! I was getting heebee jeebees just looking at your hands. I can’t bear the dust and grit, soft pastels are not for me! Cant stand charcoal either.

[@staceydailey6394]

Ohhh I'm excited. I'm such a fan of Paul rubans even if they didn't get the best review. I got very them just because! Lol thanks Lindsey!

[@sketchshinaver2137]

Great review today Lindsey awesome as always. Watching you today from Durant Oklahoma

[@starshinesoldier]

The pastel dusts make me break out in a cold sweat. Lol

[@fazan.art.]

A very useful review. Thanks a lot🏵

[@ThatLooksLikeARake]

i love their watercolors finally they’re adding more products to their lineup!! awesome brand (altho i hate pastels lol)

[@FaerieDust]

They've got nice oil pastels too! I already have a Mungyo basic set, but I'm getting the Paul Rubens macaron (pastel colours) set at some point too

[@staceydailey6394]

They have oil paint and acrylic too, just not here in the USA. They have their official store on ali express. They have paper oil pastels and even a branded making tape to frame out your watercolor paper. They ship fast with tracking great customer service too.

[@LulululuImpact]

I prowled around some Chinese sites, and this seems like something really new. You can find it in the official store and some sanctioned sellers, but not on their official website, and this is just one set, no singles and nothing else, they don't even have a soft pastel category in the store yet. This set is also indeed a portrait set, hence the strange color selection. So I guess this might be like their oil pastel line and takes a while to round out the color selection, and singles might be quite a while down the line. I wish they started with a primary or landscape set instead, portrait set is a bit strange for a starter. But this almost feels like the product line is started for some special customers who asked or something.

[@w.vangaal1077]

Good to know!

[@BeckyTregear]

Deep breathing to calm myself over the illogical layout of the colours....and the pastel dust.....!!! I need to immerse myself in pastels and charcoal to get over my aversion to touching them, lol. Your artworks are pretty, especially the pink rose!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks Becky!

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

Looks like it lacks in the greens?? I like the Rembrandt and would splurge on the Sennelier Paris collection. Fun starter set with some pencils.

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks Lindsay 💜 definitely a messy medium.

[@wanderingstar5673]

I agree. Wondering how Lindsay is going to close the sketchbook and not result in a big mess with the colors from each page smearing all over each other. I’ll just stick with colored pencil and watercolor.

[@jenniferalvarez4041]

@@wanderingstar5673 I think in a past video she showed pages out of her journal and taped in a glassine flap to protect the facing pages from each other.

[@tradingpostfarms]

I just bought these can't wait to see what you say. Yay! And I know nothing about pastels. Yep, I'm going to need more colors. Currently all I have is a basic 12 set from rembrandt, plus the paul rubens, and it isn't quite enough to do what I want. I keep collecting until I have enough to feel like I can pain something with them. It's a start to my pastel collection. That I'll likely never use.

[@tradingpostfarms]

I think since I don't have other pastels yet. I will likely use them for certain detail highlights in my watercolor. Like car brake lights. I knew what colors I was getting. I opened them, and I'm like what am I going to use these for. Impulse collector of unique art supplies, that I sometimes don't use. Fortunately I have and artist teen who dabbles in my supplies so I don't feel like they are useless.

[@rhondita95]

Nicely done review. Have to look to see what colors I have in sennelier to see if this is a good addition for me as I don’t have very many extra soft pastels. But I must admit, the color choice is odd.

[@mikepolo2887]

I ordered them on aliexpress some time ago, waiting for them to arrive. It’s nice to hear they are similar to Sennelier, and I wanted to expand my portrait selection. This is not a universal selection, but it seems not too bad for portraits, especially with so many darks.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I think they are working in other colors too!

[@Via_Von]

Thank you, Lindsay, great review! ❤️👏🏻 I am really surprised at their choice of greens, and the varying width of those pastels seems really odd, doesn't it? Soft pastels are such a lovely medium and I would use my pastel pencils for fine detailing with them.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Must be the variation cuz they are handmade?

[@Via_Von]

@@thefrugalcrafter oh duh - yes, I forgot about the handmade. 🙃😂

[@stanky6261973]

Great review, Lindsay! Love your drawings! Is that a book from, Rosi, with different color pages? It's fantastic. Tfs.

[@trish1514]

Another awesome review,thank you . I have often wondered are they the same as coloured chalk ,just softer ?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Similar. It's pigment and clay rather than chalk so it's softer but similar.

[@savantbleu0250]

Thank you for this review Lindsay! The color choices are definitely odd. The ones from Mungyo handmade soft pastel have a better range I believe. Could you please do a comparison of the two since they're comparable in price? Thank you!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

The mungyos are larger and harder. the color range is better in Mungyo if you are looking for an assortment. The Paul Rubens would be best for final layers as they are much softer.

[@angelikameurer2005]

Thanks for this very interesting video! What book are you using......love the look of it 😀🤗

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It's a handmade sketchbook by artsirosi on etsy made with shizen handmade paper

[@angelikameurer2005]

@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks a lot for your quick reply..... I'll have a look on etsy 🤗

[@oraweetaphianthong877]

Paul Rubens have so many more products, watercolor pencils, acrylic markers, another series of oil pastels called Morandi. You can see those on their official aliexpress store. I was curious about these soft pastels, so weird, not much green! Personally I am interested in their watercolor pencils, waiting to buy in the upcoming sales XD

[@axon130]

Having tried their watercolour pencils myself, I can say that they dissolve wonderfully with water (on par with Albrech Durer for solubility I would say). They're quite vibrant too. They're my second or third favourite (after the Durer and maybe the Inktense, but the latter are another beast of their own). Paul Ruben's WC pencils are much better than Arteza/Derwent/Marco and other cheaper that I've bought. My only complain is the relatively low colour selection (only 48), but they did choose nice colours.

[@oraweetaphianthong877]

@@axon130 I'm so happy to hear that, thank you! Apart from the reviews on Aliexpress(which looked amazing) I could not find any other reviews on the internet. Yes, I wish they had more colors, like 72, because I want the big tin! 😆

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I hope they bring more products to amazon!

[@justacatwhocantype]

Ooohhhhhhhh , pencils? I did not know that. I have to go look!

[@TimChuma]

I never had much luck with soft pastels, would fall off the paper. I ended up using oil pastels which a lot of people do not as much.

[@axon130]

There are also these new Paul Rubens watercolour sets that come in REALLY cute emerald or white fancy tins that are now on Amazon I believe (not the phosphorescent ones, these are completely new). At first, the paint looks the same, BUT they actually replaced lots of their single-pigment colours (notably their cadmium colours) for multi-pigment hues. Not sure if that choice was to reduce cost or to make their sets safer. I'm curious to know if they'll change their whole professional line with these new multi-pigment formulations though (I hope not).

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Huh, I saw rhe sets but didn't investigate. I do like those tins but I hope they aren't changing quality.

[@justacatwhocantype]

Very probably to reduce costs, as the cadmium used in modern art materials is really not a safety problem in things like paints. It's only an issue in pastels or spray paints, where one might end up inhaling particles.

[@rachelfondaw7431]

Which is easier to use pan pastels or sticks or do you use both in one piece. Pastels super new to me.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I don't think one is easier. Its personal preference.

[@Off-gridchic]

Hi Lindsay, did you make that book you show with the flower picture? Or did you buy it?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It's from artsirosi on etsy

[@Off-gridchic]

@@thefrugalcrafter thank you, have a wonderful day.

[@fayebarnes4756]

@@thefrugalcrafter thank you for sharing!

[@ArtsiRosi]

Ordered before they sell out, go up in price, and/or coupon is no longer available (BTW, I got 20% off with that Lindsay coupon! WOO HOO!). Would you choose these types of pastels to put over watercolor paintings?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

They will work for that!

[@nokiot9]

They’ve got the richeson ones open stock at my local art store so I went with those instead. They were just over a dollar each and I couldn’t pass them up

[@joeysarna]

How do you replace a specific color if there's no label or you've removed the wrapper? Or from another brand with different names/numbers? I just got a set and was impressed how soft they are for the price. I think the abundance of dark neutrals will be handy for me, because I have a lot of brights. Thanks for the great review.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

you just eyeball it as they look the same on the stick as on the paper

[@justacatwhocantype]

Keep the last little stump and take it to the art supply store with you and compare. That's how I do it.

[@fayebarnes4756]

Very informative, thanks... question, your art journal is way cool! Did you make it and I missed the tutorial?

[@askialuna7717]

I received a pack of Paul Rubens' soft pastel for Christmas and I have a question. Is it normal that the packaging under the foil is very dusty with pastel dust? I had to remove a lot with a handkerchief so that I didn't have coloured hands when I touched it. It's also very dusty on the inside, which made the flyers and color chart very dusty.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Re common to have some dust especially for the softer brands. If the pastels are intact I wouldn't worry about it.

[@askialuna7717]

@@thefrugalcrafter there are no broken, and five are little shorter than the others. Maybe three colours are a bit different for me third row on the right looks like a dark raw umber to me and in the video like a burnt umber, fifth row third from the left, exactly the same as the first one, just a little lighter. seventh row on the right for me is a light ultramarine blue similar to ultramarine light from the Polychromos and not as a little bit light ultramarine as in the video. Edit: i just compared it with a few other videos and the colour chart on Amazon and the Amazon card and a video looked similar to my set and not so off. That's why I swatched mine for the first time, and the swatched colours don't look like that very different and are slightly darker and less greenish. Some colours emit glittery particles, is this normal? I just think it's a pity that some colours are much narrower and only have about half the diameter of the thick ones.

[@askialuna7717]

I was thinking beforehand which pastels would be a useful addition for me and after researching the pastel set by Paul Rubens was the most suitable for me, and it has good additional colours and the colours have good pigments in them and the price-value ratio also fits.

[@marytesta3003]

Very nice review. Too messy for me Lol! Paul Rubens watercolor product is confusing. Aliexpress has tubes and now the pans come in different color pallets so hard to tell what is student and professional. Any tips/feedback?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I've only ordered from Amazon and it's pretty clear there. Iced used the artist grade tubes and pans and they are great. Their student grade tubes are ok.

[@marytesta3003]

@@thefrugalcrafter Thank you

[@maryalgar8779]

Hi Lindsay. I have a grandchild who is a budding artist (age - almost 5) and she has tried pastels at an art class and loved them. Her parents seem a bit put off by the messy-ness of pastels. Can you please recommend a suitable product - maybe pan pastels?

[@rof8412]

Pan pastels are great but pricey and still can get messy. There are some student grade pastel pencils that may work for her. But honestly, all art is a little bit messy. When I work with soft pastels, I wear an apron and have some damp towels to the side. Maybe pastels can be an outside art activity for her?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

For that age I think id do mungyo half sticks.

[@justacatwhocantype]

Koh-i-Noor makes Hard Pastels, maybe that's something for her. They are square sticks like regular pastel size, but they contain a bit of a somewhat waxy binder that makes them harder than regular soft pastels. They are kind of like Conte crayons but even a bit firmer. They leave almost no dust, so they are really not messy, and they are fairly inexpensive and come in different sets, I think they start at 12 and go up to 48. If mess is an issue but she really wants pastels, then these would be a solution.

[@LaraCroft2169]

Can you suggest what is a good brand pastel pencil?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I don't use pastel pencils much and the ones I have are quite old. I pretty much just use them for sketching and details. I'd check out the art gear guide KZbin channel for his pastel pencil reviews.

[@tmmbiti]

The color selection is great for portraits, I think…

[@thefrugalcrafter]

They really are lovely for portraits!

[@Kb1901kb_kris]

How safe are soft pastels? Chemical wise

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It depends on the pigments used but usually they avoid using cadmium, colbalt and lead in pastels as the dust can become airborne. Don't blow the dust. You can get filtration systems if you are concerned. I am careful but don't obsess about it.

[@bethbrady8146]

Always enjoy and trust your reviews! Weird color assortment!

[@leonnehaaijman4709]

Just to give you a giggle: in the subtitles, Senellier comes out as “snelly egg” 😂

[@thefrugalcrafter]

😆

[@robinsartsandcrafts6500]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!!

[@goldiecrane4944]

The time is 8:04 p.m. in TN. It's very odd because no replies are showing up/. It opens the space for them but nothing appears. It then offers "Hide replies. Is everyone experiencing this or is it just me?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I saw that on a comment. It's probably a weird glitch.