Sennelier Oil Pastels (Portrait, Still Life Sets + More) & Paul Rubens: Swatch, Review & Painting

I swatch out the 48 set of Paul Rubens oil pastels, plus the 36 Macaron Colours set, then swatch out the Sennelier Portrait and Still Life Sets, plus several open stock pastels.
I give my initial impressions of the Senneliers, then do a painting using both, based on a painting in Soraya French's beautiful book 'Contemporary Landscapes in Mixed Media'.
Paul Rubens 48 Oil Pastels Set:
amzn.to/3OXWBBW
Paul Rubens 36 Macaron Colours Set:
amzn.to/3oU6V3a
Curtis Ward Sennelier Oil Pastels:
curtisward.com/sennelier-oil-...
All swatches done on Canson XL Watercolour Paper:
amzn.to/40IxoOQ
Painting done on:
Canson XL Mixed Media Pad:
amzn.to/462CSHw
'Contemporary Landscapes in Mixed Media' by Soraya French:
amzn.to/43vjC3N
Paul Rubens Oil Pastel Painting Video:
• Painting a full Oil Pa...
Sennelier Oil Pastels Art Haul:
• Jackson's & Curtis War...
Music from Uppbeat:
uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/ocean-...
uppbeat.io/t/cruen/in-the-now
uppbeat.io/t/the-dunwells/bes...
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LINKS
INSTAGRAM: helen_cryer_art
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WEBSITE: Helen Cryer Art
www.helencryerart.co.uk/
(As an Amazon, Temu & Jackson's Art Associate, I earn a small amount from my purchases, which doesn't affect the price for you. I'm very grateful when you purchase anything via my links, thank you!

[@madebylora]

I feel strangely compelled to watch your swatch videos! I say “strangely” because I recently gave away my oil pastels and I have zero intentions of buying any in future, yet I still needed to watch this video haha! I’m obviously not alone because your channel has grown amazingly! I really liked the picture you did! I don’t know how you manage to collect so many supplies AND use them too! It’s very impressive!

[@helencryer]

Hi! That's so funny! I'm kind of surprised but happy at how it's going - I love the interactions I have with people who love the same things as me!!

[@madebylora]

@@helencryer I think the interactions are my favourite part of doing videos too. Being creative is almost always something I do on my own so it’s nice to get input from others (especially when they say nice things hahaha)

[@helencryer]

Yes, definitely! Everyone I live with is very not interested in art!

[@kookatsoonjan]

@@helencryer too funny Helen...glad you have a channel and us followers that love your art!!! You go girl!

[@helencryer]

@@kookatsoonjan I'm so grateful for you all!!! ❤️

[@sueberry1727]

Helen lovely pastels and the picture was stunning thankyou for sharing saw your unboxing video too

[@helencryer]

Thanks ever so much!

[@jennyrose1274]

You are so thorough in your explanations. Thank you.

[@helencryer]

Thanks!

[@Julie-vy3oz]

I like having several brands because they can add different textures. Pentels are very inexpensive and hard, but I like them for texture and details. My Caran D’ache have a medium feel and the few Sennelier I have are great for their pigment and blendability. Your final picture was just lovely!

[@helencryer]

Yes, I can see it working that way! I have the Pentels too. Thanks so much!

[@nisamorin2519]

Your painting is gorgeous! 😍 It's more than obvious that you're far away from being a begginer, when it comes to art.😄 A big big thank you for sharing your impressions about the products with us! Wishing you a beautiful Sunday 💞

[@helencryer]

Thank you so much! I definitely find it easier when I'm using someone else's picture as a guide though.

[@nisamorin2519]

@@helencryer I absolutely understand you!

[@FaithAnnNB]

Love the finished painting! I actually like the effect when you used the pencil and the under colour became visible 😊. I’m with Lora, I was drawn to watch the video even though I probably won’t be using oil pastels anytime soon.

[@helencryer]

It's definitely a technique I'll try and use deliberately at some point - I ordered a slice tool too, so I can play with that for removing oil pastel.

[@OzzyFrogs]

Thank you for swatching and showing both of these brands. I've been thinking on saving for the more expensive brand but I'm not super committed to the price point just yet. It makes me feel good knowing that the Paul Ruben sets are nice along with more affordable price points. C: From what I've seen recently they have put out a new version on the Paul Rubens and they look rather similar to the Sennelier brand. The art piece at the end were simply stunning and I think it looks beautiful just like the reference photo/painting. Thank you for sharing and best wishes 💕.

[@helencryer]

In case you are interested, here's a video of me reviewing the newer Paul Reubens Haiya oil pastels. I absolutely love them, and they are more similar to Senneliers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZTRip6MmJaIpZo

[@lupsarttime3615]

Nice relaxing swatches as usual. And your oil pastel paintings have been great so far!

[@helencryer]

Thank you ever so much!

[@kookaburra24]

Gorgeous. The under layer is such a perfect choice

[@helencryer]

Thanks ever so much! None of the idea was mine though - all copied!

[@zoramay1493]

Beautiful work 😍

[@helencryer]

Thanks!

[@ArtistRebeccaLS]

Great job using those oil pastels Helen, looking super 👍

[@helencryer]

Thanks very much!

[@raulbudusan]

Hi Helen 😊💕 thanks for the lovely video! I use Caran d'Ache Neopastels and Sennelier oil pastels and sometimes I even mix in the Neocolors. I had the same feeling about the transparent Senneliers at the beginning. Used alone they are not great, but they are lovely mixing colors!! You should try out mixing them ❤

[@helencryer]

This is so good to know - thank you so much! I will keep experimenting!

[@E4Alabbasy]

Man I feel like playing with lipstick after watching swatch 😂 And I love how your drawing came out, especially watching it come together after you put the undercolor 🥰

[@helencryer]

😂 Not wholly different! Thanks - using another picture as a guideline made things much easier.

[@awatercolourist]

The Mars orange and the turquoises are very nice paints.

[@helencryer]

The turquoises are nice, but I don't like using the Mars Orange much - the transparent ones just don't feel as creamy and lovely.

[@jude6752]

Great video. I have just got into oil pastels a lot more. I have both these you swatched and many I have not yet tried. So useful knowing those transparent ones - thank you!

[@helencryer]

Thanks! I have the Mungyo ones too now, and really like them, plus I have the Paul Rubens new Haiya ones on the way too! I probably ought to use them a bit more now!

[@jude6752]

@@helencryer Excellent! I am still struggling with the lack of fine edges, I hope oil pastels will loosen my work up a lot, so I need to get used to it!! 😄

[@helencryer]

Yep - there seem a lot of us out there who want to loosen up, and are naturally very detail oriented!

[@racechick2033]

So excited! 😂

[@helencryer]

Erm, it's really not very exciting!!

[@racechick2033]

​@@helencryer I was excited to see it and I'm blown away by how your picture turned out! Truly, it is lovely. All the colours are so pretty. Well done and thank you. ❤

[@helencryer]

Thanks Panda! It's definitely easier when you're copying a similar kind of picture!

[@Dawnasy]

Wow so fun! Thank you Helen! This is very helpful…i like seeing your comparisons and the pencil over burnished pastel is awesome! I had trouble learning Senn pastels….I am doing a bit better with Carandeache. Your landscape is lovely:)

[@helencryer]

Thanks! I've not used the Caran D'Ache ones yet, but would like to at some point. I've just put a new video up of the Paul Rubens Haiya oil pastels - they are lovely!

[@pjsphoto4u]

Would you mind sharing what kind of pencils you were using on top of the pastel ? Also, your work is beautiful.

[@Catsandcamera]

They do tell you which ones are transparent and which are opaque on the chart you get with each set, so may be worth having a look to see which ones would work best for you! The thick constancy is good for impasto techniques

[@helencryer]

I didn't get a chart! Just a general booklet about Sennelier's products. I was hoping for one, because it's hard to see the whole chart when it's online.

[@Catsandcamera]

@@helencryer oh no! Maybe you can ask Google? See if someone has posted a nice clear version of it!

[@helencryer]

Yep, I'll have a better look for one - I want to figure out the best extra few to get!

[@melissamartinart]

I use hairspray as a fixative in my sketchbooks - it works decently well!

[@helencryer]

Ahh! I've used that on soft pastels, but didn't think about for oils. Will experiment, thanks!

[@Out-to-Pastor]

Sennelier oil pastels are hand wrapped, which is why they can be loose. Whereas Paul Ruben uses machines to wrap their color sticks.

[@helencryer]

Thanks for the info!

[@SierraSilverStoneStudio]

Hi Helen, I’m new here but glad I found your channel. I love oil pastels but haven’t tried either of these brands. I appreciate you swatching them out and sharing your thoughts. It was an interesting video and I’m shocked about the sennelier inconsistencies (although that charcoal blue is now in my shopping cart lol). Anyway, came here to say: I use a mix because there are different hardness and color ranges, which are good for different techniques or layers. But if you like creamy and opaque, I think you might like the Mungyo gallery artist soft oil pastels (not their student line) - they’re consistently lovely and so nice to layer and blend without being too smushy. They’re less expensive than the sennelier but more than the Paul Ruben’s. I found one online retailer who sells them open stock too. Thanks again for this comparison!

[@SierraSilverStoneStudio]

Oh and they have a nice selection of greens, especially the earthy ones!

[@helencryer]

Thanks, and welcome! Someone was saying in the comments that on their own the waxy Senneliers aren't that nice, but that they're good for mixing, so I need to keep experimenting. Thanks for your Mungyo recommendation - I took a look at the 48 box on Amazon, and they were really reasonable, plus I loved all the greens! A box is now winging its way to me!! 😁

[@helencryer]

P.S. I think you will LOVE the Charcoal Blue - it's gorgeous in all ways!

[@templemoore3799]

Soroya! Fun paining Helen. Lurve 🥰 that book & you’re the first I’ve seen refer to it. I somehow got distracted [meds, cats, bladderLOL] and stopped this vid right b4 you whipped out that book. Might help the pencils marks if he underpainting is left to cure a bit overnight I know in the hellish heat of our desert summer, putting the painting with the 1st full layer into the freezer [zip-lock] does wonders for adding new layers of those softies..Those wrappers are 🥴Like WHY? Loosely-goosey shrink-flationey? Sadly the HAIYA failed to put the name/number at the bottom of theirs. Matters less I guess w/o open stock availability. Oh and Must. Have. All. The. Greens here too. Hope you are enjoying your trip 👋

[@helencryer]

Hiya! Haha - this made me laugh!! Yes it's a gorgeous book! I'm a bit impatient, so not very good with techniques that mean you have to wait long, so I probably won't manage to master it! Back home now - trip was wonderful, thanks!

[@annalisafeleppa7391]

Beautiful work. ❤ Appearently, with sennelier oil pastels, they purposely have transparent, semi transparent, and just like oil paint. The pigments are naturally this way. They are meant to layer in a glazing manner from what I understand. 😊

[@helencryer]

Thank you! Yes, I understand now about the natural differences in opacity - the same as with watercolours, I just don't enjoy the large variations in texture that seems to come with that, and my preference is for opaque, non-lumpy oil pastels, as my preference is for transparent watercolours. Just an individual thing!

[@creativesolutions902]

You know, it’s very interesting how our experiences with certain art supplies can literally dictate how we feel about a particular medium… I have had to revisit oil pastels a few times to figure out that they are extremely different and depending on the type of effects you want, and the subject matter you are painting, it can be very frustrating. I 100% agree with every single thing you said about both of these sets. They are in the same category as far as texture. The only other pastels I ever owned were the harder type, very crummy, and not creamy at all. Then I got these, and they were a little too slippery. Especially the Paul Rubens! I find them to be actually very greasy. I combined the hard oil pastel with the very slippery pastels on top, and they seem to be a good compliment. Then I found a brand called Montmarte, and wow, they have the absolute, hands-down, best texture of an oil pastel I have ever used, besides the neo pastels.… Which are slightly on the hard side, but very glideY on the paper. The Montmarte are very opaque, and have just such a beautiful pleasurable texture that can be used in a wide range of applications so it’s not like you’re trying to use so many different types of pastels since you can get all the effects you want from that one. They are extremely inexpensive as well :-) if I would’ve tried those first before any others, I wouldn’t have been so frustrated and I would’ve known what was not so great about the other brands. so I guess they all have their place and their particular applications… But the Montmarte brand is what I would expect the definition of a oil pastel to be. Hope you get a chance to try them! I found them on Amazon :-) I think they’re an Australian brand.

[@helencryer]

Thanks for pointing them out! My favourite ones currently are: Mungyo, for slightly firmer ones (I wonder if these are similar to your Montmartre), and the Paul Rubens newer Haiya oil pastels. These are quite soft like the Senneliers, but more consistent and I just love them.

[@creativesolutions902]

@@helencryer yes before I tried the Montmarte brand,mmungyo was what I was using and found them to be a nice middle ground between the really soft and a really hard pastels.… I still struggled with them a little bit though, and I figured that they were as good as it was going to get at least until I tried the Montmarte. It was like a night and day difference! I still like them, and I referred to them when I use them for landscapes and things like that because they’re more muted. They’re sort of on the cloudy side and just not as vibrant as I like my colors to be. I figured you could always dull things down, but it’s hard to get things bright if you start out muted. anyway thanks for your reply! I really hope you get a chance to try the Montmarte brand because they are super inexpensive and they are just a joy to work with as far as texture and color. :-)

[@helencryer]

Ah, thanks so much for your reply - I really wasn't planning on trying more oil pastels, but you are tempting me!!!

[@helencryer]

I have ordered some of the Premium Extra Soft ones! Hope those are the ones you meant!

[@creativesolutions902]

Really? That’s great! They’re so inexpensive that giving them a go is not a huge risk, but I think you’ll really really like them! I think there’s only three types of sets to choose from, multicolor, assorted, which is the classic colors, natural, which is more muted, and macaron… I have the multi and the natural… I also have the 48 set in the tin. I believe those are called signature, but I’m not sure what the difference really is. Because my natural ones are the extra soft, I believe… Anyway, maybe you could do a video on them! :-) Wonderful to hear back from you have a great day and enjoy them when you get them.❤

[@fontainerouge]

Loose wrapping : to tear it off without putting pressure on the stick & breaking it invontarily (maybe also, not going nuts pulling on a tight wrapoing). But I agree about the printing job. Sort of old school professional: you're supposed to know your colors, wrapping will get dirty anyway & you're supposed to know your colors or distinguish it with a small flick on a spare piece of paper.

[@helencryer]

It's just a pity I'm not an old school professional then 😂 Either way, the tactile/practicalities put me off wanting to use them as much as others. I'm hoping if I develop as an artist I will come to appreciate them for their quality, more.

[@fontainerouge]

@@helencryer Of course I did not imply I was, just that Sennelier comes from an history of "professionals talking to professionals". They have gone more mass market in terms of packaging with their watercolor lines, then soft pastels. New wrappings for oil pastels in a couple of years?😉😀

[@fontainerouge]

@@helencryer Also , forgot: got Chinese oil pastels for doing backgrounds on the cheap. Like pulling rubbery stuff, horrible, returned them (& must contain a solvent, got a headache). Tried Van Gogh: hard, also rubbery. My last try will be Mungyo. And, I like your vids.

[@helencryer]

Definitely - there's no denying the pigment quality of the Senneliers - the colours blend so cleanly. I very much enjoy using the Paul Rubens Haiyas - found them very similar to the nicer consistency Senneliers. The Mungyo are a bit firmer - more like Caran D'Ache's oil pastels.

[@fontainerouge]

@@helencryer Thank you for the info, I might go Paul Rubens. No suspicious smell of solvent though? Very allergic to turpentine, mineral spirits just irritating for me but not allergenic).

[@vandaaurorazanini5389]

Bellooo!!! Peccato non funzionino i sottotitoli in italiano 😔! 👏🤩🤗

[@helencryer]

I'm so sorry to hear it! I didn't say anything very interesting though! 😁

[@vandaaurorazanini5389]

Ciao!!! Era un problema di KZbin!!! Oggi tutto ok🥳🥳🥳🥳!!! Sono felice di poterti seguire🤗💫! Grazie e buona giornata 🍀

[@helencryer]

Oh good! That's very kind of you, thank you!

[@noladuffy7892]

Such an expensive product, too. You would expect more care in packaging.

[@helencryer]

I think the boxed sets come nicely packaged, but when you buy them open stock, I guess it just depends how the supplier packs them up.

[@juliebromfield1865]

🖐How many fingers Helen 😂😂

[@helencryer]

🤣

[@awatercolourist]

First!

[@helencryer]

🥇

[@awatercolourist]

@@helencryer Yay! That medal will join all the others in my medal stash 😂

[@helencryer]

I'm sure you're thrilled! 😁

[@awatercolourist]

@@helencryer meh 🤣

[@helencryer]

😂

[@ericakauffman5786]

Beautiful to me ... but I watercolor 😂

[@helencryer]

Haha! Thanks!

[@ILuvCaroline]

All the lighter colors need to be in background and darker colors in foreground. I think the perspective here is hard to understand. Sometimes less is more. There is no focus point and your eyes just go everywhere trying to take it all in.

[@helencryer]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@crystalgillis9296]

When swatching mine I got around the poor labeling by Googling "Sennelier oil pastels 357." That specific number is made up. I just kept entering the actual numbers for each one and it brought up the right colour name every time.

[@helencryer]

Thank you! I have identified them all now!