You might call them the easy cousins of oil paint-soft, forgiving colors that let you work fast and stay expressive. You’ll find pans, sticks, metallics, and buttery oils that blend like a dream and hold up with the right support and fixative. I’ll walk you through the top sets artists keep reaching for and what really matters if you pick a pastel, so you can choose the one that fits your practice.
| PanPastel Artist Pastels by GOLDEN - 10-Color Set |
| Professional Pick | Pastel Type: Pan (cake-style) artist pastels | Intended Users: Professional artists | Blendability: High - mixes and blends smoothly (paint-like) | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| ARTEZA Soft Pastels Set of 72 Chalk Sticks |
| Best Color Range | Pastel Type: Soft chalk pastels (sticks) | Intended Users: Professionals, students, beginners | Blendability: High - smooth application for dry blending and layering | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Non-Toxic Soft Square Artist Pastels (12-Pack) |
| Kid-Friendly Choice | Pastel Type: Soft square pastel blocks | Intended Users: Professionals and amateurs (including kids) | Blendability: High - smooth spreadability for blending and gradation | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Soho Urban Artist Iridescent Metallic Soft Pastels (10) |
| Specialty Sparkle | Pastel Type: Soft iridescent metallic pastels (sticks) | Intended Users: Professional/adult artists | Blendability: High - glides, suitable for blending and layering | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| 48-Color Soft Oil Pastel Crayons for Artists |
| Best for Versatility | Pastel Type: Soft oil pastels (crayons) | Intended Users: Hobbyists and professionals | Blendability: High - supports blending and layering without clumping | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
More Details on Our Top Picks
PanPastel Artist Pastels by GOLDEN - 10-Color Set
Supposing you want professional-grade pastels that blend like paint with almost no dust, reach for the PanPastel Artist Pastels via GOLDEN - the 10-color set is perfect for artists who favor smooth gradations and precise, low-mess application. You get ten pans: Titanium White, Red Iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Oxide Shade, Raw Umber, Raw Umber Tint, Black, Neutral Gray, Neutral Gray Tint, and Payne’s Gray. The cake-like format spreads evenly, mixes like paint, and reduces dust. It includes two Sofft sponge bars, four knife covers, two mini applicators, and is assembled in the USA for professional drawing, layering, and blending.
- Pastel Type:Pan (cake-style) artist pastels
- Intended Users:Professional artists
- Blendability:High - mixes and blends smoothly (paint-like)
- Surfaces Compatible:Paper and drawing surfaces optimized for pastels
- Portability & Packaging:Compact pan format; assembled set with tools
- Color Range / Special Finishes:10 curated earth/neutral colors
- Additional Feature:Pan (cake-like) format
- Additional Feature:Includes Sofft tools
- Additional Feature:Assembled in USA
ARTEZA Soft Pastels Set of 72 Chalk Sticks
Provided you want rich, reliable color that handles like a dream, the ARTEZA Soft Pastels Set of 72 is a smart pick for artists at any level. You get 72 highly pigmented chalk sticks that cover a wide range, letting you build bold marks, smooth shifts, or delicate gradients. They glide on pads, textured paper, and canvas for clean dry blending, layering, and shading. Lightweight and ergonomically shaped, the sticks sit comfortably in your hand for controlled mark-making and portable sessions. Consistent application and reduced mess make them user-friendly for sketching, mixed media, fine art, and classroom use.
- Pastel Type:Soft chalk pastels (sticks)
- Intended Users:Professionals, students, beginners
- Blendability:High - smooth application for dry blending and layering
- Surfaces Compatible:Pads, textured paper, canvas (mixed media)
- Portability & Packaging:Set of 72 sticks - lightweight and portable
- Color Range / Special Finishes:72 diverse, highly pigmented colors
- Additional Feature:Ready-to-use sticks
- Additional Feature:Highly pigmented colors
- Additional Feature:Lightweight portable set
Non-Toxic Soft Square Artist Pastels (12-Pack)
Should you want a safe, reliable pastel set you can hand to kids or keep on your studio table, these non-toxic soft square pastels are the one artists reach for most. You’ll get a 12-pack (also available in 24, 36, 48) with an optional sponge insert that prevents knocking during transport. The multi-screened pigments resist fading, and the blocks offer a soft, even texture with smooth lubrication and a low-sheen finish. You can blend, gradate, or dry-wash on paper, walls, polymer clay, even dolls or hair. Shape with a knife, smudge with cloth or fingers-great for pros and beginners alike.
- Pastel Type:Soft square pastel blocks
- Intended Users:Professionals and amateurs (including kids)
- Blendability:High - smooth spreadability for blending and gradation
- Surfaces Compatible:Paper, walls, polymer clay, etc. (varied surfaces)
- Portability & Packaging:Multiple size packs with protective sponge insert option
- Color Range / Special Finishes:Available in small to larger sets (varied color counts)
- Additional Feature:Non-toxic formulation
- Additional Feature:Multi-screened pigments
- Additional Feature:Square block shape
Soho Urban Artist Iridescent Metallic Soft Pastels (10)
Provided you’re a mixed-media artist or professional who loves bold highlights and shimmering accents, the Soho Urban Artist Iridescent Metallic Soft Pastels (10) are ideal - their rich, smooth pigments and mix of iridescent, fluorescent, and metallic sticks let you layer, blend, and lift dramatic effects without fighting the medium. You’ll appreciate ten vivid, readily releasing colors in substantial 2.68″ × 0.4″ sticks that handle like traditional pastels but bring flashy highlights. They glide on paper, sketch pads, and sanded surfaces for shading, journaling, cards, and mixed media. A durable plastic box keeps them organized for transport and storage.
- Pastel Type:Soft iridescent metallic pastels (sticks)
- Intended Users:Professional/adult artists
- Blendability:High - glides, suitable for blending and layering
- Surfaces Compatible:Artist paper, sketch pads, sanded pastel papers
- Portability & Packaging:Packaged in durable plastic box for storage/transport
- Color Range / Special Finishes:10 iridescent, metallic and neon colors
- Additional Feature:Iridescent & fluorescent
- Additional Feature:Large substantial sticks
- Additional Feature:Durable plastic box
48-Color Soft Oil Pastel Crayons for Artists
Should you’re an artist who values vivid color and smooth blending, these 48-color soft oil pastel crayons are made for you. You get 48 rich, brilliant shades, each wrapped and placed in its own groove for tidy storage and gift-ready presentation. The balanced soft-oil formulation gives consistent softness, strong covering power and layers cleanly without clumping. You’ll blend, shade and sgraffito with confidence on canvas, wood, glass and more. Made from quality pigments, they resist peeling and smudging, keeping work lively and durable. Suitable for hobbyists and professionals, they’re versatile for topography, scratch painting and expressive techniques.
- Pastel Type:Soft oil pastels (crayons)
- Intended Users:Hobbyists and professionals
- Blendability:High - supports blending and layering without clumping
- Surfaces Compatible:Canvas, wooden boards, glass and other surfaces
- Portability & Packaging:Each pastel in separate groove; gift-ready packaging
- Color Range / Special Finishes:48 rich, brilliant oil pastel colors
- Additional Feature:Oil-based formulation
- Additional Feature:Individual grooves packaging
- Additional Feature:Sgraffito-friendly performance
Factors to Consider When Choosing Drawing Pastels
While you’re picking drawing pastels, consider the type and grade, pigment strength and lightfastness, and how the texture affects blendability. Reflect on the available color range and how the hues will work together, and check safety labels for non‑toxicity. These factors will shape your technique, longevity of the work, and studio safety.
Pastel Type & Grade
Choose your pastels via matching their makeup to the work you want to make: soft pastels give you rich, blendable color but more dust and fragility; hard pastels or pastel pencils trade pigment for binder for crisp lines and control; oil pastels use an oil-wax binder for smudge-resistant, buttery strokes on nonporous supports; pan/cake pastels act like compact paints for smooth gradations and tool work; and artist-grade sticks use finely milled, lightfast pigments for durability while student-grade options add filler and less-stable color to cut cost. Decide whether you need velvety, blendable coverage (soft), tight edges and underdrawing support (hard/pencils), or non-dusty, tactile marks (oil). Use pan pastels whenever you want paint-like application. Choose grades according to longevity needs and budget.
Pigment Strength & Lightfastness
You picked pastels for their texture and handling, now look at what’s inside the stick: pigment strength and lightfastness determine how vividly and how long your colors will hold up. Pigment strength tells you how intensely a pastel lays down color-high-strength pigments give vivid coverage with less material, so you can achieve strong hues and finer detail without heavy layering. Lightfastness is a rated measure (ASTM or Blue Wool) of a pigment’s resistance to fading; aim for high ratings (ASTM I or Blue Wool 7–8) for archival work. Check pigment identification (PB, PR numbers) and manufacturer data to balance chroma, opacity, and permanence. Should you use fugitive brights, plan protective display or reproduction to preserve the work.
Texture And Blendability
Often overlooked, a pastel’s texture and how well it blends will shape both your technique and final look, so pay close attention to softness, binder quality, and particle size. Soft, creamy sticks lay down heavy pigment and merge easily for velvety shifts; firmer, slightly gritty pastels give crisper marks and finer control. High pigment concentration with a smooth binder creates seamless gradients, while chalky, low-pigment formulations look dusty and resist blending. Particle size and oil/binder content matter: smaller, well-bound particles spread uniformly; larger or oily particles can smudge unevenly or block layers. Match pastel texture to paper tooth-soft sticks need more tooth for multiple layers; firmer pastels glide on sanded or smoother textured papers. Use fingers, stumps, cloth, or sponges for desired smoothness.
Color Range And Harmony
Considering in terms of color range will save you time and expand what you can achieve: wider sets-dozens to hundreds of hues-let you lay down smooth gradients and subtle tonal shifts without heavy layering or muddied mixes. You’ll want multiple neutrals and greyscales-white, black, neutral gray, tinted grays-to control value and desaturate colors while keeping chroma intact. Pick warm and cool versions of primaries and secondaries so you can build realistic temperature contrasts and natural shifts. Balance high-pigment, saturated sticks with mid-range and muted tones; vivid hues need fewer layers but can dominate a composition. Finally, consider complementary and analogous groupings whenever selecting a palette to simplify harmonious mixing and create intentional contrasts or unified color schemes.
Safety And Non‑Toxicity
Because pastels shed fine dust and can contain heavy metals, pick materials that have been tested and labeled for safety so you know what you’re actually bringing into your studio. Check for ASTM D-4236 or EN71 compliance and read manufacturer safety data sheets to confirm chronic hazards were evaluated and products are labeled. Prefer pastels marked non-toxic or AP certified, especially around children, but don’t assume non-toxic means ingestible-avoid mouth contact. Choose low-dust formulations or control dust with ventilation, NIOSH N95 masks, and wet-cleaning methods to reduce inhalation and settling. Review pigment permanence and avoid cadmium, lead, chromium VI, or other toxic pigments whenever safety is a priority. Expect transfer and skin contact; wash hands and keep work away from food and inhabited spaces.
Tools And Surface Compatibility
Upon selecting pastels, match the medium, your tools, and the support so layers will stick and blends will behave the way you expect. Check whether you’re using soft, oil, or pan/cake pastels: soft pastels need toothy or sanded papers, oil pastels prefer smoother primed canvas or glass, and cakes act like paint. Match applicators to type-fingers, cloths, tortillons, Sofft sponges, and blending stumps suit soft pastels; brushes and solvent blending work better for oils. Make certain paper or board has enough tooth or is sanded to hold layers without crumbling; heavyweight pastel papers and sanded boards excel. For pan pastels, use soft pads or sponges and consider fixatives between layers. Should mixing media, pick surfaces and primers rated for both and test adhesion and lightfastness initially.
