Guide to choosing pastels | Caran d’Ache (2024)

FAQs

What paper is best for caran d ache pastels? ›

The first thing I want to mention is paper. If you are going to be using a fair bit of water with the pastels I would suggest using mixed media paper. I like Canson Imagine and Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper. But you can also use a toned mixed media paper.

The quality of the pastel is crucial : not only will it affect the result of your work, but also your comfort when using it. Be sure to check the composition of certain pastels (pigment concentration, quality of the binding agent, etc). For oil pastels check the oil to wax ratio and choose according to desired opacity.

Softer pastel pencils work better such as Koh-I-Noor, Bruynzeel and Caran D'Ache. Jaxell and Koh-i-Noor pastel sticks and pencils are a good starter range to use on velour. That is not to say other pencils will not work but you may have to adapt your technique or apply more soft pastel before using them.

Sennelier Oil Pastels

Picasso was looking for a pastel with intense colour that could be applied directly and freely to a wide variety of surfaces. As a result Sennelier created an oil pastel with a soft creamy quality with all the intensity and vibrancy of conventional oil colours.

I'd recommend you buy artists' grade paper because it will be the most durable and is available in more textures. Depending on the techniques you'll be using, you should use cold-pressed (medium) or rough paper, and avoid the hot-pressed (smooth) varieties.

Commonly utilized in art, design, fashion, and interior decoration, pastel hues encompass a spectrum of soft pinks, blues, greens, yellows, and purples.

Some of the most popular pastel tones are light pinks, blues, or yellows. And this slight variation from standard colors helps to create a stunning palette.

There are three types of dry pastels: soft, hard and pencil. - Soft pastels are the most fragile, as they have a slightly powdery texture. They are offered in a wide range of shades, thus not limiting the artist's choice of colour. - Hard pastels are less brittle than soft pastels.

Caran d'Ache Luminance Pencils Keep a Sharper Point than Prismacolor. Wax-based pencils have a softer core, making it harder to keep a sharp point, especially for Prismacolors because they are especially soft.

Draw or colour onto dry paper and then go over it with a wet brush. Dry on wet: Wet the paper with a brush before drawing or colouring with your pencils. This technique will result in more intense and saturated colours. Wet on wet, or wet on dry: Dilute the colour in water before applying it to either wet or dry paper.

Why are Caran d ache pencils so expensive? ›

One of the main reasons why Caran D'Ache Luminance is expensive is that their 80% rate of lightfastness. Which means that they don't fade easily when they are exposed to light. They might be a perfect choice for people who do commissions, but a beginner artist shouldn't think these pencils as a must have.

The first difference is that oil pastels won't crumble, smudge, or release airborne dust like soft pastels do. Yet they still contain just as much, if not more, pigment and produce bright, intense colors. They're also more stable than soft pastels and don't require a fixative.

Soft pastels are created by combining the pigment with water and a form of artificial binder. They are very dry, crumble easily and have a feel that is comparable to a stick of chalk. Oil pastels are slightly more durable than soft pastels and will not crumble as easily.

The texture of rough and cold pressed watercolour papers will hold soft pastel marks in place to a degree, and combining this quality with their water solubility makes soft pastel an ideal companion to watercolour, making it possible to combine powdery textures with dilute washes and vibrant watercolour brushstrokes.

You can use any paper with any media, but you will get results that are less than perfect. Pastel paper is designed to work with pastels. It has a slightly rough surface to hold the pigments. Some of it has a sandy surface for even more tooth.

Ideally, you should choose a paper with a textured surface – this is sometimes described as “tooth” by artists. Some pastel papers are described as “sanded”, meaning that it has been coated with gesso or a primer to create a rougher surface.