10 Best Pastels For Artists in 2026

With 120 half sticks, this set offers a broad color range that covers many shades for studio work. Each pastel is made from pure pigment and dried naturally in open air rather than compressed, which keeps the paste soft and the colors intensely brilliant. For artists who want a complete palette that covers everything from subtle skies to bold portraits, this collection removes the guesswork of mixing or hunting for missing shades.

The sheer number of colors in this set is the first thing you notice: 120 half sticks, double what the Rembrandt 60-piece set offers, so you have an enormous palette to work with right out of the box. Because the paste isn’t compressed during manufacturing and dries naturally in open air, the pastels are exceptionally soft and buttery. That means they lay down color with almost no effort. The trade-off is that softness makes them delicate and prone to dust, so they work best on a stable surface with a light hand. For studio painters who value color range and smooth application above all, this is the one to reach for.

A 60-piece set of half sticks with high pigment concentration and excellent lightfastness means you get professional-grade color that stays true over time without fading. This set suits the serious artist who values consistency and brilliance in every stroke, the kaolin formula ensures smooth transfer and easy blending, so you can layer and mix with confidence. Rembrandt’s long heritage in fine art materials backs every stick, making this a reliable choice for studio work or detailed pieces where color purity matters most.

The 60 half sticks in this set give you fewer pieces than the Sennelier 120-piece set, but half sticks are shorter than full-length pastels, which some artists prefer for detailed work or portability. For focused, high-quality work where pigment and lightfastness are non-negotiable, this Rembrandt set delivers exceptional value.

This set gives you 200 colors, half of Schmincke’s full extra-soft pastel range, selected to cover all themes and motifs. Each stick is handmade with a maximum of artist-grade pigments and minimal binder, so the color lays down velvety and intense. The highest lightfastness ratings help ensure durability over time, which matters for serious pastel work. For artists who want a broad palette in a single box, this collection offers a wide range of gradations without needing to reach for another stick.

A 10-color pan format that produces far less airborne dust than traditional soft pastel sticks means you can blend and layer without coating your workspace in chalky haze. The set includes Sofft Tools, sponge bars, knife covers, and mini applicators for even application. The downside is that ten colors demand more active mixing to reach a full palette, so you’ll spend time blending rather than pulling from a broad selection.

The downside is that ten colors demand more active mixing to reach a full palette, so you’ll spend time blending rather than pulling from a broad selection. Compared to the Sennelier Soft Pastels Half Stick Set 120, which offers immediate variety, this PanPastel kit rewards those who enjoy color theory and want a tidy, low-mess process. It’s a focused tool, not a grab-and-go rainbow.

This 24-color oil pastel set was co-designed by Sennelier and Pablo Picasso, a collaboration that gives these sticks a unique creative lineage. They work on wood, paper, canvas, and metal, letting you switch surfaces without changing materials. At 0.7 pounds, the box fits easily into a bag, making it practical for sketching on location or layering color studies at a café.

Color range is the limiting factor here: 24 sticks require blending to match the spectrum a larger set offers out of the box. Compared to the Rembrandt Soft Pastels Half Stick 60 Piece Set, which provides 60 shades, this Sennelier set focuses on a compact, surface-versatile oil pastel experience. The cardboard packaging keeps weight low but won’t survive a drop like Schmincke’s wooden box. For an artist who wants a portable, surface-versatile oil pastel with a legendary design story, this is a focused starting point.

With 60 handmade pastels that use the finest artist pigments and almost no binder, these Schmincke sticks deliver that velvety, silk-like application that makes soft pastels so satisfying. Each color comes in five gradations, full tone, black, and three white blends, so you can build depth and subtle transitions without reaching for a second set. The dark wooden box keeps everything organized and protected, and the highest lightfastness rating means your work stays vibrant for years. This set is built for the artist who values pigment purity and a buttery, intense laydown over sheer color count.

The 2.5-inch stick length gives you a generous grip for sweeping, expressive strokes that smaller sticks just can’t match. Made from high-quality pigments, they blend and layer with minimal force, which is exactly what a budget-conscious artist wants: a tool that performs without fighting you. The sponge wrapping around each pastel shows the brand thought about shipping damage, a common headache with soft pastels. This set suits beginners exploring soft pastels for the first time or seasoned artists who need an affordable backup for studio sessions or workshops.

The palette is limited here. With only 24 colors, you won’t have the subtle gradations that a 60- or 120-set like Rembrandt’s offers, so you’ll need to mix more on the page. That said, the pastels work on textured surfaces and even nail art when ground with acrylic powder, which adds creative flexibility you don’t get from many budget sets. If your work demands a vast color library from the start, the Rembrandt half-stick set might be a better fit. But for everyday sketching, shading, and learning to blend, these HA SHI pastels deliver reliable performance at a friendly price point.

The AP Seal non-toxic certification on this set means you can hand a stick to a child or work in a shared studio without worrying about airborne hazards. With 64 colors in a square shape that resists rolling off your desk, these pastels are built for smooth blending and gradation right out of the box. They suit beginners and hobbyists who want a broad palette without the premium price tag of professional-grade brands, and the square edges give you both broad strokes and sharp lines for sketching or layering.

Sixty-four colors, while generous for most projects, may feel limiting if you’re accustomed to the 120-color range of a Sennelier half-stick set. And unlike some artist-grade lines, this set does not offer individual stick replacements, so once a favorite color runs out you’ll need a new set or a separate purchase. For the artist who prioritizes safety and versatility over an endless color library, this Mungyo set delivers a solid, worry-free start.

The 1.25-inch mini stick format is the decisive feature here: each pastel is short and narrow, giving you the control to place color exactly where you want it without the bulk of a full-length stick. That makes this set a natural fit for artists who focus on tight details, fine lines, or small-scale work where precision matters more than broad coverage. The silky-smooth flow and intense color laydown let you build up layers without losing definition. The 24-color range includes useful neutrals like cold grey II and cold grey VI alongside brights like helio turquoise and cadmium yellow, so you can handle both subtle shading and vivid accents.

The 24-color set is designed for precision work, not broad coverage, because the mini sticks hold less pigment than full-size pastels, so you will replace them more often when shading large areas. The Mungyo Soft Pastel Set 64 Vibrant Colors includes more than twice as many colors, but the Faber-Castell set focuses on control for tight linework, small portraits, or adding highlights to a larger piece. This is a specialist tool for the detail-oriented artist, not a general-purpose studio set.

Water solubility is the standout feature here, letting you use these pastels dry for traditional chalk effects or wet them with a brush to create washes that behave almost like watercolor. The 48 highly pigmented, lightfast sticks give you a solid core palette, and the set’s compact box (6.5 inches square) makes it easy to store or carry for on-the-go sketching. This set suits artists who enjoy experimenting across dry and wet techniques, especially those who want one compact kit for both approaches.

The Charvin set includes 48 colors, which is a smaller selection than the 200-color Schmincke Premium Set, so artists who need a vast array of shades for complex pieces may find the palette limited. However, these pastels are water soluble, a feature not found in the other listed sets, making them a practical choice for mixed-media techniques rather than a comprehensive color library.