I am very excited to review the 36 Pearlescent Oil Pastels sent to me by Paul Rubens. I don’t currently own this type of pastels so this is my first time using them.
Packaging Is GRAND!
First of all, it’s hard not to admire the packaging. I purchased the 36 macaron set and the regular 48 oil pastel set before, and they come in a different packaging. The gold box for the pearlescent set looks grand, though the other two sets come in sturdy boxes too.
By the way, this set comes with a special wet towelette to clean the sticks because some of them may feel oily, as seen here in this one:
Three of them have a bit of oil on the sticks (510, 214 and 4609) so I wiped the it off with the towelette. It was easy to clean. Very thoughtful of Paul Rubens to include it!
The pastels are well cushioned and protected with foam, just like the other two sets I own. Paul Rubens generally provides great packaging for their products, like the watercolours I own.
Paul Rubens Pearlescent Oil Pastels Swatches
I swatched all 36 shades on both white and black papers.
While a few of the colours go on a bit thicker and gummy compared to the rest, overall they are creamy and easy to work with. I would say these are a tad firmer than the macaron or regular Paul Rubens oil pastels.
On black paper they really shine! I noted the shade 4705 (Grape Myrtle) as a duochrome, which has a shift to it when the light hits. It’s very pretty. I know I am biased when it comes to teals but 4629, 4609 and 4702 are particularly stunning.
Painting with Paul Rubens Pearlescent Oil Pastels
Using Strathmore 400 series black mixed media paper, I did a quick loose florals painting with the pastels. They gave the same effect Derwent metallic watercolor paint did.
Next, I painted the Holiday Bug project from Let’s Make Art tutorial with the oil pastels instead of watercolour. I used the pearlescent ones for the bulk of the painting, but touched up with regular Paul Rubens oil pastels to add depth with black. In addition, I created highlights with white and light turquoise.
The oil pastels spread and blend nicely on Canson Mi-Teintes paper.
Painting on Canvas Paper
I have Strathmore 300 series canvas paper meant for acrylic and oil and I thought I would test the oil pastels on it. Surprisingly, it barely took in two layers. As a result, some of the larger areas looked patchy, but it was not the oil pastels’ fault. The paper was not meant for oil pastels.
I used the regular oil pastels to add some contrast and smooth out the patchy areas. I don’t think the photo did these pastels justice, because in person they are very metallic.
At the time of this review, I didn’t have Pastelmat at hand, so I wasn’t able to test these oil pastels on it. I find that watercolour and pastels really need good paper, so I will do another artwork and update this review once I get my hands on Pastelmat. The Canson Mi-Teintes worked fairly well with these though.
Summary
Like the macaron set, this set complements the regular set, and adds a beautiful metallic finish to any artwork. The majority of the pearlescent pastels blend easily, and the set is presented in a stunning gold box. I highly recommend them.
By the way, Paul Rubens is my main go-to brand on Amazon when it comes to art supplies. It’s great to see that not only do they make great watercolours, but also oil pastels as well.
Where to Buy
This set retails for US$28.99/CAD$39.99 on Amazon.
US: amzn.to/3Fa03CQ
Canada: Paul Rubens Pearlescent Oil Pastels Set of 36
(These are not affiliated links and I don’t make commission off them)
Disclaimer: Paul Rubens sent this set to me for review purposes only. My opinions are my own.
