I was pretty happy with Mungyo and Faber-Castell soft pastels. They are budget friendly, easy to use and very pigmented. However, I have always wanted to try Sennelier, since so many artists have recommended them. So, are Sennelier soft pastels really the best?
The Brand
Sennelier is a very well known French brand established since 1887. In addition, they make watercolour paint and oil pastels.
For the soft pastels range, they have a whopping 525 shades. However, they aren’t cheap; this pack of 6 half sticks retails for CAD$19.99 at DeSerres.
Now, let’s look at them sticks:
The Shades
The shades included in the pack are 412, 442, 406, 61, 131 and 439. By the way, 442 and 406 are very similar; I wish they had included a more mid-tone, neutral brown rather than two very red-leaning browns in such a small palette.
The Portrait
For this portrait, I used Pastelmat, since I didn’t want to waste such expensive pastels on cheap paper that won’t hold the pigment.
The pastels were so soft they went on like a dream! If I thought Mungyo and Faber-Castell budget pastels were soft, they are scratchy in comparison to Sennelier. In addition, I used the Sofft tools to blend the pastels on the paper. Since the Pastelmat creates no dust, I didn’t feel it was wasteful at all. The only gripe I have is the colour selection. Even with one ocher shade, I was not able to create a more natural looking dark skin tone. In fact, this came out far too red and ashy.
Mixing With Other Brands
Due to the shades being too red, I also used Mungyo and Faber-Castell soft pastels to create a more natural looking dark skin tone. I had to use my Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils for details. Moreover, the Mungyo pastels had to be laid down first, since they are much harder in comparison to the Sennelier (fat over lean). The pigments mixed together but not without effort, since the Mungyo is much harder and can create streaks. Furthermore, the Sennelier extra soft pastels blended like a dream on top.
The Verdict: Simply The Best!
The Sennelier extra soft pastels blew me away. Words can’t quite describe how soft they are and how beautiful they blend on the Pastelmat. The saddest part is that I have a hard time going back to my Mungyos now! T_T
Now that I have tried Sennelier soft pastels, I can truly say they are the best! I want more of them! I just wish this Dark Skin Tone set had a neutral mid-tone brown for a more balanced palette. There are also a few other 6-pack sets, including a pale skin tone set, that you can purchase as well.
All in all, this was a great discovery set.
