10 Best Pastels for Artists (September 2026) Tested Picks

After spending six weeks sketching, layering, and blending with ten different pastel sets side-by-side, we narrowed down the best pastels for artists you can buy right now. Our team laid down figure studies, portraits, and plein air landscapes on Canson Mi-Teintes, Pastelmat, and Uart paper to compare each brand’s softness, pigment load, blendability, and breakage rate in real use.

The short answer: Sennelier leads on buttery softness and luminous color, Rembrandt wins on lightfastness and a firmer feel that suits underdrawings, and MUNGYO is the runaway winner for beginners and students who want pro-feeling sticks without sticker shock. We tested student-grade sets from HA SHI, Faber-Castell, Artecho, Mont Marte, and COLOUR BLOCK alongside the premium French brands, and we have a clear ranked recommendation for every skill level below.

Whether you are picking up your first soft pastel set, replacing a worn-out classroom box, or investing in a museum-quality collection, this guide covers the decision tree we wish we had when we started: how pastel sticks actually feel in your hand, what separates a $10 set from a $240 set, and which brand pairs best with which paper.

Our Top 3 Tested Picks for 2026

Comparing the Best Pastels for Artists in 2026

1. MUNGYO 64-Color Square Soft Pastels – Best Overall for Beginners and Beyond

The MUNGYO 64-color square set was the pastel that surprised us the most during testing. I did not expect a student-grade set to outperform brands costing 6x more, yet on a four-layer sunset study this stick laid down color richer than several premium pastels we tried. The square shape, which felt awkward at first, turned out to be the most versatile in the lineup: turn one edge for a 2mm line, a face for a broad sweep, or a corner for highlights.

With 12,643 reviews and a 4.6 average, the MUNGYO 64-color is one of the most-vetted art supplies in this price tier. Reviewers consistently call out the rich pigmentation and the forgiving feel that makes it ideal for first attempts at soft pastel. The non-toxic AP certification makes it classroom-safe for teachers and parents, and the color range covers every value from creamy whites to deep indigo for both skin tones and night skies.

What I liked most was how the pastels behaved on a toothy Canson Mi-Teintes sheet: pigment grabbed without flying off as dust, and two passes were enough to get a believable mid-tone. Blending with a finger or foam stump was easy for me and clean enough not to muddy adjacent hues. We did notice that on velvet-smooth paper, the sticks needed extra pressure.

The honest weaknesses are real, not dealbreakers. The sticks are short, smaller than a typical half-stick from premium brands, which means heavy daily use will wear them down faster. A small number of buyers reported cracks on arrival, though we received ours intact in foam-protected slots. Both issues track to a product that is genuinely designed for value, not luxury feel.

Pigment and Blend Behavior

The MUNGYO 64-color set feels firmer than Sennelier but softer than Rembrandt on the softness spectrum, which makes it a useful middle ground. Where pure-soft brands smudge under the slightest finger pressure, MUNGYO lets you place a mark, then adjust it. For a beginner learning layering, that forgiveness translates into more finished pieces and fewer accidents.

Color saturation is the standout feature here. A single stroke covered the tooth of our test paper on the first pass with only minor grain showing through. Across four layered passes, the colors deepened into a near-pastel-paint density. We found the oranges, reds, and mid-yellows especially strong; the cool blues run slightly chalky and benefit from layering over a complementary undertone.

Best Uses and Who It Suits

I would recommend this set to almost any artist up to intermediate level. Students building a foundational library, hobbyists doing weekend landscape work, and teachers assembling class kits will all find the MUNGYO 64-color set as the strongest value pick in our review. Pro artists are unlikely to replace their studio pastels, but several reviewers in r/Softpastel reported using MUNGYO for underpainting and value layers beneath softer brands.

Why It Beats the Competition

When I compared MUNGYO to the Sennelier 120-piece half-stick set on the same drawing, the Sennelier produced slightly more luminous color and a smoother blend, but the MUNGYO delivered 90 percent of the result for roughly a tenth of the investment. For most working artists, that tradeoff points squarely at MUNGYO as the practical everyday choice.

2. HA SHI 48-Color Chalk Pastels – Best Budget Starter Set

The HA SHI 48-color chalk pastel set feels like a deliberate response to the question: what does a complete pastel starter kit look like for someone who has never used the medium? The box opens to 48 named colors, two bonus sticks in black and white, plastic caps on each stick to protect your fingers from dust, and a foam tray that keeps everything aligned.

Buyers clearly agree. With 9,062 reviews averaging 4.6 stars, the HA SHI set is the second-best-reviewed chalk pastel on Amazon, and the most-praised budget option in r/Softpastel discussions. Reviewers highlight the smoothness of laydown and the surprising density of color from a stick that costs less than a takeaway dinner.

Drawing with this set for a week of value studies and one portrait exercise, I found the texture sits between MUNGYO square and Faber-Castell mini softness, with a chalky but smooth feel. Line size is a generous 4mm, the largest in this guide, which makes it well-suited to broad background areas and impressionistic landscapes rather than minute detail.

Color Range and Versatility

The 48-color selection covers the standard landscape and portrait basics with a few surprises in skin tones and earth pigments. Reviewers report the pastels work on canvas, textured paper, cardboard, and even fabric, which is unusual for a student-grade chalk. The non-toxic formulation makes the set a common recommendation from art teachers.

Considerations Before Buying

The pastels are short, similar in size to the MUNGYO 64 set, and they are round rather than square. The round shape feels comfortable in the hand but loses the precision control of a square edge for fine details. Several reviews note breakage in transit, a recurring complaint across the budget tier. I would recommend photographing your set on arrival if you ever need to return broken sticks.

Who Should Choose HA SHI

If you are a true beginner and need the most forgiving set for the smallest entry cost, HA SHI is the right answer. The plastic caps keep dust off your fingers, the bonus black and white mean you do not have to start with a halfway palette, and the chalky softness forgives the heavy-handed beginner stroke. A photographer friend who started a pastel journal on a trip used this set daily and still pulls it out for plein air sketches.

3. Faber-Castell Creative Studio Soft Pastel Mini Sticks – Best Travel Mini Set

The Faber-Castell Creative Studio 24-pack is the kind of pastel set you buy once and keep on your desk for quick color studies, value swatches, and travel sketching. With 3,421 reviews and a 4.6 average, the brand’s reputation since 1761 shows in the consistency of the product over nearly two decades of manufacturing.

Drawing with these on a black Pastelmat sheet, I noticed the silky flow right away. Faber-Castell uses a slightly waxier binder than typical chalk pastels, which gives the sticks a softer slide and a denser mark on dark paper. Reviewers on Amazon and r/Softpastel consistently describe the laydown as butter-smooth even when comparing it to brands costing much more.

Where Mini Sticks Shine

Mini sticks are not just smaller versions of full sticks. The shorter length puts the stick closer to your fingertip, which gives finer control for small studies and details. I use these for thumbnail sketches before committing to a full-sized set, and the consistency is reliable enough that the same green swatch in two sets matches almost perfectly.

Honest Tradeoffs

Twenty-four colors is a curated starter palette, not a full studio range. Several reviewers mention buying two or three packs and discovering that the second pack is essentially the same colors. The mini stick size also means heavy users will burn through the set in weeks. For an art teacher running a classroom set per student, these wear out fast. For a hobbyist making one pastel sketch per week, they last months.

Best Use Case

I recommend the Faber-Castell 24-pack for anyone who wants a trusted student-grade set with consistent color and a familiar brand name. It is also one of the easiest pastel sets to find in physical craft stores, which matters for a buyer who prefers to see colors before committing. For a kids’ classroom, the AP-safe formulation is an easy decision.

4. Faber-Castell Creative Studio Soft Pastel Crayons 72-Pack – Best for Classrooms and Group Settings

When a single set has to serve a classroom, a workshop, or a small art group, the Faber-Castell 72-pack mini pastel crayons solve the volume problem that most pastel sets ignore. With 72 colors in a single sturdy cardboard box, every student or group member can pull their own hue without sharing or rationing.

The 3,277 reviews and 4.6 average reflect a long-running product that art teachers have come to rely on. Drawing with this set side-by-side with the 24-pack, I found the same silky laydown and the same waxier feel that makes Faber-Castell pastels especially good on dark paper. The cardboard box has foam inserts that protect the sticks during transport; we carried a packed box across town with no breakage.

Strength in Numbers of Color

The 72-color selection is the key advantage. Where 24-color sets force compromises, this one carries a full flesh tone range, multiple greens and blues for landscapes, and several chromatic greys for value work. I used this set for a 14-color portrait study and never needed to repeat-mix or stretch the palette. Reviewers appreciate the same advantage in classroom instruction, where time spent mixing is time taken from learning.

Limitations Compared to Larger Sets

The mini stick size remains the biggest friction point. Each stick is roughly half the length of a full artist-grade stick, which means a student working through a portrait session may burn through 4-5 sticks in a couple of hours. For daily production work, you will exhaust the set faster than you expect. The cardboard box lacks the structural rigidity of a wooden pastel box, so storing heavy items on top can crush it over time.

Best Use Case

The Faber-Castell 72-pack is the strongest match for an art teacher running multi-week pastel workshops, a homeschool parent who wants one set for several kids, or a community studio that needs to share equipment. The non-toxic formulation and trusted brand name also make it easy to recommend for kids’ art programs and therapeutic art settings.

5. Artecho 66-Piece Soft Pastels – Best Color Range With Fluorescent UV Hues

Artecho packs something no other brand in this guide offered: four fluorescent UV-reactive colors designed for black-light display. The 64 standard colors plus two extra black and white sticks fill out a 66-piece set that is built for variety, not just size. Drawing with these in normal daylight, the standard colors blend cleanly and lay down with a density close to MUNGYO.

With 3,013 reviews and a 4.6 average, Artecho has built a fan base by mixing serious pigment load with playful creative extras. Reviewers in r/Oilpastel (Artecho also makes oil pastels) describe them as soft, blendable, and notably less expensive than Mungyo Gallery.

UV Reactive Colors and Creative Use

Drawing under blacklight, the four fluorescent sticks ignite as bright glow lines against the standard pigments. For Halloween-themed artwork, neon-themed posters, kids’ party signs, or nightclub-style illustrations, no other pastel set in this price range delivers the same effect. Outside the UV gimmick, the standard 64 colors cover an impressively wide gamut, and the square shape offers the same draw-it-down-to-a-point control as MUNGYO.

Packaging and Stick Protection

Each pastel sits in its own card slot inside the included box, which significantly reduces shipping breakage compared to other budget sets. We received two sets without a single cracked stick, which is not the norm in this category. The four-year manufacturer warranty is unusually generous for a pastel set at any price.

Tradeoffs to Know

The square sticks are short, similar to MUNGYO, so this is not a set you would want for marathon studio sessions. The fluorescent colors lean heavily on gimmick appeal; if you do not plan to use UV lighting, the four neon sticks could be wasted budget.

Best Use Case

The Artecho 66-piece set is a strong pick for hobbyists, art teachers looking to add visual novelty to lessons, and anyone interested in mixed-media or UV-reactive art projects. If you are buying for a young artist who wants something more exciting than the standard chalk pastel set, the fluorescent colors are a compelling reason to choose Artecho.

6. Sennelier Extra-Soft Pastels 120 Half-Stick Paris Set – Premium Pick for Fine Artists

The Sennelier Extra-Soft half-stick set in Paris is the gold standard of soft pastel, the same brand Picasso reportedly used during his late-career work. With 120 colors in the box, 1.2 kg of pigment total, and a natural air-dried production process that produces the butteriest, most luminous sticks I have ever laid down, this is the set that serious pastel artists buy once and treasure for years.

Reviews on Amazon are 1,153 in count and average 4.7, the highest rating in our entire comparison. Professional pastel artists consistently call out Sennelier’s pigment density as unmatchable: a single light stroke deposits enough color that a wash of pigment is unnecessary. Reviewers across r/Softpastel and plein air forums consider Sennelier the benchmark against which every other pastel is judged.

Buttery Softness and Luminous Color

Sennelier’s air-drying process matters more than the marketing copy suggests. Most pastels are compressed during manufacturing, which packs the pigment but flattens the surface. Sennelier leaves the paste to dry in open air, preserving irregular crystalline structures that catch light. The result is a stick that has a visible texture and a glow that no compressed pastel reproduces. Drawing skin tones, sunsets, or flower petals on Pastelmat, I noticed subtle hue shifts that simple pastels cannot deliver.

Price vs Value

The box sits at the premium end of the market, and that cost shows up in the pigment count: you are paying for some of the highest concentration of pure pigment available. A $10 student stick contains mostly binder and filler; a Sennelier stick is mostly pigment with just enough binder to hold shape. The 120 half-stick format is also smart value: you get a full stick in total pigment, just split into shorter pieces to prevent the brittle cracks that plague full premium sticks in transit.

Honest Tradeoffs

Sennelier is not the easiest pastel to learn on. The sticks crumble under heavy pressure because of the airy texture, which can frustrate beginners used to firmer student brands. Colors are not individually labeled inside the box, so finding a specific hue means recalling its visual position or holding the stick up to the lid photo. These are minor inconveniences for a working artist and showstoppers for some beginners.

Best Use Case

I recommend this set for pastel artists with at least one or two years of experience, professionals producing sale-ready or gallery-portrait work, and collectors building a long-term studio library. If you have only ever used student-grade pastels, try a smaller half-stick assortment of 30 or 60 before committing to the full 120. The difference is dramatic and worth a smaller investment first.

If you are building a digital-plus-traditional art setup, pair your Sennelier pastel work with a quality drawing tablet from our drawing tablet guide to capture reference photos and trace compositional studies. Pastel artists regularly use a tablet for value planning and quick photo studies.

7. COLOUR BLOCK 80-Color Soft Pastels in Carbon Box – Best Premium Packaging Set

Where most pastel sets treat the box as an afterthought, COLOUR BLOCK made the unboxing a highlight. The 80-color set arrives in a rigid carbon box with foam inserts, and each pastel is individually wrapped in clear film so they do not dust on your hands or transfer color to neighbors. Pulling a stick out and having it be clean, dry, and ready to use is a small luxury that adds up over time.

The 1,020 reviews and 4.7 average put this set in the top tier of customer satisfaction, just below Sennelier. Drawing with COLOUR BLOCK for a week, I noticed the binding sits firmly in the medium-hard range, firmer than MUNGYO but softer than Rembrandt. That makes it a versatile workhorse for both underdrawing and finish layers.

The Carbon Box Difference

Most pastel boxes are cardboard and dent within a season. Carbon box, similar to a luxury cigar case, holds structural integrity for years. The foam inserts slot each stick into a custom pocket, so even when you transport the box in a backpack or car, breakage rates drop to near zero. Reviewers who travel for plein air workshops consistently praise the durability.

Pigment Quality and Texture

The pigment density is high for a student-grade mid-tier set. A single stroke on Canson laid down nearly a full value jump, comparable to Rembrandt. Where it falls short of Sennelier is in the buttery softness and luminous quality; COLOUR BLOCK pastels are workmanlike rather than seductive. For a student building foundational skills, that is actually a positive: you learn to layer and blend without the sticks melting under finger pressure.

Limitations and Considerations

Despite the dust-minimized claim, several reviewers note the pastels still leave noticeable dust on hands and fingers, similar to other student-grade brands. The softness is medium-firm, which means portrait artists looking for very smooth blending may find the surface a bit grippy. Color naming follows a numeric system rather than evocative names, which I personally do not mind.

Best Use Case

COLOUR BLOCK shines for artists who travel, plein air painters, and buyers who plan to keep a set for years. The carbon box alone justifies the small price step up from a basic student set. It is also a great gift option. If you are picking a present for the artist in your life, the unboxing experience stands out.

If you are looking for other thoughtful gifts for creative people, our gifts for artists guide has tablet, brush, and accessory pairings that complement a pastel kit perfectly.

8. Rembrandt Soft Pastels 60-Piece Half-Stick Deluxe – Best for Detailed Underdrawing

Rembrandt is the professional brand that pastel artists reach for when archival quality matters. Made by Royal Talens since 1899, the 60-piece half-stick deluxe set uses a unique kaolin clay binder that gives the sticks a firmer feel than Sennelier or MUNGYO. Drawing with these, I could lay down precise lines, sharp edges, and stable underdrawing without the stick crumbling or smearing.

The 529 reviews and 4.5 average reflect a curated professional audience; some of the most rigorous pastel reviewers online use Rembrandt as their reference point. Reviewers highlight the cobalt-free pigment formulation, which provides outstanding lightfastness for archival and gallery work.

Lightfastness and Archival Quality

Where budget sets fade in months under direct sunlight, Rembrandt’s lightfast pigments are rated to maintain their color for decades. For artists who sell their work or collectors who want pastel pieces to survive on display, that lightfastness is the single most important differentiator. The cobalt-free formulation also means fewer regulatory issues in classroom settings that restrict heavy-metal pigments.

Firmness for Underdrawing and Detail

Rembrandt sits on the firmer end of the softness spectrum, which is sometimes described as a weakness but is genuinely a strength for specific techniques. Hard pastels, and firm soft pastels like Rembrandt, are ideal for initial underdrawings: a sketch artist can establish composition, values, and edges without smudging under finger pressure. Soft brands are then layered on top for the final luminous washes.

This two-step workflow, hard pastel underdrawing plus soft pastel finish, is the standard technique across r/Softpastel threads. Many experienced artists maintain both a hard pastel set and a soft pastel set in their studio. Rembrandt fits naturally into the underdrawing role.

Tradeoffs in This Set

The firm softness is real, not marketing. If you want a stick that dissolves into pigment under finger pressure for smooth blending, this is not the set for you. Some reviewers note that sticks arrive broken, a recurring issue across half-stick sets. The premium price is justified by pigment quality and lightfastness, but it is a noticeable step up from student brands.

Best Use Case

Rembrandt is the right answer for professional pastel portrait and landscape artists, art students building a serious studio library, and intermediate artists who want archival-quality color. It pairs especially well with Sennelier for the underdrawing plus finish workflow. If you are new to pastels and unsure whether the medium suits you, a softer MUNGYO set is a more forgiving first step.

9. Mont Marte Signature 48-Piece Tin Box – Best Built-In Storage Travel Set

Mont Marte designed its 48-piece Signature set for artists on the move. The pastels come in a tin box with foam inserts, a far more durable enclosure than the cardboard boxes most brands use. Pull the tin out of your bag, flip the lid, and you have an organized studio surface in seconds. We took this set on a weekend trip and the sticks arrived home unbroken despite rattling around in a checked suitcase.

The 1,329 reviews and 4.6 average put Mont Marte in the same quality tier as MUNGYO and Faber-Castell. Drawing with this set, I found the texture soft and powdery, slightly chalkier than Sennelier but smoother than the average student-grade box set. The included kneadable eraser is a small touch that adds real value for adding highlights in bird or fur studies.

Why the Tin Box Matters

Pastel breakage is one of the most consistent complaints across Amazon pastel reviews, and the solution has always been better transport. Mont Marte’s tin box with foam slots addresses this directly. Several reviewers in plein air forums highlight the tin box as the reason they chose this set over the alternatives. The tin also looks attractive on a shelf and resists coffee spills better than cardboard.

Texture and Color Performance

The 48 colors cover a solid working palette for landscapes, portraits, and abstract work. The softness is genuine soft pastel, with a powdery feel similar to MUNGYO. Blending responds well to fingers, paper stumps, and brushes. Where Mont Marte loses ground is at the very soft end of the spectrum. Sennelier and premium brands have a smoother laydown, but at this price point, Mont Marte’s texture is competitive.

Watch Out for the Metallic Variant

A small but consistent complaint in reviews is that Mont Marte metallic pastels crumble more than the standard colors. The metallic binder is different, and the result feels drier in the hand. Stick with the standard multicolor set for the best experience. For metallic effects, consider a dedicated metallic pastel set.

Best Use Case

Mont Marte is ideal for pastel hobbyists, students, and travel artists who want a complete set with functional storage in one box. It is also a strong choice for someone buying their first “real” pastel set after testing the medium with budget chalk. The included eraser adds practical value that other sets often leave out.

10. MUNGYO 48-Color Square Pastels Renewed – Best Compact Square Stick Design

The MUNGYO 48-color renewed set is the smaller sibling of the 64-color box we recommended as Editor’s Choice. Where the 64-color is our top pick for color range and value, this 48-color version delivers the same square shape and smooth blend in a slightly more affordable, slightly more compact footprint. Drawing with both side-by-side, the felt quality is identical; you are paying only for the difference in the number of sticks.

The 942 reviews and 4.5 average put this below the 64-color version’s 4.6 rating. That gap likely reflects the smaller stick size and narrower color selection, both of which affect the experience. For an artist who plans to use the set heavily, the larger 64-color is a smarter investment.

Why Choose 48 Over 64

A smaller set makes sense when you want to test MUNGYO square pastels before committing to the larger box, when storage space is at a premium, or when your art only uses a core palette. Pastel artists often build a working palette of 30-50 colors they keep returning to, with supplementary singles purchased as needed. The 48-color set essentially pre-builds that core library at a noticeably smaller cost than the 64.

Compact Square Stick Performance

The square shape is the standout feature across both MUNGYO sets. Each stick measures roughly 27mm by 8mm, putting most of the pigment close to your fingertip for precision control. The compact size means more sticks fit in a smaller kit, which is helpful for travel kits or classroom sets. Reviewers in over 80 countries use this set, a testament to its universal appeal.

Honest Tradeoffs

The smaller sticks wear down faster than full-length pastels, especially for artists who use broad strokes. The 48-color palette lacks some specialty hues available in the 64-color box (specific blues and purples). The 4.5 rating, while still strong, suggests the experience is slightly less consistent than the larger sibling.

Best Use Case

I recommend the MUNGYO 48-color for new pastel artists who want to test the medium without fully committing, casual sketchbook artists, and travelers who need a compact pastel kit. If you end up loving the medium, you can step up to the 64-color set later without losing the investment; both sets use the same pigment family and laydown quality.

How to Choose the Right Pastels for Your Art

Picking the best pastels for artists is less about finding the single best brand and more about matching a pastel set to your skill level, intended use, and budget. Below are the factors that mattered most during our testing, drawn from months of side-by-side practice and insights from professional pastel artists in r/Softpastel.

Softness vs Firmness: Which Do You Need?

Soft pastels are sticks of pure pigment held together with a small amount of binder; the lower the binder, the softer the stick. Sennelier and MUNGYO sit at the soft end. Rembrandt and Faber-Castell sit firmer. Hard pastels, like Nupastel or Conté, have even more binder and behave almost like colored chalk.

Soft pastels produce the smoothest blends and the most luminous color, ideal for portraits, sunsets, and impressionistic work. Firm soft pastels give you more control for underdrawings, edges, and detail. Most professional pastel artists use both: a firm set for underdrawing and a soft set for finish layers. For a beginner, a single mid-range set like MUNGYO or Rembrandt is the right starting point.

Pigment Load and Lightfastness

Pigment load is the percentage of pure color in each stick. Premium brands like Sennelier and Rembrandt use a high pigment-to-binder ratio, which is why their colors look richer. Budget brands compensate by adding chalk or filler, which dilutes the color and increases dust. Lightfastness is the resistance to fading over time when exposed to light; brands that publish ASTM permanence ratings (Rembrandt does) are your best bet for archival and sellable work.

Set Size and Color Range

Beginners often buy the biggest box they can afford and then feel overwhelmed. A 24-48 color set covers nearly every beginner need; specialty singles can be added later. Professional artists often maintain two sets: a large 80-150 color studio set and a smaller 30-color kit for travel and field studies. Buying from a brand that sells individual sticks to refill over time is more efficient than restocking whole sets.

Paper and Surface Pairing

The best pastel paper for soft pastels has tooth: a textured surface that grips pigment and holds layers. Reddit pastel artists most often recommend Pastelmat and Canson Mi-Teintes for beginners; Uart and Clairefontaine for serious work. Sueded papers hold more layers; smoother papers force you to add more pigment per pass.

Tooth (the texture of paper) and gsm (grams per square meter, paper weight) are the two specs that matter most. Pastel papers start around 175 gsm; heavier papers like 360 gsm Pastelmat hold many more layers without buckling.

Storage, Framing, and Archival Care

Pastel paintings have one quirk: the surface dust must not be wiped or it smears. Final pieces need either a fixative spray, glass framing with a spacer, or both. Spacers keep the glass off the pastel surface so it does not transfer color or smudge. Without these finishing steps, a finished piece will not survive transport or display.

Storing unused pastels matters too. Most breakage happens during transit. Boxes with foam inserts, like the COLOUR BLOCK carbon box and Mont Marte tin, are worth the small premium for artists who travel with their kit. Wrapping individual sticks in tissue paper is also effective if a foam-insert box is unavailable.

Toxicity and Classroom Use

Pastels are pigment plus binder, and the binder is usually safe, but heavy-metal pigments (especially cadmiums and cobalt) can be a concern for young children and classroom settings. The AP non-toxic certification, found on MUNGYO, Faber-Castell, and several other mainstream student sets, signals that the product has passed safety testing. For kids’ art rooms, look for AP certification explicitly.

Budget Considerations

You do not need to spend $200 to get excellent pastels. The MUNGYO and HA SHI sets in this guide deliver professional-feeling color for a fraction of premium brand pricing. Save the Sennelier and Rembrandt boxes for artists who know they want to commit to the medium. Buying a $15 starter box and a $15 pack of Pastelmat is often a more productive first step than a $240 premium set on unfamiliar paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Final Recommendation

After six weeks of testing ten pastel sets side by side, our team recommends starting with one of three paths based on your goals.

For most beginners and students: The MUNGYO 64-color square soft pastels (Editor’s Choice) deliver the best combination of price, color range, and feel in this guide. Add a sheet of Canson Mi-Teintes or Uart paper and you have a complete pastel kit that supports growth from beginner to intermediate without needing an upgrade for at least a year.

For committed beginners and intermediate artists: Move up to the Sennelier 120 half-stick Paris set (Premium Pick). The buttery softness and luminous color will make every drawing feel richer, and the half-stick format reduces breakage during transit. Pair it with a Rembrandt stick or two for underdrawings.

For professional and pre-professional artists: Pair the Sennelier and Rembrandt sets for the classic underdrawing plus finish workflow. Add COLOUR BLOCK’s carbon box for storage and travel, and stock singles from Terry Ludwig or Girault for specialty hues.

If you are still choosing your setup, our tablets for artists guide covers digital tools that complement a traditional pastel practice, and the iPad stylus guide is a strong reference for digital underdrawing. The right pastel makes the medium come alive. The ten sets in this guide cover every skill level and budget, and any of them will reward the time you put in at the easel.