I am not a professional artist, rather, I am a professional who is learning art as a stress release. Last year, I began using an inexpensive set of colored pencils to hone my basic skills. I could not have told the difference between good and great pencils then. I am now better and can see a little difference, however, I can still use my cheap set with good results. Similarly, I began learning about pastels recently. The set which came with my other art supplies was limited in colors and quality. This set has a much larger palate, blends better than I expected, and it is quite reasonable in cost. Pragmatically speaking, it is at least as good as I am.
I heard that people received these broken, but my set came with a sponge insert within the package. Not only did it arrive intact, but I then threw them in a backpack on a plane trip to Kansas and back and they did great. I believe the makers have overcome their shortcoming.
A couple of tips from a non-professional: in order to get better detail, I have...liberated?... some of my wife's really good quality cotton-tipped swabs, the ones with very firm cotton shaped into a spear-tip. Those are fantastic for blending the pastels. The downside is that much pigment is removed, but you can layer better as well. Next, spray layers with clear acrylic spray so it doesn't smear as much. Also, to get better, crisper details, come back with colored pencils to put in details and highlights. I am still not entirely satisfied with my results, but, hey, I'm learning. My on-line instructor pointed out that beginning artists are entirely too hard on themselves. You don't expect to learn a skill like playing a musical instrument overnight, so go easy on yourself.
Lastly, I bought some pastel paper with the kit. The landscape is on that paper. In my opinion, pastel paper has too much tooth for finer detail. I prefer using straight drawing paper (tinted is nice, too). The cat picture is on mixed media paper, but I still like the drawing paper better.
In summation: these pastels have nice colors, a wide variety of colors, better quality than some other ones, all for about 20 cents a stick. The sticks are small, but go a long way. I don't have the experience to say how much better more expensive sticks are, but these are great for learning techniques which can be translated to better products. But the real bottom line is that I am having fun with them.
| Manufacturer | HA SHI |
|---|---|
| Brand | HA SHI |
| Item Weight | 8.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 9.17 x 5.27 x 0.7 inches |
| Item model number | mps-64 |
| Color | 64 colors Short |
| Closure | Snap |
| Size | 64 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Point Type | Fine |
| Ink Color | Pastel |
| Manufacturer Part Number | MPS-48/64 |
