My Favorite Oil Pastel Art Supplies for Artists

My very first set of oil pastels was a cheap one from Cass Art that I picked up on sale on a whim. After that, I was hooked.

These are my favorite oil pastel art supplies for artists.

THE FANCY ONES

My favorite (but the most expensive) oil pastels. I like to mix these with other pastels. They're super creamy, so sometimes for my work they're too soft to use on their own. You can buy them in different color-coordinated sets or as individuals in art stores. They come in both a smaller and a larger stick size. Depending on the color some of them are more opaque and some are more transparent. If you look up the color chart online it should indicate which are which.

Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Landscape Colors, Set of 24 Sennelier Oil Pastels are a benchmark in the art world: lipstick soft, highly pigmented pastels made in France with the same top-quality components found in all Sennelier colors. - Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Landscape Colors, Set of 24

Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Portrait Colors, Set of 24 Sennelier Oil Pastels are a benchmark in the art world: lipstick soft, highly pigmented pastels made in France with the same top-quality components found in all Sennelier colors. - Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Portrait Colors, Set of 24

Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Assorted Colors, Set of 24 Sennelier Oil Pastels are a benchmark in the art world: lipstick soft, highly pigmented pastels made in France with the same top-quality components found in all Sennelier colors. - Sennelier Oil Pastel Set - Assorted Colors, Set of 24

YOUR FIRST OIL PASTEL SET

If you’re just starting out and don’t want to spend too much, I recommend the Mungyo Gallery Artists’ Soft Oil Pastels. I would skip most cheap brands. They’re often waxy and hard to blend. These are a great price but still really good quality and super smooth. If you can afford it, I would also go with the 72 color set. I started with a 36 and immediately regretted that choice.

Mungyo Gallery Artists' Soft Oil Pastels - Set of 72 Formulated with finest artist-grade pigments and materials, Mungyo Artists' Soft Oil Pastel Sets offer brilliant color, professional performance, and a smooth consistency for every type of oil pastel technique. - Mungyo Gallery Artists' Soft Oil Pastels - Set of 72

MY FAVORITE OIL PASTELS

The color range isn't as big as Sennelier's, but they're very pigmented, smooth, and you can buy them individually.

Caran d'Ache Neopastels - Set of 96 Equally suited to intense coloring, delicate shading, or subtle hue transition. Professional quality oil pastels with smoothness and blendability. Permanent pigments. Absolutely dustless. - Caran d'Ache Neopastels - Set of 96

EXTRAS

I like to keep a few of these on hand for sharper details. They're also water-soluble, so you can add a little painterly quality to your artwork.

Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists' Pastels - Set of 15, Assorted Colors Caran d�Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists� Pastels are professional-grade, water-soluble wax pastels that offer bold, luminous color with remarkable versatility. Their smooth, creamy texture makes them great for layering and blending. They can be used dry like a traditional pastel, or activated with water for flowing, brush-like effects. - Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists' Pastels - Set of 15, Assorted Colors

OIL PASTEL PAPER

This is my preferred paper for my oil pastel drawings. I like that it's a slight cream color rather than bright white. I started with the regular drawing paper but switched when I saw they make a heavyweight version!

Strathmore Heavyweight Drawing Pad - 11" x 14", 24 sheets, 100 lb (163 gsm) The surface on this 100 lb (163 gsm) drawing paper has slightly more texture than Strathmore's 80 lb paper, making it durable enough to stand up to repeated erasing and reworking. Excellent for use with pencils, colored pencils, charcoal, and sketching sticks. - Strathmore Heavyweight Drawing Pad - 11" x 14", 24 sheets, 100 lb (163 gsm)

OPTIONAL

Oil pastels never fully dry, so they're fragile and can smudge. The best way to protect your drawings is to frame them with a spacer, so the artwork doesn't touch the glass.

You can also use a fixative spray. The best one is the Sennelier D'Artigny Fixative Spray For Oil Pastels.

A lot of people recommend hairspray, but I've heard it yellows the paper over time, so I wouldn't use it on professional work.

I don’t always spray mine. I store my drawings gently in between sheets of paper until they are ready to frame. If you can use glassine that’s even better.