Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels Review
Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels Review
I am a huge fan of pastels, I think as a medium there is so much that can be achieved, from realism, pet portraiture, Impressionistic, abstract, etc. I have long admired the work many amazing pastel artists can achieve and it is from watching such talent online, it makes one always envisage my own pastel art being of a similar standard, alas many more years of joyous practise ahead. In this review we are going to be looking at the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels.
But it is this constant search of perfection that I think enables us artists to continue enduring night after night and day after day, living a life of many mixed emotions, from pure frustration to elation when the prerequisite is achieved. With regards to the medium of pastels, I know there are a small group of artists who would love to try the medium but issues such as mess and texture between their fingers prevents them from doing so, for which I truly feel bad for them and wish there was an alternative method of application, outside of the many already prescribed.
As with so many art mediums, pastels range greatly in price and in this day and age, cost is a huge factor as to whether or not a medium is bought, the flip side of which we all forget is that whilst the cost of living for all is increasing, the cost of manufacturing and transport has also increased. Cost however is a very personal issue, what I think is a reasonable price, may not be what you consider reasonable and this of course depends upon our disposable income. I hope however after reading this review on the Paul Ruben’s Artist Soft Pastels that it helps you form a full account as to whether or not they can fit into your budget or fit into your daily artistic endeavours.
Paul Rubén’s Artist Soft Pastel Characteristics
The first thing to note is the set sizes, now I normally leave this for later into the review, however there is not much to talk about and it is quite rare what Paul Rubens have done. The Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels come in two set sizes, the 36 set which happens to be the set I am reviewing and the 40 set. When I first got the 36 set and started my research into set sizes and prices, I was quite taken back by the size of both sets, with only 4 pastels being the difference, I did find this odd.
As you will see from the review, there is no pigment names assigned to the individual pastels and so when I was researching the 40 and 36 set, it was difficult to know for sure that both sets sold totally different colors. I could see from images online that the 40 set did have some different colors, but it was impossible to know for sure if the 36 and 40 set did not have duplicate colors. I did find out with a little help from my friend, that the 40 set is the Portrait set and the 36 set a simple assortment of colors.
On opening the 36 set the first thing I noticed was the quality of the box, now I am well aware that the packaging of an art supply does not mean it is going to perform well, nevertheless, the packaging for the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels feels like a premium product.
On removing the lid, you are presented with a well illustrated booklet explaining a little bit about the pastels. After this there is a thin foam layer of protection, upon removing you are presented with 36 bright and vibrant little gems neatly placed within their foam beds.
As most pastel artist will tell you, in order to get the best of your pastels, especially a new set, you must get rid of the perfection presented to you on opening the packet. When an artist sees all these gorgeous colors practically unblemished, there is a resistance to use them. to overcome this select one and break it in half, this will go against all you hold dear, but it is important to proceed with your pastels. I am of course talking slightly tongue and cheek, but there is an element of truth behind the myth.
The Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels are cylindrical in shape which is common for a lot of soft pastels, they are approximately one and a half inches in length and the diameter of the pastels are approximately half an inch. the measurements are not precise given the nature of the medium.
As I briefly mentioned there is no pigment name or information present that I could find either on the packaging, in the booklet or on the actual pastel. I know that most experienced pastel artists arrange their pastels in color formation and never using pigment names only their keen eye. However I feel for artists just getting started or even student grade artists, having the name of the pigment or pigment information somewhere would be beneficial.
Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastel Performance
As always I completed a simple swatch of the 36 colors present, for the swatch I used whit Ingres Pastel paper from Hahnemühle, whilst this is paper I am not particularly fond of for actual pastel paintings, I find for the purpose of swatching it is okay. Ingres paper does have a texture to it, but it is a very thin paper and if you are to paint a piece on such paper you would have to mount it to a board, preventing it from disturbing the pastel.
As you can see from the swatch, the 36 color in the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastel set are indeed bright and vibrant. My only criticism from the swatch is that for me the yellows are a too similar and I would perhaps like to have seen one or two darker tones. Again this is a personal preference as the palette belonging to any medium always is very personal.
I did complete a very simple botanical piece using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels and I had a lot of fun in doing so. First of all I used the Hahnemühle Velour Pastel paper to complete my piece on and whilst I have used this paper before when testing and swatching, I have never actually completed a full piece on it.
If you watch my speed drawing video of this piece, you will both see just how many layers I was able to achieve which is testament to the pastels and the paper, but it also shows the lack of darks in this particular set. Trying to establish a darker value for the shadow on the pear was difficult and you can see in the speed drawing the varying combinations and layers I applied.
I was really happy with the end result of my painting using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels, their blending and mixing was pleasing and during the entire painting experience, I did not experience an excess of dust, which can sometimes be the case on dryer more chalkier pastels.
For me personally, after using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels, I likened them to the Unison Pastels, perhaps not quite a soft, but if you watch my YouTube video review, you will see both pastels side by side and there is very little difference. Like I said, I would say that the Paul Rubens Pastel are a bit harder than the Unison but this is to be expected given the huge price difference.
Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastel Sets
As I briefly mentioned at the beginning of the review, there are only two sets available so far, the 36 set of Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels and this is an assortment of colors and the 40 set which is a portrait set. After using the Paul Ruben Pastels and already having a passion for pastels, I would really love to see Paul Rubens expand upon the range. I would love for them to introduce perhaps a 72 set and maybe even a 120 set.
Keeping the ingredient exactly the same as the current pastels, I think a 72 and 120 set, allowing the company to introduce a few more darker tones and a nice selection of greys, I think this would absolutely avert the gaze of many already established pastel artists.
Here in the UK for the 36 set of Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels you can expect to pay approximately £45.99 and for the 40 Set of Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels you will pay approximately £49.99.
Unfortunately I was unable to get any links or prices from Amazon in the US and Europe, however, as you know, I do my very best and check all my links on a Sunday, so if and when they become available I will absolutely update this site. I deeply apologise for not being able to provide pricing and links.
Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastel Conclusion
I know there is never as much information to present in reviews when it comes to reviewing pastels over a medium such as artist quality colored pencils, nevertheless, I still try to make sure that I provide as much and as detailed information as I can. My aim is to help you as a potential consumer of said product, to make an informed decision as to whether or not this product is for you. Whether you buy or you do not buy, this is not important to me, making sure that if you do end up buying the product, that when you test it yourself, you feel like you already know the product inside and out based on the information provided to you from The Art Gear Guide.
I loved using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastel, I had a lot of fun with them and in the actual piece I painted, I felt like I could layer and layer all day until I achieved the look I wanted. Using pastels is like so many other art mediums, the surface you chose to paint on or draw on is so important and we all have our own unique take on particular surfaces.
Regardless of surface, the pigment strength from the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels is incredibly impressive when set against the much higher graded pastels. I have not tried all of the really high grade artist quality pastels, but the ones I have tried such as the Unison and Terry Ludwig, in my opinion the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels are very similar to Unison, just a tad harder than the Unison; but pigment strength and lay down quality is so incredibly similar. r
With this review I feel watching the YouTube Review and Speed Drawing will both help you in providing additional information. In the YouTube review I show the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels on UART Sanded paper and show colors mixing together. In the speed drawing you get to see the amount of layers applied and my struggle getting the shadow tone required for the piece. Select the relevant links for the review formats you would like to watch.
Always check out your local art stores as well, the current time we are living in is financially difficult for us all and so making sure we all support each other I think is important. Local art stores find it competing against the big chains like Amazon and if I could supply links from every local art store in my reviews I would, but globally it would take me forever for just one review, just always keep it in mind to check locally before looking at Amazon. Thank you all so very much for your support I can’t tell you how much it means to me, you watching my reviews and reading my reviews helps me more than you will ever know.
