Staedtler Pastel Pencils Review Design Journey Range
Staedtler Pastel Pencils Review Design Journey Range
In this review we are going to be testing, demonstrating and reviewing the Staedtler Pastel Pencils from the Design Journey Range. Pastels are one of those mediums that split and divide so many artists, whilst there is no doubting the beauty and skill involved in producing artwork with pastels the polarising division is not about the artistic value. For some artists, the very idea of touching pastels or the chalky pastel dust they create, can make them feel physically sick, similar to the sensation of fingernails being dragged along a chalk blackboard.
There are countless amazing pastel artists, showcasing and displaying their art all over the world and online, however, the thought of touching the chalky dust or the overall mess a full pastel painting can manifest, simply turns many artists off the medium. However, Pastel Pencils offer a more sanitary ability to uses pastels, but they do also offer one or down sides to them over the traditional pastel blocks. That being said, any chance of aiding a fellow artist, the possibility of trying a medium they have loved from afar, can surely only be a good thing and Pastel Pencils are such a tool.
If you cast your mind back a bit, I was incredibly fortunate and privileged to have received art supplies from Staedtler to review, from within their Design Journey Range. The Pastel Pencils on review in this article are from that Design Journey Range.
Staedtler Pastel Pencils Characteristics
The Staedtler Pastel Pencils can be purchased in one of two formats, a cardboard box packaging or the set I have on review which is a Tin. My only issue with the Staedtler Pastel Pencils the fact they only provide a set of 12, that is it, no more or no less, but I will talk more about this further into the review.
On the front of the tin, there is a bright and vibrant depiction of how the Staedtler Pastel Pencils perform. On the top of the tin we have the unmistakable Staedtler logo, followed by the set size and product details and finally a small icon providing a visual of the barrel shape. Midway down the tin there is the Design Journey logo, ensuring potential artists understand that the product is from this range.
On the very bottom of the tin there is a swatch of the 12 colors inside, allowing the potential buyer to have a rough idea of the colors provided. However it at all possible, try to remember that the swatches printed on packaging very rarely lines up with the actual colors when applied to a particular surface. Finally on the back of the tin there is information about the pastel pencils and it is written in 13 different languages, highlighting the reach globally that Staedtler has.
On opening the tin you are presented with the 12 colors in side, you will immediately notice the simplicity of the pencil design, a plain wood grain barrel, with minimal information printed. The Core of the Staedtler Pastel Pencils is a hefty 4.3mm encased within an attractive woodgrain, 7.5mm hexagonal barrel.
The Staedtler Pastel Pencil feels premium in the hand, I am of course relating this to every pastel pencil I have reviewed prior. The wood used for the barrel by Staedtler feels of excellent quality and visually this is a stunning pencil, it is well balanced and has a comfortable weight to it.
Along one side of the barrel we can see printed in silver leaf the Staedtler logo, closely followed by “Staedtler” printed in the same metallic silver print. As all pencil artist will attribute to, metallic print on barrels, be they silver or gold, can be terribly difficult to read in certain light.
Further along the barrel on the same side we can see printed “Pastel” in the same silver metallic print. That is all the information printed on the barrel. I know there are only 12 colors in the pastel pencil range from staedtler, so they may have declined the notion of providing more information along the barrel; however I would have liked to have seen a pigment name or number printed.
On the very end of the barrel, it is capped protecting the internal core, this cap is color coded to match the pigment present in the core. Whilst it is a pigment identifier of sorts, it is not an easy thing to see, many pencils sport a pigment identifier in the form of an inch or half inch pigment paint dip on the end of the barrel. This makes visual identification possible not matter how the pencil is laying on the studio desk. With the Staedtler Pastel Pencils, when the pencils are laying on the desk, the end cap of the barrel would need to be facing you, of course you also have to the exposure of the core to help you select.
Staedtler Pastel Pencil Performance
One of the most troublesome issues with pastel pencils, afflicts all brands of pastel pencil and that is sharpening. Due to the brittle nature of the pastel medium, most handheld, hand crank and electric sharpeners make a mess of the pencils, as I mentioned this has nothing to do with the material used for the barrel, it is purely down to the brittle nature of the pastel medium.
Staedtler Pastel Pencil Sharpening.
For me personally, I find when I use pastel pencils, I waste so much time sharpening them that I have now developed a fast and reliable method to sharpening them. I use a craft knife to shave away the wood barrel and it was whilst performing this that I could tell straightaway the high quality of the wood used for the Staedtler barrel.
Once I have enough of the barrel removed and the pastel core exposed, I use the Caran d’Ache Peeler which I show in the video review and have also reviewed in the past, simply click the links to find out more about this handy tool. The peeler allows me to gently refine the core of the pastel without snapping it, I then have a small hand held electric sander, fitted with an extractor fan and this makes light work of refining a detailed point on all pastel pencils in quick fashion.
Staedtler Pastel Pencil Swatch
In full transparency I have to submit that on opening the tin, getting ready to start sharpening all of the pencils, I dropped every single one of them, I mention this simply because of the 12 pencils I only experienced problems with two of them and I put that down to my mistake and not a fault with the pencils.
After sharpening the pencils I created a swatch with them, I had already selected a white sheet of Clairefontaine Pastelmat to complete the artwork, so I applied the swatch down the left hand side of the Pastelmat. I didn’t want to waste expensive paper and this also allowed me to see exactly what a particular color was going to look like, without having to constantly find a swatch on a different sheet.
As you can see, the colors are incredibly bright and vibrant, there was a soft butter feel to each pencil laying down on the pastelmat. Some pastel pencils can feel a bit scratchy and gritty, even some of the most expensive pastel pencils; however this was not the case for any of the 12 pencils on display in this review.
Artwork Using Staedtler Pastel Pencils
Given that there was only 12 colors to choose from, I had to dig deep and remember what little information I have learnt over the years regarding color theory. I selected a very simple subject to draw on account of the small number of pencils and as you can see I chose this green apple with some darker leaves to provide contrast and value range.
There are two greens in the set, a grass or spring green which is gorgeous and a Viridian green sort, which I personally am not a fan of. When I draw botanical art I much prefer to use more olive based greens whereas this viridian green was very heavily on the blue side of the spectrum. I also used the two blues to mix with the grass green and yellow to provide various value range within the green spectrum.
I also used the brown and black to help darken certain areas as well as the white. pencil to help blend and mix colors, providing a light touch when using the white pastel pencil. Throughout the drawing process, other than my own lack of color theory skills, I really enjoyed using them and it was because of this enjoyable process that I started to dwell on the low number of Staedtler Pastel Pencils on offer.
Staedtler also have a rare of pastel blocks, also within their Design Journey Range, however, the blocks are available in sets of 12, 24, 36 and 48, which is a fantastic range of colors. Unfortunately I can’t verify just yet what I am about to say, but I hope to buy a few sets of the pastel blocks and confirm this for you; but I feel the 12 sett of pastel blocks are inline with the 12 pastel pencils.
If this is the case and both medium are the same ingredients, then I wonder why Staedtler have not also provided a 48 set for the pastel pencils. To use the 48 set of pastel blocks, creating much larger pieces of art and then having the ability to use exactly the same colors in pencil format for detail, is a pastel artists dream.
Finally I swatched all 12 colors from the pastel pencil set on black mixed media paper, this is obviously not traditional pastel type paper, nevertheless, the dark background provides you with an understanding of how bright and vibrant the Staedtler Pastel Pencils are.
Staedtler Pastel Pencil Pricing and Lightfast Information
Obviously we know that there is only one set size, a 12 set of the Staedtler Pastel Pencils, however they are available in two formats. Here in the UK the 12 set of Staedtler Pastel Pencils in the cardboard packaging you can expect to pay approximately £9.99. For the Staedtler Pastel Pencils 12 set in a tin, the set I have on review, you can expect to pay approximately £16.
Regarding the lightfast information, obviously the Design Journey Range from Staedtler is primarily a student based range of products and so traditionally lightfast information is not present. This is confirmed by the lack of lightfast information on the Staedtler Pastel Pencil packaging and website.
Staedtler Pastel Pencil Conclusion
For anyone who admires the art, pastel artists on line showcase and is able to see the amazing potential this wonderful medium provides, and would like to dip their toe, into the medium, the Staedtler Pastel Pencils are the perfect starting point. All art supplies are expensive, but pastels in particular given the fact they are mostly little gems of pure pigment.
The Staedtler Pastel Pencils would be a wonderful place for anyone to get an understanding of pastels without spending huge amounts of money, perhaps only to discover pastels are just not for you. The same applies for those who can’t abide the feel of pastel dust on their hands, pastel pencils are a good alternative to pure pastel blocks and again, the Staedtler Pastel Pencils will provide you with a high quality product, capable of providing beautiful art work.
The Staedtler Pastel pencils as you can see are bright and vibrant, the soft buttery texture of the pastels on Pastelmat is an absolute dream to use. As I mentioned, my only critique is that I would love to have more colors and this is based on my enjoyment of using them. I have also provided a real time video review where I showcase the pastels mixing and blending on pastelmat, to watch this simply click the link.
If you would like to watch the artwork come to life in the format of a YouTube speed drawing video simply click the link and you will be taken directly to the video. Alternatively I have added still mages of the artwork come to life, from start to finish on the website, here you can click on any image which will automatically enlarge and inspect in your own time. I completely understand that YouTube is not eneryone’s cup of tea, which is why I always provide a written account of the review along with including a page of still images from the artwork. I know I am not able to please everyone, but by providing the four formats of reviews, I certainly hope to please a large group of you. Of course if there is another format you would prefer, please let me know nd I will certainly try to include it.
