Studio Exploration #1
Updated: Oct 6
For the first studio exploration, I decided to text our soft pastels. I am very unfamiliar with soft pastels, and have only used them very briefly in a figure drawing class about three years ago. For each brand I tested out, I used 80lb Strathmore drawing paper, and stuck with the 8"x10" pad. I tested out Kalour, Faber-Castell, and Winsor & Newton brands.
Kalour PADS
Brand Quality & Cost
For the first brand of chalk pastels, I chose the Kalour PADS pastels that were available at the GMU think tank. I do need to preface this exploration - I am 90% sure these pastels aren't in production anymore, and it seems that the brand has actually started manufacturing the same formula of chalk pastel, but in the shape of a colored pencil.
These are the pastels that I used in my studio exploration, which I also found on a Guatemalan site. They are listed for $20.97 in USD for a 24 count, which makes them $0.87 a piece.
These are the pastels in pencil form that are currently being manufactured, which are more widely available. They are listed at $17.99 on amazon for a 24 count, which makes them $0.75 a piece.
After doing some experimentation and considering the cost I believe the pastel products by Kalour to be more student and beginner grade products.
Product & Packaging
These pastels came in a flat, cardboard/card stick type box with a tray dedicated to holding the pastels. The packaging was flimsy, but appropriate according to the affordable price. I did like the stick length and durability of the pastels. I thought these would be easy to hold, especially for younger students or students that struggle with fine motor skills.
Color
The color range of this palette was interesting. It felt heavy on the cool colors, particularly blue and green. When applied, the pigment was very nice and vibrant, which made up for the limited warm colors.
Also, when considering the colors in this set, I noticed the earth/skin tones that it came with were very limited. One was a very pale, flesh tone, on was a mid brown, and the other two were similar reddish orange terracotta colors. Ensuring straight skin tones are available is very important to me, especially considering materials for younger students, who may not have extensive time or knowledge in mixing colors to create other skin tones.
Despite having strong, pigmented colors, trying to mix these colors turned out to be difficult. With each of the eight colors I tested, I mixed black, blue, yellow, and white into it with a very light application. Each color I mixed in to the starter color seemed to completely overtake the starter color. The formulas didn't layer well over each other, and it just seemed like whatever color I applied next became THE color. The same issue occurred when I attempted to make a range of skin tone using primary colors.
Application
When testing the application of the pastels, I started with a block of color using slightly strong pressure. Then I created a gradient of that same color starting with firm pressure, and ending with very light pressure. I erased the middle of that gradient with a regular white rubber eraser, and blended out the bottom of the gradient with a tortillon.
These pastels actually erase well, and almost completely on areas where very light pressure was used with the original pastel application. The colors also blended alright with the tortillon, but was slightly streaky. The streakiness may be frustrating for older students, but perfectly acceptable for elementary age.
The main issue with these pastels is that they are messy. Very messy. Dust and fallout from just one line of application would get all over my paper, and was very hard to brush or blow away without getting any pigment in unwanted areas.
Trying to blend colors together would end up looking patchy and rough, using a blending tool or not. It was incredibly difficult to blend colors cleanly and took a lot of patience. I was starting to get frustrated, and eventually just stopped trying.
Safety & Health
Overall, this is a very safe material to work with, it's non-toxic and non-flammable. In terms of safety, it would absolutely be appropriate to use in the classroom. I couldn't find the SDS sheet for this product since it is no longer in production, but it is generally advised to avoid breathing in the dust of the chalks.
Faber-Castell
Brand Quality & Cost
For the second brand, I chose to use the Faber-Castell mini chalk pastels set. The mini size is half of your typical chalk pastel. The Faber Castell mini 24 count set is listed at $16.50 on amazon, which makes it $0.68 per mini, or $1.37 per standard size stick. I would still consider faber-castell to be student grade, according to price and quality, but intended for more intermediate to advanced students
Product & Packaging
Because of the size of the mini pastels, the packaged product is much more compact and portable. This is much more accessible for students on the go. The only downside to the smaller pastel size is they are trickier to hold, especially those who may have larger hands or struggle with fine motor skills. Also, the more they are used, the smaller they get (of course) which makes them even trickier to use towards the end.
Color
The color range of these pastels are fantastic. There are at least two options for just about each primary and secondary color, and more for the in between colors. All the essentials are here for mixing, layering, and achieving just about whatever color a student would need. The colors are also very saturated, which makes these pastels great for facilitating creativity.
In terms of earth and skin tones, the range in this set is much wider than that in the Kalour set. There were about 5 relevant skin tones, and I tested each by mixing it with black, blue, yellow, and white. Each color that was blended in to the original color gave it a new temperature like intended.
I also tested out a couple new things to experiment with blending during this exploration. I created a pinkish gradient, and also an orangey yellow orb. Each color melted in to each other very well. Overall, I was very happy with the colors in this set, and especially how they reacted with each other.
Application
I followed the same application tests that I described the the Kalour application section. I also tried to blend with a regular, bounty-type paper towel on the right side of the gradient for each color.
There was definitely less fallout in this brand, but it was still noticeable and a little tricky to work around. The pastels were also much more brittle, so I had to adjust how much pressure I used since it was still highly pigmented.
The Faber-Castell pastels definitely didn't erase as well, and still left a colored stain on the paper. The tortillon blender was less streaky and more smooth with this brand, however using the paper towel as a blending tool left the chalk patchy and uneven.
When blending colors in a gradient, or balancing cool and warm tones, layering is key. The idea of layering the colors on top of each other and being minimal with a blending tool would be an extra aspect that would need to be taught with students using these pastels. Again, patience is key, but it was definitely less frustrating with the Faber-Castell pastels.
Safety & Health
Overall, this is a very safe material to work with, it s non-toxic and non-flammable. in terms of safety, it would absolutely be appropriate to use in the classroom.
Winsor & Newton
Brand Quality & Cost
For the third brand of soft pastels, I chose Winsor and Newton. These pastels were clearly a higher end product intended for advanced students. I bought a 15-count set for 32.99 at Michaels, however the price on this product has a huge range based on sales and promotions. It seems like $33 is the standard list price. $32.99 per 15-count puts the price at $2.20 per pastel.
Product & Packaging
Not only is the quality of this product great (which is discussed below), the packaging was very nice and much appreciated. Rather than a plastic or cardstock try, the container is metal and teach pastel is wrapped to prevent the oils from your wind interfering with the formula of the pastel. Both of these features ensure your pastels last longer and maintain good quality.
Color
Despite only having 15 colors in this set, the range is beautiful and the pigment is great. However, it comes with two browns, one slightly cool and one slightly warm, but both are very clos in color once applied. I was not happy with the range of skin tone given, so it was clear that I would have to try and mix colors to get a shade that matched my own skin color. Which, without much of my own training on pastels, was pretty difficult.
Like the faber-castell colors, once layered together, the colors in the Winsor & Newton set melted into each other seamlessly. It was very easy to change the temperature, saturate, desaturate, lighten, and darken each color. It was so fun to use.
The only struggle I had with color was in the blues. There wasn't a clear ultramarine, which is what I personally tend to use for cooler shadows. It was tricky to try and adapt to the cobalt looking blue and pthalo looking blue that this palette came with.
Application
The application of the Winsor and Newton pastels were by far the best of the three I tested. The pastels were velvety and had much less fallout than the other two, despite still being a little brittle.
These were definitely the hardest to erase since the pigment was so strong, but each color blended with ease using the tortillon and never ended up streaky.
I also found that blending with the tortillon was best for trying to cover larger spaces, but when working smaller, layer the colors into each other was the best way to blend. The tortillon would just make things muddy.
Using these pastels were a breath of fresh air compared to the other two brands, so I decided to use these to create my finished piece.
Safety & Health
Overall, this is a very safe material to work with, its non-toxic and non-flammable. in terms of safety, it would absolutely be appropriate to use in the classroom.
Other Thoughts
Overall, I had fun experimenting with chalk pastels, especially when it came to layering colors since that is the pproach I take to oil painting. However, I am not comfortable teaching soft pastels at all. I think the texture and diustiness of the more affordable pastels would frustrate younger students, andBut I am not completely ocnfident in my knowledge of layering colors with this medium to teach older students. To improve, I would like to continue practicing how each color interacts with eachother, and how to avoid my work looking muddy.
In addition to the chalk pastels, Iwould definetly provide students with a rubber eraser and a torillon blender. Even though the eraser didnt qwork too well with the higher end pastels, it still has some effect on the lighter-applied pastel. The tortillion was also great for spreading pigment across large spaces.
Another material that would be needed with chalk pastels is a workable fixatif. With how dusty the pastels are and how much thefallout the sticks give off, a workable fixative is necessary for finished pieces. The issue with this is that fixatif is highly flammable, and neds to be sprayed either outside, or in a special, well ventilated area like a spray booth. In a teaching situation, this spray processw ould need to be done away f4om students, and away from teh school building.
Another last note of chalk pastels is that because of the dust this material gives off, it could be frustrating for students with sensory issues. the chalk texture sort of dries out the hands and it can start feeling funky
Synthesis
Brand | Aspect/Quality | Okay | Good | Excellent |
Kalour PADS | Color Pigment & Vibrancy | X | ||
Skin Tone Range | X | |||
Color Range | X | |||
Erase-ability | X | |||
Blend-ability | X | |||
Color Layer-ability | X | |||
Faber Castell | Color Pigment & Vibrancy | X | ||
Skin Tone Range | X | |||
Color Range | X | |||
Erase-ability | X | |||
Blend-ability | X | |||
Color Layer-ability | X | |||
Winsor & Newton | Color Pigment & Vibrancy | X | ||
Skin Tone Range | X | |||
Color Range | X | |||
Erase-ability | X | |||
Blend-ability | X | |||
Color Layer-ability | X |
Finished Piece
For my finished piece, I decided to work with the Winsor & Newton pastels on 80lb Strathmore Drawing paper, 8"x10".
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