Why You Should Mix Oil Pastel Brands — A Guide Based on Experience

One of the most common questions I get as an oil pastel artist is: “Which brand do you recommend?”

And my answer, almost without fail, is: “All of them — if you can.”

This may sound vague, but let me explain. In the same way a chef doesn't cook with just one spice, or a musician doesn’t play an entire concert on one note, an oil pastel artist benefits immensely from building a diverse palette of brands. Each one brings something unique to the process — a texture, a resistance, a richness — and discovering how they behave together is not only educational… it’s transformational.

Understanding Oil Pastels Beyond the Label

Unlike other media like oil paint or acrylics, where mixing brands might cause technical issues, oil pastels are incredibly forgiving when it comes to layering different brands. This gives us a unique advantage: we can build a toolkit made up of the best features of each line available on the market.

Think of it this way:

• Some brands are like scalpel tools: precise, firm, ideal for details and underdrawings. (Think Pentel or Cray-Pas Specialist.)

• Others are rich and buttery: they melt into the paper and deliver bold, intense color. (Like Sennelier or Paul Rubens.)

• And then there are those in-betweeners — dependable, balanced, and responsive to both blending and layering. (Gallery by Mungyo, for example.)

  
  

To rely on a single brand is to limit the full range of expression that this medium offers.

Experimentation Is a Training Ground

We often seek comfort in consistency. Once we find a pastel brand that works, we tend to stick to it. But this comfort zone can become a creative cage.

Testing new brands challenges your technique. Some pastels will resist blending; others will blend too easily. Some may surprise you with unexpected color behavior or textures. These experiences sharpen your adaptability, which is one of the most powerful tools an artist can have.

When I began mixing brands, I found myself:

• Layering more thoughtfully

• Adjusting pressure and stroke depending on the softness of the stick

• Becoming more selective with color placement

• Discovering new effects I couldn’t achieve before

The process of discovery is what deepens your technique.

A Useful Analogy: The Pencil Grade System

Graphite artists are deeply familiar with the H–B pencil grading system. We instinctively reach for H or HB for structure and precision, and use B or 6B for shadows, softness, and expressiveness.

So why not apply this logic to oil pastels?

Imagine building a pastel toolkit like this:

• Hard pastels for sketching, structural lines, and base layers (Pentel, Cray-Pas Expressionist)

• Medium/creamy pastels for transitional tones and layered color (Gallery by Mungyo)

• Soft/buttery pastels for blending, accents, and final highlights (Paul Rubens, Sennelier)

  
  

Once you think this way, you realize: It’s not about brand loyalty. It’s about building a system that works for you.

What Each Brand Brings to the Table

Let’s revisit a simple breakdown of what some of the most popular oil pastel brands offer:

Each one is a tool with a different function. Each one has its strengths — and its limits. But combined, they create a far more powerful medium than any brand could alone.

Practical Tip: Swatch Everything

Every time you buy a new brand or set, make time to:

• Swatch each color

• Test layering it over and under other brands

• Try blending with your fingers, a tortillon, or solvents

• Observe how it behaves on different surfaces (smooth vs. textured paper, primed board, etc.)

Keep a notebook or visual diary where you record your results. Over time, this becomes a personalized guide to your materials — one no YouTube review can replace.

Final Thoughts: Curiosity Over Comfort

Art is a dialogue between you and your materials. The more you understand what they can (and cannot) do, the more fluent and expressive that dialogue becomes.

So don’t just settle for the “best” brand — try the weird ones, the budget ones, the obscure ones, the professional ones. Some will disappoint you. Others will change your technique forever.

Leo