Lightwish Square Oil Pastels
review
content
The set came in a nice sturdy box. None of the pastels were broken.
Pastels were already sorted by color groups.
I like the two oversized sticks of black and white.
The set came with a color guide booklet that has some drawing tips.
Can be useful for beginners!
Color cards is a nice touch. I like those to try the pastels before using them in an artwork. This gives you an actual feel of a pastel (some can be softer than others).
Good first impression of the set.
testing & impressions
The set claims it is a professional grade.
I have to tell you - they feel good!
Color lays down very smoothly, pastels are soft and pliable.
The texture is almost of an oil painting. Can lay really thick.
Blending colors can be tricky though - the pastels are really soft.
Good coverage on a smooth surface.
Using a blending brush solves the color mixing issue.
You could also try a tortillon (paper pencil blender) if you do not have a blending brush.
Palette knife works well for blending.
You might want to apply a thicker layer though.
Finger blending worked perfectly.
Fun too!
I also tried turpentine for blending and textures.
Worked good.
You can try a linseed oil as well.
Sgraffito technique works great with these pastels.
I would recommend to blend the first layer with you finger into the paper surface before applying the second color. This way the colors don't mix.
other surfaces
The pastels also worked very well on velour paper. You can see the vibrant colors and intense coverage.
Blending also worked nicely.
Pastels are really soft and easy to handle.
summary
Overall, I like the set. Pastels are soft and smooth, good solid coverage, easy to blend, and I like the feel of them.
It gives you plenty of color options. They have different color sets you can choose from.
They are softer than normal oil pastels, you almost work with "out of tube" oil paint. Texture can be manipulated easily with multiple tools (or without ones).
They do feel as "professional grade" pastels.
I am going to experiment more with them.
related lessons
Oil pastels
Oil pastels self-portrait
Oil pastels on transparency
Surrealist landscape
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