Comments about Holbein Artist's Oil Pastel Sets:

How I use them: for full-color drawings on paper. My favorite subjects are landscapes and still life, but occasionally portraits or indoor scenes. I mostly use Canson tinted paper or museum board. I frame oil pastel work in a regular mat with glass, no fixatives or varnish. I try to maintain a low-toxicity work space so I never use turpentine or other solvents. Don't really need them, as I love the marks that oil pastel makes and don't want to blend them in. (Just my preference). What I like: good range of useful colors, no labels to peel, excellent lightfastness, non-toxic materials. The sticks are the right size for my hands, and easy to control- not too oily (Sennelier) not too dry (many cheaper brands). If you are a beginner in this medium, it's good to try a variety of brands until you get a feel for how they compare. Having done that, I have found these suit my painting style the best. Other brands I like to use on occasion: Van Gogh, Cray-Pas (cheap but not bad). Other brands I don't like as much: Panda (wimpy colors, too hard), Sennelier (toxic pigments in some colors, too soft and smeary for my purposes).

Comments about Holbein Artist's Oil Pastel Sets:

As an artist/instructor who specializes in the use of oil pastels, I prefer Holbein oil pastels because they are not covered in paper and I can immediately engage in applying the color to the painting surface using a variety of hand strokes with the side of the stick. I also love the density and opacity of each stick over other brands. There is more pigment in each stick. I believe they offer the most flexibility for creating an oil pastel painting. I particularly enjoy smearing small dabs of Liquin or Res-n-gel over an initial application of dark colors. No other oil pastel brand is dense enough in color or without lots of wax binder to be able to layer bright and lighter colors on top of the darker tones except Holbein. I am hopeful that you will carry the Holbein sets and individual sticks in each of your retail stores someday as it is difficult to order specific colors on line because the printed color samples do not seem to match the actual color you see in front of you. Holbein oil pastels are professional grade artists tools and should be represented in your stores rather than having so many inferior waxy student grade varieties taking up so many lineal feet in your stores. If you are going to work in oil pastels, use Holbein....they are the best.

Comments about Holbein Artist's Oil Pastel Sets:

Great blending quality. Can define sharp lines because they are square, not round like the Sennelier. A little pricier than Sennelier, but can be used in tandem with Sennelier as an underpainting. Can be used with oil sticks and last a long time. I use both brands, but like the feel of the Holbein better.