Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

Nupastels WERE my favorite hard pastel until they changed their packaging. They used to come with no paper wrapper on them. They now come encased in paper that is glued to the sticks; when you try to peel the paper off the sticks crumble and break until they are nearly unusable. If you manage to get the paper off with only 1 or 2 breaks the glue residue stays on the outside of the stick so you cannot use it on it's side. I have changed to Rembrandt's for all my hard pastel needs. Nupastel WAS a great product but it has been ruined by this terrible packaging.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

I've been using NuPastels for about two years now, for both personal use and in my college art class. They were required by my instructor, and I can understand why she did.

I cannot begin to cover how much I love NuPastels as a product. The range of colors available is outstanding, they deliver beautifully on whatever paper you use, and blend very nicely. Some of the darker shades of brown and red can be almost too hard to use, but I usually supplement with soft or medium pastels in those shades. They're generally hard enough to stand up to heavy use and great for details that require a hard edge. Bonus points for a square shape that doesn't roll off my desk, and for being available as open stock product (though that may be Blick's idea, I'm not sure. Either way, THANK YOU.)

That being said, there has recently sprung up what I consider a huge problem: the new packaging. As mentioned by another reviewer, NuPastels are being made in Mexico. My last order was several NuPastels from the open stock selection. When they arrived, about half had labels on them--a first for me.

These labels alone are enough to make me consider a change of product. They're very adhesive, and cover more than two thirds of the stick. I spent a great deal of time removing them with an X-acto knife and a lot of patience. Even worse, the label left adhesive behind on the pastel itself--enough that I was able to stick it to the wall. This is not acceptable, and I intend to complain to the company itself.

Blick, obviously, is not at fault for this, but it's definitely something that buyers should be aware--and wary--of. I still love the product, but the packaging has to go.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

Nupastels are now made in Mexico. The product made in Mexico bears a wrapper, and the wrapper is glued to the stick. It is unnecessary to coat the entire back of the wrapper with adhesive and glue it to the stick. Tonight I spent a fair amount of time peeling wrappers from sticks of Nupastel. The adhesive of the wrapper pulled chunks of pastel from the stick, and some of the pastels broke into very small chunks in the unwrapping. No other pastel company glues its wrapper to the stick. I prefer no wrapper for the Nupastel.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

Nupastels do have excellent lay-down and they are fun to work with. But I have to give the product 2 stars simply because of their lightfastness issues. I have done my own tests and have found that the majority of the Nupastel colors fade. I encourage anyone who doubts this to do their own tests and see for themselves. I would LOVE so much for Nupastel to replace fugitive pigments with lightfast ones. Until then, I will only use this product for layouts and never in the top layers of finished artwork.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

I love using these pastels on my pastel work, the colors are so beautiful :) I own the 96 set, and they last a long time no matter how much you use them! Also, the additional thing that makes it even better is it's watersoluble! Great product, I recommend :D

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

I am from canada and my set of 96 Pastels arrived within two weeks!! The colors are vibrant, apply smoothly and are one of my favorites to use.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

This is my second purchase of this product. It blends well with my pastel pencils.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

These have a lot of pigment and stay put when you lay them down. Nice for underpaintings and also for detail work at the end of a painting. I almost always include Nupastels in all of my pastel paintings, you can't beat them for quality, and value. They are what I consider a good "middle of the road" pastel that is high quality. Not too soft, not too hard.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

The colors are more vibrant. The blending ability is superior to any other on market and this pricing from Blick is MUCH less than the artist or craft stores in the area even with coupons included.

Comments about Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sets:

I love them but some came broke. I order a lot from Blick and many of my items were not packed with any care. That is why 3 stars instead of 5. Work on your shipping and packing. I pay good money for my art supplies so I would expect the same care from u!