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Sennelier Oil Pastels

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In 1949, Parisian painter Henri Goetz approached Henri Sennelier, the famous artist materials manufacturer, about creating a wax color stick for his friend Pablo Picasso. Picasso, a long-time Sennelier customer and a frequent visitor to their store across the street from the Louvre museum, was looking for a medium that could be used freely on a variety of surfaces without fading or cracking.

Their collaboration produced the incomparable Sennelier oil pastels. Originally available in a palette of classic hues, the color selection was expanded with the additional of metallic and iridescent hues.

Beyond these classic hues, a selection of unique shades is available and, in particular, a gradation of grays, required for a balanced palette. This evolution is the fruit of a long-standing collaboration with European and North American painters who have worked with Sennelier to develop an exceptional palette of shades.

The Sennelier Oil Pastel is a product that makes use of the components used in all Sennelier colors — top-quality pigments, an extremely pure synthetic binding medium, and mineral wax. The pigments are ground with an inert, non-siccative binding medium that does not oxidize and that has no effect upon either the film stability or the surface. This base is then mixed with wax (neutral pH). The balance of this mix provides Sennelier oil pastels with a unique unctuousness and a creamy texture that allows for a great deal of freedom in pictorial expression.

Sennelier Oil Pastels possess an extraordinarily high pigment content, thus providing them with a high coloring and covering potential, excellent brightness, and a high degree of light stability (with the exception of metallic and fluorescent shades).

The remarkable properties of these components, along with their precise dosage, provide Sennelier Oil Pastels with unique properties, making the brand a world-recognized reference.

Individual sticks are paper wrapped, and measure 2-5/8" × 3/8" (67 mm × 10 mm).

Note — To protect an oil pastel surface from dirt and dust, apply a fixative 8 to 10 days after the work is completed. The fixative will not dry the work. If desired, a final varnish spray can be applied to seal the surface permanently, but this may adversely affect future restoration possibilities.

Note — Use this color chart as an approximation of the real color. If exact color matching is necessary, use actual samples of the materials.

Minimum Order — Please order individual pastels (open stock) in a minimum of 6, so that we can efficiently package and ship your order. Your selection may be assorted to meet this requirement.

Oil pastels can be used alone to create a painting. Apply them thickly or thinly, blurred or clearly defined. They can be combined with oil painting mediums such as turpentine, paint thinner, or any of the painting oils to produce glazing, scumbling, or wash effects.

Oil paints should never be used over oil pastels, because oil pastels never dry out, and oil paints will not adhere to the underlying surface. Oil paints can be used over an oil pastel wash, provided that the underlying surface is primed. Interesting effects can be achieved by scraping, scratching, smearing, or scrubbing the pastel surface.

Oil pastels can be used as a resist with water-based mediums such as watercolor or acrylic. Waterbased paint will not mix with the pastel. Oil pastels can also be used with colored pencils and oil sticks. They can be used in conjunction with printmaking inks to create monotypes.

Oil pastels can be applied with a palette knife to achieve impasto effects. For ease in application, the pastel can be heated or melted to obtain a smoother, more creamy or fluid medium.

Recommendations for Supports — Sennelier Oil Pastels were created to free artists from technical restraints and the limitations of traditional supports such as canvas. They are extremely versatile and can be used on a wide variety of surfaces.

Use them on acid-free drawing paper, at least 100–110 lb. weight, or on watercolor paper, at least 140 lb. A surface that is lightly textured, but not rough, is customary for oil pastels.

Use them on museum board, illustration board, or any acid-free paperboard stock, or apply them to rigid supports such as wood, Masonite, glass, ceramics, or metal.

Soft supports such as canvas, made of cotton, linen, or polyester, can also be used, as well as other natural and synthetic fabrics.

Note — Although it is not absolutely required, Sennelier recommends applying a coat of gesso prior to painting on non-paper surfaces, to preserve the intensity and vibrancy of colors.

see also ...

® Sennelier is a registered trademark.

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Sennelier Oil Pastels

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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets

4.7

(based on 40 reviews)

95%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Reviewed by 40 customers

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7/27/2010

(0 of 20 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Pastel Set!

By VintageClass11

from Wells Maine

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

They were not what I expected at all...I never saw pastels like this....they are very greasy and act more like crayons....I am not a pastel expert so I did not make a good choice.....I am very disappointed because after trying 2 or 3 colors I know I will never use them....wish I was more Knowledgeable about the materials.....darn it!I was definitely surprised....!!!

Sincerely,

Paul J Noel

7/11/2010

(4 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets

By Vargasgirl

from New Jersey

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

I used them in Layers for my portraits, they have a beautiful, creamy consistency great deal, very versatile and mix well with other Oil pastels products excellent hues, I will definitely recommend them!

5/16/2010

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Farmers Market of Senneliers

By Janice Yoshihara

from Scotts Valley

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

Let alone being more than 1/2 the price than store prices, the pastels go on times smoother than other brands. A purchase of Sennelier Oil Pastels from Blick compares to purchasing produce from the Farmers Market. You can depend on their freshness. Maybe because Blick doesn't have them on the shelf as long as the local store, but there is an obvious difference. I use these pastels on canvas. Blending the colors is simple, using the Flat Chisel Colour Shaper. I have donated my boxes of other brands to a school, since I will use no other brand than Sennelier.

2/24/2010

(3 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Fantastic product! Worth every penny!

By E.Vermillion

from Nashville, TN

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

These pastels are beautiful and so well-made - they are wonderfully saturated and satisfying to use. In addition, for the quality you are getting, the price is fantastic. If anyone is one the fence about buying these, I say go for it! You won't regret it.

12/23/2009

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Ultra impressive, vibrant & workable

By monkeymind

from Chicago, IL

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

Oil pastel gives me opportunity to play and combine two activities I love: painting and drawing. I've used every oil pastel available. My introduction was Cray-pas in grade school and I fell in love with them then. Sennelier does everything very well and their pastels are the standard by which all else need compare. These are rich sticks, vibrant pigments loads, smooth on paper with no clumping. They blend, spread, scrape, scratch and wash with a medium and brush extremely well. These are supple sticks. I've used these sticks direct to paper and then blended with WN's Liquin and the paintings have dried completely. I've varnished and hung the work without glass. The example below was created with Sennelier oil pastels in 2004. It was my first attempt at oil pastel since grade school a couple decades earlier.

10/22/2009

(4 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Oil Pastel, eh.. they're ok.

By Robert the Doorkeeper

from Louisville, Kentucky

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

Historically I've never really much cared for oil pastels, it seems that too many makers just don't know how to make a good oil pastel, Most tend to be too waxy. I decided to give Sennelier's oil pastels a try, based on my experience with their chalk pastels, and the fact that Picasso actually helped to design them. I must say that Sennelier seems to have it right, the sticks have an almost greasy feel to the touch, and are about the consistency of lipstick. They apply really well to the paper and are very workable, especially with the color shapers. You can also use a little bit of oil paint solvent and a brush for some pretty interesting effects.

All in all, Sennelier's oil pastels are one of the best of their medium, and they are compatible with Van Gogh oil pastels, which are about even in quality. If you like oil pastels, then I do recommend Sennelier. As for myself, I must admit that although I like Sennelier's oil pastels, I am still a powder pastel man, especially PanPastels, but that's another story.

By the way, the image is the oil pastel version of the image in my reveiw on PanPastels, feel free to compare.

9/16/2009

(12 of 12 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Sennelier Oil Pastels are the Softest

By Robert Sloan

from Russellville. Arkansas

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

Great price, incredible quality and a unique lipstick-soft texture make these oil pastels essential for serious artists who use mixed media or oil pastels. They come the closest to paint of any of the major oil pastels brands.

In cold weather or cold rooms these will continue to be soft and creamy when other brands have turned hard and crumbled. Senneliers don't so much crumble as spatter.

Letting a painting "Set Up" overnight will harden it when too much is added to the substrate to take any more. Like soft pastels, oil pastels work well combining different brands especially going "Hard to Soft" with the most firm -- Cray-Pas Specialist and Cretacolor Aqua Stic -- as the first layers, Neopastels, then Holbein, then Sennelier.

If you can't add anything more to a painting with other brands, a Sennelier oil pastel can still dab on an opaque detail. They're wonderful by themselves too. On canvas board they give a painterly effect and are easily pushed around with Color Shapers or other blenders.

Only Sennelier and Holbein use genuine Cadmiums and other traditional toxic artist pigments. These are known for archival quality and safer in oil pastels than other media unless you eat with your dirty fingers, they're mildly toxic ingested. The worst danger is from breathing these mineral pigments. So keep your hands clean. All of the toxic colors are marked on the stick as well as in Blick's listing with a sticker on the label.

I love these and plan on expanding my range soon, as the colors are wonderful. They include both opaque and transparent colors, which is great when you want either opaque accents or transparent glazes to modify a color that's already down.

Great value for the money compared to the pricing on other artist grade oil pastels.

9/10/2009

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

My favorite Oil Pastels

By Sweet725

from Port Orchard, WA

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

I love the creamy smooth feel of these oil pastels. They are vibrant in color and have an excellent range of colors. The are great for blending or used with other mediums. They layer fantastic and are usable on an array of supports. They are a great if you work with larger works as they have some of the most popular colors available in grande size.

7/3/2009

(8 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

I won't use any other

By Cher The Art

from Portland, Oregon

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

I love these pastels. They are very smooth, and easy to work with. The colors are vibrant!

5/24/2009

(15 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

My favorite oil pastel

By SeaViolette

from Somewhere in the desert

About Me Artist

Pros

Good Quality
Good Value

Cons

Best Uses

Studio/Gallery

Comments about Sennelier Oil Pastel Sets:

I have tried every oil pastel out there and Sennelier is my favorite. They are wonderful for traditional techniques, but I use them to add accents to acrylic paintings. (This idea came from Claire Harrigan's "Abstract and Colour Techniques in Painting," a book well worth reading). The colors are rich, the texture creamy but not easily smeared. They do not "halo" on the acrylic surface. I much prefer them to Caran d'Ache and believe they are a better value.

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Item	No.	Color		PricePrices, promotions, and availability may vary by store, catalog, and online.	Bulk!	Qty	MSDS

Bulk Discounts! →				Each	5+
20038-1901	111	Aluminum	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5811	207	Ash Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5941	002	Azure Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7991	040	Barite Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2021	023	Black	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5951	075	Blue Alizarin Lake	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5101	084	Blue Chromium Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5861	011	Blue Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5391	047	Blue Violet	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3781	008	Bordeaux	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5121	082	Bright Turquoise	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4291	018	Bright Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8211	092	Brown Madder	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8231	241	Brown Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8481	094	Brown Pink	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8041	036	Burnt Sienna	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8051	034	Burnt Umber	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7481	214	Celadon Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5971	219	Celestial Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5161	003	Cerulean Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2131	228	Charcoal	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5821	235	Charcoal Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4991	090	Chinese Orange	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8001	242	Chrome Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7981	085	Chrome Green Medium	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3921	091	Chrome Red	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7971	039	Chromium Green Deep	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7891	041	Cinnabar Green Deep	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7901	042	Cinnabar Green Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4821	204	Cinnabar Yellow Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5181	004	Cobalt Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7921	043	Cobalt Green Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6581	217	Cobalt Violet Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6671	095	Cobalt Violet Light Hue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2521	223	Cold Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3241	236	Coral	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5211	203	Delft Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8841	243	Earth Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2571	229	English Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3801	025	Flesh Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5271	237	French Ultramarine Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3721	202	Geranium Lake Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8911	231	Gold Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4161	022	Gold Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
	out of stock, available 6/19
20038-1191	132	Golden Pearl	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2591	012	Gray Deep	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7961	016	Gray Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7021	045	Green Medium	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7951	072	Green Yellow Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2901	215	Havana Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8831	225	Indian Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5201	080	Indigo Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-1010	125	Iridescent White	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4061	019	Lemon Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3011	240	Light English Red	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2581	014	Light Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4951	233	Luminous Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4921	200	Mandarin	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2041	098	Mars Black	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4671	208	Mars Orange	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2621	224	Medium Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5801	211	Midnight Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7521	205	Moss Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2611	212	Mummy	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4141	021	Naples Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4891	201	Nickel Yellow	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7871	210	Olive Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7071	046	Olive Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4591	238	Orange Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5921	006	Pale Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-9241	112	Pale Gold	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3711	077	Pale Pink Madder Lake	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6911	216	Parma Violet	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-2561	096	Payne's Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7311	234	Permanent Green Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3731	220	Permanent Intense Red	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5171	222	Phthalo Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7941	086	Phthalo Green Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7911	213	Pine Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3061	028	Pink	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5221	007	Prussian Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7581	218	Prussian Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6001	027	Purple	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8061	037	Raw Sienna	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8071	035	Raw Umber	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3771	239	Red Brown	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3911	115	Red Copper	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3751	030	Red Deep	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3811	134	Red Gold	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3021	029	Red Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3701	048	Red Violet	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3791	135	Reddish Brown Gold	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8221	015	Reddish Brown Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-9291	114	Rich Gold	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-9261	113	Rich Pale Gold	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3171	230	Rose Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5051	227	Royal Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3371	031	Ruby Red	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7091	087	Sap Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7081	088	Sap Green Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8011	093	Sennelier Brown Light	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-8081	033	Sepia	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5981	226	Sky Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3761	232	Terra Cotta	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-1701	099	Titanium Buff	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5911	123	Transparent Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-1001	221	Transparent Medium	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5111	206	Turquoise Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-5231	005	Ultramarine Blue	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3131	032	Venetian Red	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-3281	038	Vermilion	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6921	076	Violet Alizarin Lake	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6991	017	Violet Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-6511	209	Violet Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-7931	044	Viridian Green	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-1500	001	White	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4321	020	Yellow Deep	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4911	013	Yellow Gray	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4931	074	Yellow Lake	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13
20038-4041	026	Yellow Ochre	List $4.50	$2.25	$2.13