Over a decade ago, in the hills of Northumberland, England, artist John Hersey began hand-making his own pastels. Gently hand-rolled and air-dried, each stick is as much an organic sculpture as it is a tool. Look closely at a stick and you may see the fine lines and fingerprints imparted by the pastels' creator. Each pastel takes on the tapered shape of the bowl of the maker's palms.
Hersey's unique color formulations contain only pure pigments in a cycle of related hues, instead of adding white or black to the colors. The result is intense, vibrant color application not muddied by the blending of colors. The color range is sublime overall and at moments astonishing.
Unison's pastels contain very little binder, making them truly soft and smooth. Pastels measure approximately 2-1/8" long × 5/8" diameter (54 mm × 16 mm). Sticks vary slightly due to the hand-making process.
Gift Idea — A variety of special combination Unison sets are available. See Unison Handmade Pastel Sets for pictures and more detailed specifications of these sets.
No Minimum Order — Many of our pastel lines require a minimum order of 6 pastels, however Unison pastels can be ordered individually.
Note — Use this color chart as an approximation of the real color. If exact color matching is necessary, use actual samples of the materials.
Wow! Unison pastels go on sooo creamy and rich. They are a delight to work with. They blend well and almost do the work for me! I could not be happier with them. A full set of portrait and a full set of landscape are on my wish list!
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
3/3/2011
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Yum...
By starnoise
from Canada
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastel Sets:
LOVE these. A little pricey so will have to buy in bits and pieces.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
12/14/2010
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
The excellent quality pastels I expected
By upnovrturbo
from australia
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastel Sets:
It's what I was told to expect of the Unison product
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
12/4/2010
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
LOOOVE UNISON!
By michelle
from Hayden Lake, Idaho
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastel Sets:
Love the color that this pastel produces, and would highly recommend! I'm looking forward to expanding my collection with Unison.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
8/19/2010
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
My favorite pastels
By Katalina
from East Coast
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastel Sets:
I love Unison pastels. They are, to me, the perfect combination of soft but firm. The colors are complex and clean, not muddy. In addition to the ones I buy, I make my own pastels at home and just wish I knew how to make them this amazingly beautiful. What I wouldn't pay for their recipe....They are expensive but worth the price. The half stick sets are a great way to start your collection.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Average
6/21/2010
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
4.0
A wonderful pastel!
By Ginger
from Phoenix, AZ
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastels:
These are terrific pastels. They're smaller than the Richeson hand-rolled pastels, but equally bright and true in their colors. I have individual colors and sets and am very pleased with both.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Really nice
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
1/4/2010
(8 of 8 customers found this review helpful)
4.0
Unison Handmade Pastels
By David
from Ypsilanti
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastels:
I've been using Unisom Handmade Pastels since I discovered them in a shop in London. And until just recently I've never had a problem with them—in fact, they've served me quite well. Lately, however, the whites have been crumbling as I'be been using them. True, Blick has been sending me replacement, but they still keep crumbling. The other colors continue to work wonderfully. What's going on?
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
1/3/2010
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
4.0
Like icing on the painting
By TexasGenie
from Lubbock, TX
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastel Sets:
First time I had tried this brand of pastels. I definitely am impressed by their softness and wonderful hues. Would recommend them to anyone serious about their work.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Really nice
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
11/1/2009
(11 of 18 customers found this review helpful)
4.0
Are these safe?
By Lacey
from Douglas, Alaska
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastels:
I liked the reviews so I bought the landscape set and a few extra but was concerned with the warning on the box label to most of them. Now I feel I must wear gloves and a secure mask along with apron & shoe covers so I don't tramp toxic dust in to the rest on my home...I was excited to get them and really appreciate the warning on the label but now feel this could be a potential hazard to myself & family I don't feel real motivated to use them. I guess I'm looking for a general OK from your company that it is not a hazard to use this but in the meantime will use gloves & mask and probably not order any more unless they are AP approved. I do appreciate the warning though...I wasn't aware on the toxicity of certain colors because of the heavy metal content. TW
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Really nice
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
A solid value
8/20/2009
(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Unison Pastels are superior
By An Artist
from Canada
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Unison Handmade Pastels:
Unison pastels are the very best of soft pastels. They are consistently soft, easy to use, never gritty and come in a huge array of colors. Perfect for suedeboard and sandpaper. You will not be disappointed.
This product’s quality compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Best in its category
The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:
Unison Pastels were created by an artist for artists. These uniquely soft and highly pigmented sticks are individually rolled which eliminates hard spots and provides consistent texture and color.
icon
to view specific applicable details, like color swatches, pigments, and more!