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.