Prismacolor NuPastels

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. Your mileage may vary.

I was introduced to Prismacolor Nupastels when I had to buy them for my Drawing II class last semester. I am never going back. On Prismacolor's website they describe these pastels as:

"They’re tougher than traditional soft pastels, but maintain the same rich, creamy pigments needed for superior blending and shading. Artists of all expertise levels can benefit from these pastels, especially those interested in illustration or tightly rendered drawings. Because they can be used wet or dry, it’s like a two-for-one deal-- mix them with water or odorless mineral spirits to create cool effects."

These pastels have a very smooth texture, quite like a conte stick. These pastels are classified a hard and live up to their claim of being sturdier. They lack the more crumbly feeling of softer pastels and are harder to snap in half (a big plus for those who tend to apply a lot of pressure on their pastels). The harder consistency allows these pastels to create very fine lines that hold very well. In my experience, softer pastels can create fine lines, but they smudge very easily.

pastel on blue washed paper

 The color is very rich when applied with a heavy hand. You can get a very good gradient with these pastels as well.

pastel on grey toned paper

They blend very well, both when smudged and when layered. I personally find that a mixture of smudging and layering produce the most interesting and complex shading. However, this a technique suits my style so you may find a completely different way of working with these pastels.

pastel on grey toned paper (layered blending)

pastel on white paper (smudged blending)

There is a large variety of colors available. You can purchase a set that ranges from 12 to 96 pastels. Prismacolor also sells single pastels sticks. This allows you to buy replacements for your set or multiples of your most used colors.

While these pastels are on the more expensive end of the spectrum, I believe they are well worth the price. If pastels are one of the main mediums you use, I highly recommend trying these out!

More info here.