10 Best Oil Pastels UK 2022 | Faber-Castell, Crayola and More

If you're looking for the best price to quality ratio, then these pastels are of incredible value. Aiming to provide affordable art supplies for students, Pentel Arts has been in business for over 70 years and no one does it better than they do!

For a set of cheaper pastels, the pigment is rich and produces a perfect texture on paper or canvas. They also blend and bind exceptionally well for something at a lower price point. Brilliant quality for under a tenner ― every artist should try these out!

If you're serious about your art and money is no object, this oil pastel set is the one to buy. Many artists regard the Sennelier colour palette as being the highest marker of quality and the brand has even developed pastels for Pablo Picasso!

The higher oil to wax ratio has a unique texture that is smoother and creamier than other artist-grade pastels. While expensive at first glance, this set of 72 pastels is actually very fairly priced for what you receive.

When it comes to artist-grade oil pastels, the ones in this Caran d'Ache Neopastel® set are on the firmer end of the spectrum but still blend effortlessly. The pigment-rich sticks provide great, opaque coverage too.

These pastels are a little smaller than those from other brands and this, combined with their firmer nature, may mean they take some getting used to. On the plus side, their texture will allow you to layer colours and try new techniques with ease.

It may seem a little strange ranking Crayola oil pastels alongside those developed for Picasso, but we believe that it's important to encourage and nurture artistic expression from a young age. With this in mind, these pastels are an inexpensive option that's perfect for children.

Obviously, these won't be suitable for serious artists or most older students, but this set comes with a nice range of colours for little ones to play around with. They're also non-toxic and easy to clean off small hands!

Holbein pastels sit somewhere between the softer Sennelier pastels and firmer Caran d'Ache ones when it comes to artist-grade options, making them a wonderfully versatile purchase. However, being a Japanese import, they can be rather expensive to obtain.

The main selling point of these pastels is that they have a reputation in the art world for being a joy to use, so we think they're well worth the high price and longer shipping time. The variety of shades is superb too and will enable you to create all kinds of beautiful landscapes.

If you're interested in working with oil pastels and want to try a good range of colours without having too many sticks littering your workspace, the Expressionist set by Cray-Pas® is a great place to start!

The pastels themselves provide moderate coverage, appearing quite opaque, and they can be used on a range of surfaces such as paper, cardboard, canvas or wood. Plus, they're totally non-toxic so are even suitable for very young artists in the making!

Mungyo Gallery's oil pastels are some of the highest quality student-grade sticks around. They're a handy choice for university or A-Level students who are serious about their materials but can't afford to break the bank.

These mimic the blending and pigment quality of artist-grade pastels so make for a good warm-up or trial option. Although they're not too expensive, we've placed them lower down our list because the Pentel Art ones are slightly better and cheaper.

One of the main difficulties you may encounter when using oil pastels for the first time is how the stick interacts with the surface. If you're used to pencils or paint, you'll find that it's very easy to smudge and accidentally ruin a piece when working with oil pastels.

As a result, these hard pastels are a great choice for beginners who want to avoid anything too soft and smudgy. However, this can be something of a double-edged sword as they're so difficult to blend!

The art world has a reputation for being snobby towards hobbyists but we think that everyone deserves to enjoy playing with pastels! This set from Paul Reubens is a terrific option for those looking to express their creativity but who aren't familiar with specific oil pastel techniques. 

Those serious about the medium probably won't have much interest in these pastels, but they make a great starting point and you get a huge range of colours ― including metallic ones!

If you're looking for quantity, this set of 48 pastels is excellent value for money. For under £15, you get a wide range of soft pastels that are ideal for learning how to layer and blend.

While we recommend this set for hobbyists and newbies to the world of pastels, there are better options out there for experienced pastel users wanting to take their art to the next level.