NEW Paul Rubens Soft Pastel Review

Hi friends, a couple of weeks ago I got the chance to try out the new set of handmade soft pastels from Paul Rubens. Paul Rubens is an artist-grade brand out of China that developed high-quality materials to serve artists in China when not much was available. Over the past few years, they have expanded sales across the world. I have been sent products in the past free to review (including these pastels) and I have purchased products through this brand via amazon anonymously and always received fantastic customer service. When they asked me if I would like a set of pastels to review I jumped at the chance and they didn’t disappoint. They also offered an extra 10% off coupon code: lindsay01 valid March 14-27 2022 for the pastels, this is on top of the 20% off promotion they are running. Watch the video to see the full review and check out the pros and cons written below.

This is a set of 40 assorted hand-rolled soft (chalky) pastels packed in a sturdy box with a foam insert. The Paul Rubens handmade pastels are available on Amazon. *Affiliate link used.

Pros:

• Price

• Highly pigmented

• Very soft (similar in feel to Sennelier)

• Easy to blend

• Best for the last layers of a painting as it will fill the tooth quickly

Cons:

• No lightfast info

• No open stock availability (as of yet)

• The color selection in the set is not well balanced

• These are handmade so the sizes are inconsistent

Bottom line: I will use these with my other pastels as final layers on paintings. This set on its own is not a complete color range but it’s a nice addition if you already have basic colors and want softer pastels to layer on top. I wish there was lightfast or pigment info for these as it would make me feel confident in using them in professional pieces but as far as performance goes they feel like other soft pastels I own.

I hope you found this review useful and til next time happy crafting!