The best oil pastels
Bright, buttery colour you can push around with a fingertip: oil pastels for first scribbles, sketchbook colour and proper pictures.
Oil pastels are pigment held in oil and wax, so they glide on thickly, blend with a fingertip and don't turn to dust the way chalk pastels do. They're cheap and forgiving, which makes them a lovely way into colour for children and grown-ups alike. They began in Japan in the 1920s, when Sakura made them as a brighter, softer crayon for children's art lessons.
Student sets are firmer and cheaper, good for learning and for little hands; softer artist sets carry more colour and blend more easily. They never fully dry, so finished pictures are best kept under glass or sprayed with a fixative.
What matters
- Softness: soft sticks blend easily, firmer ones suit detail and children.
- Colours: 36 to 50 cover the basics, 72 adds in-between shades.
- Paper sleeves or wraps keep sticks whole and hands cleaner.
- Paper with a little tooth holds more layers.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Artecho Soft Oil Pastels (48 colours)
Under £10 Price range
Forty-eight soft, bright pastels that blend easily with a fingertip, each in its own paper sleeve so they're less likely to snap or smear each other in the box. A cheerful first set for a child, a student or a grown-up trying something new.
What owners say: Owners find them richly pigmented and beautifully blendable, with a soft texture that's neither too hard nor too soft, and a fantastic budget choice for beginners and students.
A closer look: Try sgraffito: lay down a thick layer of bright colours, cover it with a dark one, then scratch a picture through with a cocktail stick. It's the same idea as rainbow scratch-art paper.
- 48 colours
- Soft, easy to blend
- Paper sleeve on every stick
- 70 × 10mm sticks
- Non-toxic
Best for: Beginners of any age
- Colours
- 48
#2 of 5
Best premium
MEEDEN Soft Oil Pastels (72 colours)
£20–£30 Price range
Seventy-two colours with plenty of in-between shades for skies, skin tones and landscapes, and a level-3 lightfastness rating from the maker so finished work shouldn't fade. Each stick is individually wrapped to keep colours clean.
What owners say: Owners call them professional quality: buttery soft and creamy, richly pigmented with lots of shades, and excellent for blending and mixed media.
A closer look: Work from light to dark and blend as you go: a pale colour laid over a dark one struggles to cover it. Keep a tissue handy to wipe the tip clean between colours.
- 72 colours
- Level-3 lightfastness
- Individually wrapped 69 × 10mm sticks
- Soft, blendable texture
- Non-toxic, low odour
Best for: Hobby artists
- Colours
- 72
#3 of 5
Best for mixed media
Pentel Oil Pastels PHN4 (50 colours)
£21.21 RRP
Fade-resistant colours that work on almost anything: cartridge, watercolour and pastel paper, canvas, and oil or acrylic boards. Thin them with white spirit and they can be brushed out like paint.
What owners say: Owners love the range of colours and the creamy texture, say they suit beginners and professionals alike, and find them easy to use and well worth the price.
Heads up: If blending with a fingertip feels like hard work, try a paper stump or a cotton bud instead.
A closer look: For children, try wax-resist: draw in pastel, then paint over the top with watercolour and the lines shine through. It's a lovely rainy-day activity, and the painting doesn't need to be neat.
- 50 colours
- Fade-resistant
- Paper, canvas or boards
- Thins with white spirit
- Mixes with watercolour and oils
Best for: Mixed media and resist art
- Colours
- 50
#4 of 5
Best for school
Faber-Castell Creative Studio Oil Pastels (36 colours)
£22.50 RRP
Thirty-six rich colours in a flat card wallet that slips into a school bag. They're smooth and creamy enough to blend and layer, and work on paper, canvas, card and even wood.
What owners say: Owners love the colour selection and the value for money, and find they work well on most papers, especially smooth cartridge.
A closer look: Owners find they look their best on smooth cartridge paper, so pair them with a decent sketchbook. Because they take to wood, decorating a wooden box, spoon or sign makes a fun project.
- 36 colours
- Smooth, creamy texture
- Blend and layer
- Paper, canvas, card or wood
- Card wallet
Best for: School and first sets
- Colours
- 36
#5 of 5
Mungyo Gallery Soft Oil Pastels (48 colours)
£20–£30 Price range
A step up for someone who's outgrown student sets: soft sticks that lay down thick, vivid colour and work well on canvas board as well as paper.
What owners say: Owners find them professional quality, with vibrant, richly pigmented colours and a soft feel on paper; they blend easily, work particularly well on canvas board and are fun to use.
A closer look: Oil pastels never fully harden, so protect finished pieces behind glass or with a fixative made for oil pastels. Store the box flat and somewhere cool, as soft sticks get softer still in a warm room.
- 48 colours
- Soft texture
- 11mm-thick sticks
- Non-toxic
- Made in Korea
Best for: A step up from student sets
- Colours
- 48
How they compare
| Feature | #1Artecho 48 | #2MEEDEN 72 | #3Pentel 50 | #4Faber-Castell 36 | #5Mungyo Gallery 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best for mixed media | Best for school | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 |
| Price | Under £10 Price range | £20–£30 Price range | £21.21 RRP | £22.50 RRP | £20–£30 Price range |
| Colours | 48 | 72 | 50 | 36 | 48 |
| Best for | Beginners of any age | Hobby artists | Mixed media and resist art | School and first sets | A step up from student sets |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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