7 Best Pastel Sticks For Portrait Work To Elevate Art

Capturing the human face in portraiture requires the same patience and attention to detail as executing a complex cable pattern in fine-gauge wool. Just as selecting the wrong needle size can ruin the drape of a hand-knitted garment, choosing the incorrect pastel stick will compromise the luminosity and texture of a portrait. This guide explores the essential tools for achieving delicate skin tones and expressive features. Achieving excellence in portrait work is a matter of matching the right material properties to the desired aesthetic outcome.

Schmincke Pastels: Best for Pro-Level Portraits

Schmincke pastels are the industry standard for artists who prioritize highly pigmented, buttery application. Much like choosing a luxury hand-dyed silk-merino blend for a delicate lace shawl, these pastels offer a richness that is hard to replicate with budget materials.

The binder content in these sticks is remarkably low, allowing for pure color intensity on the paper surface. When building up layers of skin tones, this saturation provides a professional depth that resists the muddiness often seen in lesser-quality supplies.

Because they are extremely soft, they can be fragile. Treat them with the same care one would use when handling a fragile, hand-spun single-ply yarn to avoid breakage and waste.

Sennelier Soft Pastels: The Ultimate in Softness

Sennelier pastels are renowned for their legendary, velvet-like consistency. They glide across the page with almost no resistance, making them ideal for the final, finishing highlights on a cheek or a glint in the eye.

Think of these as the brushed alpaca of the pastel world: ethereal, soft, and perfect for creating a hazy, romantic atmosphere. Their extreme softness means they require a light touch, as heavy pressure will simply fill the paper tooth too quickly.

Using these alongside a more structural pastel is a sound strategy. Reserve them for the top layers where texture and brilliance are the primary goals.

Rembrandt Soft Pastels: The Artist’s Workhorse

Rembrandt pastels occupy the middle ground, offering a slightly harder texture that makes them incredibly versatile for laying down initial shapes and underpainting. They are the workhorse equivalent of a reliable, sturdy wool yarn that holds its stitch definition beautifully.

Because they are less prone to crumbling than their softer counterparts, they offer excellent control for blocking in proportions. This is essential during the early stages of a portrait when crisp lines define the structural foundation of the face.

They remain a staple because they blend well without losing their integrity. They provide a predictable, consistent experience that serves as the backbone for any portrait artist’s kit.

Unison Colour Soft Pastels: Rich, Vivid Hues

Hand-rolled in the UK, Unison Colour pastels are prized for their specific, natural color palette. These sticks offer a vibrancy that feels organic and balanced, much like a well-curated palette of earthy wool dyes.

The texture sits somewhere between the hardness of a Rembrandt and the softness of a Sennelier. This balance makes them exceptionally reliable for both filling large areas and adding subtle color transitions in shadowed regions.

They do not easily succumb to dust buildup, which is a major benefit for maintaining clean colors throughout a long session. Their consistency across the range ensures that the color chosen on the first stroke remains true during the final blending phase.

Terry Ludwig Pastels: Ideal for Layering Tones

Terry Ludwig pastels are distinct for their unique rectangular shape, which allows for both broad strokes and sharp, precise edges. In the same way that a square needle offers a different feel and grip than a traditional circular one, this geometry changes how the medium interacts with the paper.

The pigment concentration here is incredibly high, providing a professional-grade finish that excels at layering. If the goal is to build deep, complex skin tones, the way these pastels sit on top of previous layers without lifting them is a distinct advantage.

They are an investment, but they offer unparalleled utility for the advanced artist. Using them is akin to mastering a complex knitting technique—it requires practice, but the control provided is unmatched.

Faber-Castell Pitt Pencils: Best for Fine Detail

Sometimes, a soft pastel stick is too blunt for the delicate work of drawing eyelashes, fine hair, or the corners of the mouth. Pitt pastel pencils act as the “double-pointed needles” of the portrait kit, providing the precision needed for those final, defining marks.

These pencils contain a high-quality pastel lead that maintains its point far longer than a soft stick. They allow for the kind of fine-line detail that brings a portrait to life, mimicking the crispness of a clean purl stitch in stranded colorwork.

While they are harder than the traditional sticks mentioned above, they are essential for structural integrity. They should be used sparingly for details, ensuring the final piece has the necessary contrast between soft skin textures and sharp features.

PanPastel Colors: Unique Format for Blending

PanPastels are packaged in flat, round pans and are applied using foam tools rather than being held as a stick. This format changes the physical act of painting, allowing for seamless, airbrushed-looking transitions that are difficult to achieve with sticks alone.

Using these is similar to using a blending needle to smooth out color joins in a complex pattern. They are perfect for establishing skin gradients, as the foam applicator applies an even, uniform layer of color across the tooth of the paper.

They are inherently dust-free, which is a significant practical advantage for those sensitive to pastel particles. By incorporating these into a workflow, the artist gains a tool for smooth transitions that complements the textural, expressive marks of standard pastel sticks.

Choosing Your Ideal Pastel Paper for Portraits

The surface, or “tooth,” of the paper determines how much pastel it can hold before becoming saturated. Just as you would choose a fabric with a specific weave to support a heavy, cabled sweater, you must choose a paper texture that supports your specific pastel application.

• Sanded Papers: These have an abrasive surface that grips the pigment, allowing for dozens of layers.
• Velour Papers: Ideal for soft, fuzzy transitions but limited in their ability to handle heavy layering.
• Pastel Matte Boards: Provide a smooth, predictable finish for those who prefer more control.

When selecting paper, consider the weight and the color. A mid-tone paper often serves as the perfect base, allowing for both bright highlights and deep shadows to pop without needing to cover the entire page.

Soft vs. Hard Pastels: Which Is Best for You?

Understanding the tradeoff between soft and hard pastels is essential for any portrait artist. Soft pastels offer immediate, brilliant color, while harder sticks provide the structure and foundation for the overall composition.

If you are a beginner, starting with a medium-hard set is akin to practicing with a worsted-weight wool; it is forgiving, easy to manipulate, and provides immediate feedback. As your confidence grows, you can integrate softer, more expressive sticks to add detail and luminosity to your work.

Avoid the temptation to purchase too many colors at once. A small, high-quality set of varied hardness will teach you more about light and shadow than a large, budget set of uniform, middle-of-the-road sticks.

Building Your First Portrait Palette From Scratch

A successful portrait palette does not require every color in the box. A focused selection of warm and cool tones, plus a few neutrals, will allow for endless mixing possibilities.

Start by selecting a range of flesh-tone variations, ensuring you have both highlights and deep, rich shadows. Think of this like selecting your yarn palette for a colorwork yoke: you need a dominant shade, a contrast shade, and a few transition colors to bridge the gap.

As your skills develop, you will learn which colors run out fastest. This is when you should invest in individual replacement sticks from professional brands, slowly replacing your starter set with high-performance tools that suit your specific style.

The path to mastering portraiture with pastels is much like mastering knitting; it requires an understanding of your tools, a willingness to experiment with textures, and the patience to layer your efforts until the vision is complete. Whether you prefer the softest of sticks or the precision of a pencil, the most important element is the consistency of your practice. Choose your materials with intention, observe how they interact with your paper, and enjoy the process of bringing your subjects to life.