Home | Product Reviews | Tips & Techniques | Tutorials | Newbie Center | Galleries | Links | New Art | My Art Studio
Interesting Ideas | Guestbook | Humorous Hues | Web Design Services | Items for Sale | Family | Email Me

---

PanPastels
(Manufacturer  ColorFin http://www.panpastel.com/)
Author: Tyra L. Smith

I've had some time to play around with the PanPastels. If I were to tell you that I'm highly impressed with them, it wouldn't even begin to really tell you how I feel.

We rarely have an opportunity to purchase what I would call "new and innovative" products. And while soft pastels are not a new product at all, they've been around for centuries, they new PanPastels are about as close as we'll get to a really "NEW" product. They are unique and versatile enough that I consider them to be a "must have product" in my studio.

Some of the wonderful things I have experienced are:

1. The packaging is GREAT !! They are in inividual "pots" that will stack one on top of the other. Save spaces, makes working with them extremely easy. If you are familiar with fishing supplies....you can buy these "storage containers" that are clear plastic -- round stackable containers that screw on top of each other to make a big "stack". That's what the PanPastels are packaged in. LOOOOOVE it!!!!

2. The color line is FANTASTIC with 60 colors to choose from.
-- There are 20 basic colors.
--There are 20 tints (which are lighter colors of the basic colors).
--And there are 20 shades (which are darker colors of the basic colors).

3. PanPastels are sold in open stock (individual colors), or in sets of 5, 10 or 20 colors. They are available from a wide range of vendors.

4. Right now, when you buy sets of 20 or invidual colors, you get free tools to use with them. They've created a line of tools specifically for the PanPastels (called Sofftools) and they are also wonderful. However, you can use any "tool" you would normally use with craft chalks and standard soft pastels. You do NOT have to buy the Sofftools if you don't want to.

5. All the standard techniques you'd use with soft pastels or craft chalks will work with the PanPastels, and work BETTER! They are VERY VERY versatile. Wet techniques also work beautifully with the PanPastels. Because the PanPastels are highly pigmented, you can really do some fantastic things using a waterbrush (or wet paintbrush).

6. PanPastels blend with such ease, its like running a hot knife thru butter. I have NEVER used any type or brand of soft pastel that blends like PanPastels do.

7. LOW DUST CONTENT!!!!! LOVE IT!! The PanPastels will have a small amount of dust when you apply them heavily, but for the most part there is little or no dust. LOVE IT!

8. Because the PanPastels are so highly pigmented, a little bit goes a VERY long ways!!!

9. If you like taking things with you when you go places or travel, you'll find that the PanPastels are highly portable and easy to carry around. Its all in the packaging!

10. PanPastels are advertised as being 100% eraseable, and they are. But I would like to point out that most soft pastels ARE eraseable to a certain extent. Its just a LOT easier to erase the PanPastels and you don't have to worry about any "marring" of the surface you apply them to. With the pastel sticks or pencils, you often will "mar" your surface when apply the stick or pencil directly to the surface. This does not happen with the PanPastels.

11. The mixed media applications with the PanPastels are FANTASTIC!! It is SO EASY to use the PanPastels in combination with colored pencils, other soft pastels of any type, oil pastels, paints, etc etc etc. I have not found anything yet that I can't use in combination with the PanPastels.

Why should you consider buying PanPastels? If you enjoy working with craft chalks and soft pastels, this is the product for you! If you enjoy using "high quality artist materials" (and who doesn't???), this is the product for you! If you want a product you can use in combination with other products you may already own....PanPastelsl are what you want!!!

---