Carb Othello girl, all the way! I love them! Thanks Lindsay!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

You're so welcome!

I have the faber castell pitt pastel pencils, they are good, but harder, for details they are perfect 👌

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Good to know!

Love the Generals, very underrated! The watercolor Generals stack up against anything!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Agreed!

@marytesta3003

2 ай бұрын

I agree. I take mine to work and mess with them between clients. I think the generals watercolor pencils are fantastic.

@eBookHoarder

Ай бұрын

My 1st watercolor pencils. 💗 Been looking for a deal on the pastel set. I have the black and white.

I bought two white and two black Conte pastel pencils about 15 years ago. I left them in their packages. Then I forgot them for about 8 years. I pulled them out of my box a few years ago and every pencil had cracks in the barrel from the top to the bottom. Until 14 months ago my home did not have any climate control. I live in PA next to a creek. Dealing with humidity, heat and cold fluctuations. I certainly understand just what happened to these pencils! Something else to think of when buying and owning pencils. I also have a budget set of Crayola Colors of the World pencils. The humidity caused the barrels to slightly bow on those pencils. I will use those up and purchase better pencils in the future. Thank you for the Studio Sesh on these pencils.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thats good to know!

Perfect timing, I've been looking at pastel pencils to purchase since yesterday and here is a video. Excellent!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Hope you enjoy it!

The entire barrel of the Conte pastel pencils is painted in the color of the lead so it's easy to find the right pencil. They don't always match the color perfectly but it's close enough that after using them for a bit I can easily distinguish them. I did make a swatch card though that I keep in the box because if I can't choose between two colors it helps to hold it close to my drawing and see what fits best. My favorite however are the Faber Castell ones. I have a couple of them for monochrome sketching in a pencil roll that went with me to so many different places and so far never had a core breaking. Something I love to do is use them like watercolor pencils with a water brush. They don't completely dissolve but the colors are incredibly vibrant, they create beautiful textures and you only need to apply so little to the paper that you're using barely any product. (I only have the Conte and Faber Castell so I don't know how well other brands work for this)

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation 😀

@Eeveelyn

2 ай бұрын

You're welcome and thank you so much for your amazing videos. I just love the versatility of pastel. Even dry you can fill in the white of the paper grain by smudging and then go over with colored pencils.

I don't know exactly why but watching you is extremely comforting. I enjoy your videos even when it's probably not something I'd be buying because it just makes me curious what you'd have to say about what you're reviewing and of course watching you make art is interesting too. Just very relaxing, even if something doesn't go quite as planned in the process. I generally want to pay close attention because of this, you're very casually informative through-out, so I don't think I could fall asleep to one of your videos even though your voice is very soothing (in a sprightly way mind you!) Haha then again I also prefer instrumentals or white noise if I'm listening to something to help me fall asleep, so that I don't get caught up in what they're saying, even though the crooning of some singers could get me there. YMMV for other viewers.

@thefrugalcrafter

Ай бұрын

Thank you:)

Talking about sneezing... I feel like we're already getting into allergy season. NH is not far from Maine, so maybe you are, too. I actually like the sound of pastel or charcoal pencils. I think maybe because in movies when the character is creating something, you hear the chikka-chikka-chikka noise of the pencil, and then a few minutes later you see this beautiful thing they've created. I associate the sound with working hard and being creative, I guess.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Nice!

I put on one of your studio session videos while I'm reading or doing other things. Not falling asleep at all! Plus I like all the random & relevant info we learn from your supplies. ✏️✍️💜

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Wonderful!

❤i bought the Faber Castel Pitt pastels slowly, open stock from Jackson's in Australia at AU$4.50 per pencil (hence the slowly) & although I primarily use them for backgrounds I love them. Like you I baby them but if I hadn't expended so much in their cost I probably would've got the Carbithelo by stabilo in a tin set, however I find the colours in the stabilo bright and nothing in nature's backgrounds are quite so bright. Thanks for your overview Lindsey. Much love & *Virtual hugs * 💜💜💜

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Good point!

I have the Carbothello as my only pastel pencils. I’m glad you did this video, I never know if what I have is really fine compared 😊

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

I recently rediscovered pastels. I used Koh-i-noor Gioconda over a decade ago and still had a 48 set. They are nice and soft, but as tested them for lightfastness, all reds and oranges failed in that department. I witnessed a piece I gave to a friend get duller and duller over the years. When I realized I was getting serious with pastels, I got a set of CarbOthellos and enjoyed them greatly, the grays are beautiful and lightfast, unfortunately some browns are not. I tried some Pitts, did not like the feel of them, they are hard and scratchy, bad value for money. Tried one dioxazine violet from Derwent, it's alright, but it's just one pencil. Tried some Caran d'Ache, and although they are pricy, they are thicker than the others and quite a lot smoother, I would highly recommend them together with CarbOthellos. If you want to buy a single pastel pencil, Caran d'Ache 008 gray is the one I use the most in most of my pastel works: it is dark on light, light on dark, very soft and covers over a thick layer of soft pastels. And it is super lightfast. Recently I saw a 24 set of Paul Rubens on aliexpress and grabbed it, initially was very impressed with the laydown, let's see how they look after sunbathing. I never really sharpen my pastel pencils, just remove the wood with the knife and find a sharp edge to get thin lines.

I love the Contè pencils, they have a range of about 45 colours if I remember correctly. Really vibrant and soft. Thanks for the video!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!!

I bought a 12 set of Generals just to try and figured it was enough, ha-ha. But if I were shopping, I know the Carb Othello's would be on the list. Thanks for confirming my choice. I hope you got to see the eclipse today as it went through Maine.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I did! It was stunning!

Thanks Lindsay. Cretacolor does full sets BTW. I have 24 set of carbothello but the General brand looks good and more affordable. 💜

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Good to know!

Btw, I don't use my 10 (Conte a Paris) pastel pencils very often, but the colors are beautiful! Sometimes I use them to add a touch of smeared color in a colored pencil sketch. Almost bought some Derwent pastel pencils recently, but my online Blick order didn't go through for some reason. The want monster was momentarily foiled.😅 It's given me time to rethink if I really need more. Glad for your review as always.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!!

I have a set of 24 Conte that I actually got at Ross's when they first opened. Paid $8.49. They are wonderful.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Wow!

Love these Studio Sesh videos! Very good as background for when I'm painting! 💜

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

i have a 12 set of Cont'e Paris pencils ,i have saved them for many years ,got them for 2.99 at a thrift shop.not really sure how to draw with them ,i am just really learning how to draw,thank you

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

That is awesome! Good brand!

Blick has the General's at 2.02 and the Carbothelo at 2.05... so I think is best to get the Carbothelo, cause they perform better. 😊

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Good point! You used to be able to get Generals at Walmart cheap.

Hullo Lindsay, I tried a LOT of open stock pencils and I ended up with the CarbOthello pencils they are quite wonderful! Now I have watched the videos that Emma Colbert Art has made on the Blackest Black and Whitest White pencils as well as soft pastels! She (If I remember) likes the Faber Castell Pitt pastel pencils! I have become a bit wary of buying so many Chinese products, They do not honor other country's copyright laws and I have been a little upset about that! Now before I started using soft pastels, I would have swore that Koh-I-Noor had the best pencils of any kind! Now that I have become better at testing as the years have gone bye, I know that my favoritism for that brand is a bit nostalgic, yet they make good products and they are fairly reasonably priced from coming from Europe! I still grab them first when using a watercolor pencil, even after I purchased the Albrecht Durer's! I simply love them. I like the idea of getting pencils out and seen, so as to make then available for use, a grand idea! You do have a wonderful way of creating a happy environment for making Art!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks 😊

Great review, thank you. I was in my local art supply shop recently and picked up several of the Conte to try out, since they had open stock. (I was in there to grab more pan pastels.) I really like them, and plan to get more the next time I go back. First time using pastel pencils, so I can’t do a comparison. Yours was very timely for me - thanks again!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Glad I could help!

Thanks, Lindsay. Great little comparison. I like your spice rack idea. I have jars all lined up. Even though I don’t draw well, I have been enjoying pencils in general. Your drawing class really helped me so much.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I'm so glad!

@sanctityjohnson289

2 ай бұрын

It just takes practice. I'm also going to invest in a proportional divider when it's back in stock

@sanctityjohnson289

2 ай бұрын

(I'm trying to suck less at drawing)

@marytesta3003

2 ай бұрын

@sanctityjohnson289 Me too. I did Lindsay's drawing class, and it really did help a lot. It's simple and easy to follow.

I sharpen all of my pencils with the AFMAT long point sharpener and then use a point sharpener on the tip when needed.

Thank you for this compassion. I absolutely love the Faber-Castell 😍

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Hope you can try just a few caran dache pastel pencils for comparisons sake. Might be the most pigmented.😊

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

They probably art, softer too I hear!

I love these types of videos, its fascinating ☺☺

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I'm so glad!

Hi, Lindsay. Thank you for your video. ❤

Great video, thanks for sharing❤

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I just bought the Carbothelo. Hope you will do some tutorials using them.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Will do!

I use Koh-i-Noor Gioconda Pastel Pencils, made in Czech Republic 🇨🇿. They are affordable (27€for 24 in metal box) lead is 4.2mm an they are not too soft. Available in sets and open stock almost everywhere in Europe. Thanks for the comparison, Lindsay. I only have Derwent and Koh-i-Noor...I will look out for the van Gogh sets.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Nice!

I love pastel pencils. I have a few sets. Derwent, Carbothello, FC Pitt, koh I noor and a few random others. Caran d'ache would be great have tried a few pencils but price wise those are out of reach. I got the full sets and then sort them by lightfastness. For the sharpest details I use the Pitts. I love my høvel for sharpening. Knife sometimes, sanding block to make points or edges lol. I use them so much 😂

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation 😀

I have been buying empty tins at the art/craft resale store near me. They sell many of their pencils and markers out of the tins because they don't always get full sets. I use the tins for my loose pencs, watercolor pencils, ink pens, etc.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Good idea!

@taylorjudi

2 ай бұрын

​@@thefrugalcrafter I don't have space for all the lovely containers and organizers you have for your drawing and painting supplies. I do enjoy the colorful backdrops in your videos! Especially the markers.

Hey Lindsey! This video is very timely for me, I am getting a new set of Faber Castel pastel pencils today! Amazon had the 24 set on sale for $37! Also, I wanted to ask you if you have ever used or do you own the M + R, Mobius and Rupert, brass, handheld, pencil sharpeners? They are hands-down, the best sharpener in general, but make butter out of pastel pencils! Mine was brand new three years ago, and I just now had to replace the blades, yes, they sell replacement blades!! they’re an absolute pencil saver, I only knew I had to replace the blades, because my pencil started breaking. When I sharpened it, as soon as I replace the blades, it was fine again, no, breaking! Don’t know why more people don’t know about those especially pastel pencil users :-) heard about them from the art gear guide channel… Thanks for the video! :-)

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I don't, I use the Derwent pastel sharpeners, a knife or if I have a lot to do a bench grinder.

@creativesolutions902

2 ай бұрын

@@thefrugalcrafter I have the Derwent pastel pencil sharpener also… Found it got doll pretty quickly… I think I’ve tried every sharpening device out there lol these little M + R sharpeners are the best!😉

I have a set of the CarbOthello but I’m not sure if I’ll use them. I don’t think I can handle the feel or the sound! Also I get too messy and smudge everything 😅

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

They do 😆

I know this video is about pastel pencils :) but you mentioned the Nyoni (Markart) coloured pencils. I love them, too, but recently went to purchase a backup set and I bought the last 120 set that they had on Amazon US. The 120 set is no longer listed. :( Just wondered if you had heard through any of your contacts whether they were discontinuing those pencils. Amazon still has the 48 set and the 72 set listed for sale. Oh - for pastel pencils, I have the Pitt Pastel pencils. Being a newbie, I sharpened them using my electric Afmat sharpener. 😖 I know - I'm an idiot. 🙃 I had to toss the sharpener - it completely ruined the blades. Lesson learned! Thanks for this exploration, Lindsay!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I didn't know of a larger set than the lightwish ones.good news! I wondered if the kalor were noyoni pastel pencils.

Thank you so much for this comparison video!! I just got a set of kalour pastel pencils. They are very nicely pigmented! But now I'm looking at the stabilo carbothellos 😉 I use the pastel pencils to shade my Zentangle drawings 👍 I've seen the nyomi's, but didn't care for the color selection. Great studio sesh Lindsay!! 🥰✨

@LaviniaNova

2 ай бұрын

Ooh, I have to try that! I love the look of shading with graphite and highlighting with white charcoal, but never thought of using pastel pencils. Thanks for this tip!🤗

@flis625

2 ай бұрын

I use the General’s white charcoal for highlights in my zentangle and have used a variety of coloured pencils to colour but found them too bright. Love the tip to use pastels, have been wondering if I should try graphatint but they are costly, especially if they don’t work out. Thanks 🙏🏽

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I wondered if the kalour chalk pastel pencils were any good.

@antoniaking4719

2 ай бұрын

@LaviniaNova For me, it was kind of a game changer!!

@antoniaking4719

2 ай бұрын

@@thefrugalcrafter I think they're great! I considered it an upgrade from my 12 set of Generals. Which I still use! But to have a choice of 50 colors-swoon!! And on Amazon right now they are $30. But I kind of wish I would have held out and saved more coins for the carbothellos. Who am I kidding...I'll acquire them somehow in the not too distant future lol

@Lindsay...Are the colors in Stabilo and Faber-Castell really similar? I know every manufacturer has differences. I'm particularly wondering about the greens and blues. Faber Castell has juniper, pine etc. so am drawn to them. Thank you.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

I don't have Faber Castell pastel pencils so I'm not sure.

When did you get the Generals pastels pencils? Have you tried their watercolor pencils? About three years ago I bought a 24 set of the watercolor pencils and I hated them. They weren’t very pigmented and were very scratchy. I gave them to Goodwill. I know they’re not the same and companies can do one thing well and another not so much, but it turned me off from trying anything else of theirs. I know they’re a budget set but I only wanted them for my coloring books. I have Derwent Inktense for my art.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Oh it was probably 20 years ago! I hope they are still good. They are still usa made.

@waymire01

2 ай бұрын

I used to use the Generals watercolor pencils decades ago and they were lovely.. but bought a new set last year and they were so bad I actually returned them. Clumpy, weak in pigment.. just looked awful when activated. I think it's like most things, they just don't make things like they used to. It's a shame because they were known for their lightfastness.

Just looked in Sakura website and see no Van Gogh products. Lindsay do you have Koh-I-Noor soft pastels?

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

No I don't

@michellecampbell4194

2 ай бұрын

You can order from Jackson’s.

@marytesta3003

2 ай бұрын

I heard they are hard to sharpen, but I never tried them. I watched several reviews and it was the same comment.

@terezar3752

2 ай бұрын

@@marytesta3003 I have them and I don't experience any sharpening problems. I sharpen them with an electric sharpener.

I'm surprised to say that my Cretacolor White Chalk pencil seems to work better than my Caran D'Ache white pastel pencil.

you need to try the Pitt Pastel by Faber Castell.

Im so confused because everywhere I've seen them the generals are like $2 a piece. 😢

I just saw a set of Van Gogh set of 36 colored pencils and it says they are imported by Sakura! But it doesn’t say pastel.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

They used to make regular colored pencils, watercolor and pastel pencils

@debiadams3803

2 ай бұрын

@@thefrugalcrafter thank you!

I noticed that the Lightwish (24) pastel pencils show that you shouldn’t use a pencil sharpener. They suggest using a knife.

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

It's not a bad idea.

😊

Oooh I didn't see this video...

1st comment, yay! I've had 10 Conte a Paris since college = a long lime ago. Love them!!!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

Nice! They keep well if not dropped!

Definitely not an ASMR video! Fingernails scratching down a chalkboard the sound of those pencils sharpening!

@thefrugalcrafter

2 ай бұрын

😆

@sanctityjohnson289

2 ай бұрын

The sharpening was crunchy and satisfying