Explore light, shadow and form without a broad colour palette with these Royal & Langnickel soft pastels. Choose Charcoal for black drawing sticks or Graytone for a range from white through grey to black. Their soft texture suits blending, layering and softening edges. The rectangular sticks let you make fine lines and broad areas of tone.
Contents and size
- 1 pack of 12 sticks in your chosen range, not both sets together.
- Charcoal, CPA-C12: 12 black sticks.
- Graytone, CPA-G12: 12 sticks in white, grey and black tones.
- Stick size approximately 63 × 10 mm; drawing paper is not included.
Which range should you choose?
Charcoal suits dark accents, silhouettes and strong shadows. Graytone lets you build light and dark areas side by side, for example in a portrait or still life. These are soft dry drawing materials, not oil or wax pastels. Choose paper with some texture to help hold the deposited colour.
Lines, shading and transitions
Use a corner for details and the side of a stick for broad shading. Start with light pressure and deepen the tone gradually. Blend small areas gently with a blending stump, moving to a clean area to avoid carrying black into lighter tones. Try a new combination on a scrap of the same paper first.
Care for your drawing and pastels
Dry pastel can transfer when you touch the surface. Lift your drawing by its edges and protect the image surface during storage. Gently brush loose drawing dust away from your workspace without rubbing it across the artwork. Keep the sticks dry and avoid pressure on their edges, which can crumble.
Continue your drawing
Compare charcoal and graphite for line and shading or explore drawing materials for your next tonal study.
