CarbOthello - Chalk-Pastel Pencil - ARTY+ - Tin of 24 - Assorted colors

These are my first (and go-to) pastel pencils. I find them easily blendable, not too soft, and the variety of colors suitable for all of my pet & wildlife portraits. I'm a beginner, but I'm still learning, and I will highly recommend getting a Prismacolor handheld (2-slot) pencil sharpener, and possibly a sharpening block..because I learned that if you try these with an electric sharpener, they will eat half the pencil and turn it to dust, as well as me up the sharpener. Filing it with a craft knife didn't work for me either. You don't need a really really sharp point anyway, because with too much pressure they'll break every time. No matter what I do, I so still have maybe two colors out of the entire set that break frequently, but that is most likely due to the pigment used. In any case, drawing with these pencils still gives me nice, fine details I want. They work best on Pastelmat and velour paper, but I've also used them on Bristol and Fabriano Titziano paper which worked out fine. Any paper smoother than those will smear and not blend as well. Highly recommend these pastel pencils!

I did not know that chalk pencils existed until I read a review that mentioned them. I started searching and came up with this brand. I am so pleased that I found these on my first chalk pencil hunt. STABILLO CarbOthello Chalk Pastel Pencils s are super fun to work with. I am usually really pleased with the finished image, and I especially love using them for grayscale coloring. I initially purchased a 24 piece set, and I was so enthralled with that set that I wanted a larger selection of colors. They come in an easy to open hinged tin box. The pencils are cradled in two layers with thumb holds, in the top tray, for easy stacking/unstacking. They are numbered, but do not have color names. In this set you will find varying shades of the following: there is enough color variety to enable the colorist to do portraits, landscapes, animals, and most any kind of line drawings. 1 white 1 beige/sand (Good for skin tones) 10 browns (very light to very dark) 8 greens (bluish, lime to tree leaves, grass) 8 blues (baby, sky, dark, greenish etc.) 4 yellows (very pale to bright) 3 purplish, pinkish lavender (Sorry, but these three colors are a bit hard to define.) 3 oranges 3 grays 2 golds 1 black 1 red 2 reddish, pinkish, orangy 1 blush 1 paper blending stump 1 kneaded rubber eraser 1 pencil sharpener My descriptive color names may not be precise, but hopefully one can get a good idea of the colors included in the set. You can also see the colors in the pictures below. PROS: Easy to use Give nice potent colors Dry blend easily Sharpen easily Good coloring mileage...nice pastel hues Can be smudged with finger or paper tissue to get even coloring Erasable Smooth lay down CONS: Messy to use Create dust Not really good for precise/fine details Colors may not be as vivid as wax or oil based pencils Even after the colors are pretty well set, it is important to put a blank sheet of paper, tissue or whatever, under your coloring hand while finishing your picture. Otherwise, you may have slight color imprints on your skin. I always color a small section of my picture, blend the color(s) and remove the chalk dust before coloring another section. I have never had smudges on my finished colored image. My finished pictures have retained their color well; however, there is a preservative that can be applied for durability. My set arrived rather jumbled and with a few broken tips. The tin box was in a thin plastic envelope that allowed them to be tossed, thrown and mishandled throughout the delivery route. The tin box gives fairly good protection; however…….

Beautiful and high quality set of pastel pencils. These pencils are cream of the crop in my opinion. They're easy to use, durable, and ultra-smooth when drawing with them. They are standard sized and function like a regular pencil. One of the things that makes this brand of pencil even more appealing to me is the fact I can replace them individually, because of some being used more than others. The case they came in is beautiful and precisely made. The sharpener and eraser are a nice bonus to the set. With respect to the price point of the set, I would say, in this case, you do get what you pay for.

Really happy with pencils. They are quite firm but not as firm like the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils with a great range of colours. I was quite disappointed when opening that there was black plastic all through the container and the top tray was broken. I don't want to return it because I live in New Zealand and have waited so eagerly for these pencils. If the tray wasn't damaged I would have given 5 stars. I found one of the pencils is also chipped but can sharpen it.

The best pencils ever. They blend like a dream. Smooth rich color. The trays in the tin are flimsy but that's what an art box is for. They are my new favorite for sure. They didn't have much padding but none were broken as far as I can tell. The eraser dose a great job. These are just a fantastic set of art pencils.

Carbothellos are my absolute favorite chalk pastel pencils by far! So many vibrant colors and they are so smooth and buttery to apply to paper and to blend. They are a pain to sharpen and have to be sharpened quite often, however, it is definitely worth the hassle. My request to this company is to expand the range of colors!!! I know so many people like me who would immediately buy a 2nd set if additional colors were offered! Pretty please, Stabilo!!!!!!!

These are some of the best pastel pencils I've used. They're such a good value for how many you get. The color selection of the 36 set is great, though it is lacking some grays. If you buy the 36 set, I would recommend buying a few of their warm and cool gray colors individually as well to round out your set. These pastels are nice and smooth, I find they don't crumble as easily as some other brands do. I always use a craft knife to sharpen them, I find they tend to break less if you sharpen them that way versus a sharpener. They work wonderfully on Pastelmat paper. I think the 36 set with the edition of a few extra gray pencils would be perfect for any beginner artist looking to get started with pastels!

I bought this set as a treat for myself, and it completely exceeded my expectations. The pencils feel high quality right out of the tin - smooth to hold, with rich, vibrant pigments that layer beautifully on paper. They’re soft enough to blend easily (dry or with a damp brush) but not so crumbly that they break constantly like some pastels I’ve tried. The included sharpener works perfectly without wasting too much of the pencil, and the kneaded eraser and blending stump are such thoughtful extras. Even the tin feels sturdy and well organized, making it a pleasure to open up and choose colours. As someone who mainly works in watercolor, I didn’t expect to enjoy pastel pencils this much, but these have me completely hooked. I’ve already used them for adding fine details and soft backgrounds, and they play nicely with other mediums too. I would absolutely recommend this set to any artist, beginner or experienced.

Bellissimi

les Carbothellos sont des crayons pastel incroyables, aussi bien pour débutants que peintres aguerris. des couleurs fantastiques, dureté moyenne, impeccable pour détails et couche sur pan pastels je recommande vivement

Son cremosos y muy suaves, se deslizan sobre el papel muy finamente dejando una capa diáfana sin que se noten los trazos al difuminarlos. Los he complementado con la caja de 36 de Derwent, que ya tenía, por la gama de grises que le falta a éstos y no he necesitado comprarme la de 60, pero éstos son mucho más suaves. Los lápices Derwent son más secos y los colores más opacos, suelta más polvo y raspa sobre el papel, sin embargo Stabilo tiene unos colores preciosos, luminosos y vivos. Al sacarles punta no se parten como los Derwent y queda una mina muy afilada para llegar con precisión al sitio más pequeño sin soltar prácticamente polvo. Realmente son una gozada dibujar y colorear con ellos. Si os gusta pintar y dibujar no malgastéis el dinero en material barato porque es tirarlo y terminaréis frustrados. Os lo digo por experiencia. La buena calidad en los materiales a la larga os ahorra dinero y se nota en los dibujos. Yo no soy una experta, soy autodidacta y llevo mucho dinero gastado probando marcas y al final he llegado a ésta conclusión. Lo bueno hay que pagarlo si queréis disfrutar de dibujos preciosos. Tenéis el 50℅ asegurado.

Beautiful gift ! Perfect box, great quality pencils !