Will Any Type of Chalk Pastel Do?
Adults seem to have a love-hate relationship with chalk pastels. They offer such beautiful colors, but the mess sometimes feels like it isn’t worth the cost. But which are the best brands of chalk pastels for kids?
There are so many different options, and I was sorely in need of some chalk pastels for my classes, so I decided to road test the different brands of chalk pastels for kids.
I wondered if there were types that had less chalk dust, ones that were more vibrant, and which ones were the most cost effective.
So I ordered a bunch of different types and had fun testing them out.
Looks Are Deceiving
I tested six different types: Mungyo, Reeves, Solabela, Alphacolor, Faber-Castell, and Blick. Each of them retailed for approximately ten dollars and was either available on Amazon or Dick Blick.
I deliberately chose yellow as my test color. This is because it can be a super light color with the wrong brand. I was looking for vibrancy, different shades of yellow in the box, and how much dust it kicked up.
*Amazon links are afflinks.
Alphacolor
These long chalk pastels are great for special occasions and projects. They are long and often come in sets of 12 of color combinations such as earth tones or fluorescent. But they are more expensive. The colors are bright physically, but I had to press fairly hard to get a bright color on the paper.
Quartet Alphacolor 24 set of soft
Faber Castell
These Faber Castell minis had a wonderful array of colors to choose from and even the lighter colors were vibrant on paper. Keep in mind, however, that these are also smaller chalk pastels.
Faber-Castell Soft Pastel Crayons, 24 pack
Blick
The Blick brand was incredibly inexpensive, with colors that performed as well as they looked in the package. They’re long so it’s easy to share the colors by snapping them in half. But they kicked up a lot of chalk dust, more than the other brands.
Reeves
There were 36 pastels, all of them were long and easily snappable to share between kids. The one place that Reeves fell short is how bright the colors were on paper. They also didn’t give off as much chalk dust. In order to get the dust in the picture above, I really had to press hard. However, I also had to press that hard to get a bright color out of any of the lighter pastels. Not a huge fan.
Reeves Soft Pastels, set of 36
Mungyo
This is one of the most popular brands for homeschoolers, primarily because it’s one of the first ones that pops up on Amazon and promises so many colors. The pastels themselves, although there are 64 of them, are very small. But hands down, they were the most vibrant and bright, no matter the color of paper. My absolute favorite across the board for artists young and old.
In Summary…
For a trained artist, some of these differences would matter greatly. For kids, not so much.
One thing you need to consider is how many kids will be using the chalk pastels. Do you have only one or two kids at home, or are you using them in a classroom or for a homeschool co-op?
Purchasing a brand like Reeves, although not as vibrant, will have the pastels last longer, and one set can be shared among 2-4 kids.
For larger groups of kids (homeschool co-ops, art and classroom teachers, and studio owners), Blick and Reeves are great options.
If you aren’t a huge fan of the chalk dust, I’m sorry to disappoint, but all of them had quite a bit.
Whatever you decide, remember that the best chalk pastel is the one that you are actually going to use. So when you order them, make sure to pick up a set of baby wipes for those little rainbow fingers, and have fun.
Tips for Staying Clean
Check out YouTube shorts for tips on protecting your space and your work after finishing working with chalk pastels.
Want to try a chalk pastel project? Try this Moonlight Snail!
Join the Glitterbombers Membership!
Chalk Pastels are just one of the topics we tackle inside the Glitterbombers Membership. Hundreds of art projects, videos, and resources at your fingertips for whatever you’re studying, or whatever art concept you’re ready to teach. Head here to hop on the waitlist and find out when we open next!