As an oil pastel artist, let me explain what's going on with the Neopastels. The Mungyo Gallery oil pastels are very good quality. The Neopastels are professional-grade. But when it comes to oil pastels, if you want to take the medium seriously, or even if you don’t want to be “serious” but still want all the advantages, you need to keep in mind that for a painting to really work, you need three kinds of oil pastels: a firmer one, a medium-feel pastel (not too hard, not too soft), and some very soft oil pastels.

Neopastels are considered hard pastels. They’re great for the first layers, for blocking in, and for defining edges, but they’re not always the best for completing an entire painting. Sometimes a piece can look a bit flat if you only use Neopastels. Mungyo Gallery pastels, on the other hand, are softer. And then there are brands which are really soft, like Sennelier (which you can buy open stock) and also Paul Rubens (both the original and the Haiya lines). There is also a brand called Soho. But Soho is more than soft; it’s extremely soft! They don’t sell them open stock, but you can find them on Amazon, and a small, inexpensive set is great for final touches if you enjoy texture or want to add something really bright, right at the end. Those strokes will stay on top.

The thing is that with Neopastels, because they’re firmer, as soon as you try to layer one color over another, it won’t really sit on top, they’ll just blend together. And keep in mind that since they have a hard consistency, they will scratch off any softer pastel underneath. So the best order to complete a painting without struggling much is hard oil pastels, medium-hardness oil pastels, and very soft oil pastels. You’ll have better luck layering with Mungyo, to some extent, because they’re a bit softer.

I hope that makes sense. In my own practice, I use Neopastels for my base layers and sketching stage. I do about 80–90% of the actual painting with Mungyo Gallery, and then for the final touches, right at the end, I use a mix of Soho, Haiya, and Sennelier. But I’m not a huge fan of Sennelier because many of their pastels are translucent, and that’s not something I personally like in an oil pastel. That’s just personal preference.

Now, speaking of yellow, that’s common. For you to have a yellow that actually sits on top, which is what we all want, I recommend one of two things. Either buy a Sennelier stick, specifically Naples Yellow, which is the most opaque yellow Sennelier offers; or get yourself a small Soho set, because that way you won’t just have the fantastic yellow you can use exactly the way you want, but you’ll also have other light colors like blue, green, and pink, which are wonderful for those final touches.

Before buying, keep in mind that a single Sennelier stick can easily cost you around five dollars on the cheaper side. There are places that sell them much more expensive. However, a 26 piece Soho set costs less than fifteen dollars!!! And you won’t only get the much needed yellow, you’ll also get an amazing white, as well as light blue, light green, and light pink, which are key colors when you use them in the very last layer to add highlights.

But yeah, those are my two cents on the subject. I hope that helps. 🥰🥰🥰

And, AS ALWAYS, loving your video! 🥰🥰🥰

Woo-hoo! You know you've arrived when CaranDache contacts you ❤Maybe that is Perylene green? PBK31?

You really took these supplies through their paces ! You should be proud of the painting because it's wonderful 👏👏👏

Heather, you  never disappoint!  This was so much fun and informative to watch as you really allowed yourself to discover what each medium can do.  Love your finished painting.  And Caran d'Ache reaching out to you is a testament, I think, of how your creative adventures are adding something fresh to the world of art.  Thanks as always for sharing your process and congratulations❣

Great explanation of the new art supplies.❤ Your the Best!!

The number that is the same, you’ll find on all art supplies that come in sets. It either represents batch number so that they can pinpoint if a lot of people are having problems with one particular thing, or it represents a series so they’ll all be a certain number if they’re super colour will all be a number number number if that studio will all be another number if they’re the Watercolor line

Instead of hurting your fingers, I love oil pastels, but I always had sore fingers afterwards. Use a little bit of linseed, oil or rubbing alcohol on top with a paintbrush or one of those plastic head brushes, and that will beautifully mix the colours or smooth them out almost like a paint.

13:25 This is why I keep an alcohol based edding-style black marker on my desk. You can test any water- or oil-based color for transparency while the property of the paper remains unchanged, the black doesn't mix with the color, and the marker ink dries so fast that you can instantly swatch on top of the black mark.

Hi Heather, You have been one of the many artist that actually got a good control over the NeoArts...they are meant to be use with the other Carandache expensive Luminous pencils. Your painting looks like you dip it in oil paints..well done. Bravo!

You did such a good job on the Van Gogh picture!

WOW!  This is so very good!  The colors you used are perfect.  I look forward to seeing your videos every week.  See you soon.  Oh, are you still doing the midweek video?  I just haven’t seen it lately.  Hopefully you are and I’ve just missed it.

How awesome,I’m so happy for you, you deserve it

What a great video!  It was wonderful seeing you use this product in a variety of ways. Your final painting turned out lovely. ❤

I love your art style! Those colors look better than the original to me. Great job!

What a fun review! Really enjoyed your thoughts out loud as you are working 😄

Oh how sweet of them ❤

Congratulations! And thank you for showing us real results!

That was fun to watch!

Beautiful finished painting!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

So out of all the neo arts all, what is your favorite, please tell.