Mungyo Gallery Soft Oil Pastels Set of 48 - Assorted Colors

First of all Ill say Im happy with these pastels. I am not tremendously experienced in oil pastels but Ive been experimenting recently with a lot of old craft items including a big mixed media set. I quite enjoyed the oil pastels but wanted to try something a little better without too big of an investment. These fit the bill and give me the oil pastel experience Ive been lead to believe I should expect. Starting with the physical aspects, the packaging seems robust enough though the foam holding them down is a little thin. I havent felt especially compelled to put them in a nicer box which says that (for me) they are acceptable. Despite the thin foam they came to me intact. I have previously only draw with some very cheap oil pastels (which Ill compare later) but I did try several brands that a store had in open stock. I found these to be comparably soft to the Sennelier but the feel a little more greasy when being applied vs the Sennelier which Id describe as creamy. They come in a plain cylinder form without the Sennelier bullet points (which suits me fine) but thats an obvious difference. I found that they didnt crumble much (the Cray-pas specialist crumbled more). Overall Id say they stand up well to the competition. Next Id like to talk about painting and blendability. I tried these out on watercolour paper, mixed media paper and pastel paper. On all 3 the softness allows them to apply readily in fairly thick layers. They smooth on the page easily with a finger, cloth or stump. They can be layered over one another but attempting to layer then blend can be tricky: it seems better to simply draw the colours in from their respective sides getting gradually thinner toward one another then smooth out perpendicular to the gradient. They worked nicely for sgraffito and all general oil pastel techniques. The colours are definitely bold but there are a few areas where I felt they lacked, for example I couldnt find a really strong primary red. Having said that I was not disappointed and doubt this will hold me back. As for value Id like to compare to the cheap set I tried out before. They were a very cheap set of 36 from a retail store. A little measurement tells me that these are about 2x the volume (i.e. provide 2x the materlal). Accounting for that these are 2x the price per volume (compared to an absolute bottom of the line set) and about 1/4 the price of Senellier. Compared to these the cheap set I had previously feel terrible, waxy and crumbly in application with weak colours and hard to blend: these are definitely much better value. Compared to the Sennelier these are definitely not quite as pigmented or smooth or shaped as elegantly but to a beginner I doubt the difference would be that noticeable: for a beginner/student these are probably better value. Overall Im very happy with the way these work. I definitely no longer feel Im being limited by the media so I can work on improving my skills. If you are looking for an introduction to oil pastels I would say you wont go too far wrong with this set.

I bought this as a gift for my niece. She is 13 and really liked them. I have no clue how they feel or the quality of them so my rating is just based off her reaction to opening the gift.

So creamy. Love them. Will rebuy anytime. 10/10

These pastels are amazing for the price. I got the set of 48 and would definitely buy again, probably the 60 or 72 count though, because I would want more color variety. They are very creamy and apply smoothly, and blending them with tortillions worked really well. Very happy!

This is my 4th purchase on Mungyo brand. Good quality for beginners.

Great product！Easy to apply. Rich colors.

Colors are vibrant and just what my daughter needed for her art class.

We loved them

I dont understand peoples brains. If you are reviewing a product, you talk about the products fitness for use in the manner it is designed for. So for pastels, you should mention these Mungyos soft buttery feel, their quality pigmentation, excellent blending (which most folks dont do properly), their great vibrancy, or lightfastness, etc. etc. However ignore all the goober one star ratings because their package was damaged or opened, etc. That is a problem with shipping and handling, and that likely by some 3rd party warehouse; and has zero to do with the quality of the individual products. These are excellent and should be considered a first buy along with the PR brand, which are closely comparable. Whining about bad shipping and handling experiences, says nothing about how good these actually are...or any other product for that matter. So just stop that stupid crap, ya idgits. Rant over.

Got this for 1 of my kids who likes to paint and was impressed by its overall quality. Like what other reviewers said, these soft oil pastels are soft and creamy and easy to work with. In watercolor paper, these work well in painting accurate lines as well as blending colors together. In addition, they also layer over another color without smudging or diluting the colors much. However, the white color smudges and dilutes more easily than others. Care needs to be taken if you want an undiluted white paint. These oil pastels seem easier to use for blending than accuracy for a beginner painter. A good buy for the price, given its professional quality and 48 colors. They also dont have a strong chemical smell. Significantly recommended.