CarbOthello Pastel Pencil Set (24) review

Hailing very much from the art side of the STABILO stable, the CarbOthello Pastel Pencil Set (24) is aimed at mid-level artists. And as with most STABILO products, you’re guaranteed a high level of quality.

• The best pencils for designers and artists

This 24-pencil set comes in an attractive two-piece tin and includes a decent spectrum of colour choices. The pencils sharpen very well, so you can fashion a good tip with a new scalpel blade and a sandpaper block.

The pencils’ dry stroke is perfect for blending, but the fun really starts when you begin adding water, with some particularly interesting results achievable when working in wet areas with dry pencils. Playing about with the balance of these elements is one of the joys of this set. And when you do, you’ll realise that the great advantage of using pastel pencils is the lack of mess at the end of the day.

Stabilo’s pencils are fuss-free and solid, with good pigment strengths matched with quality wooden shafts. If you’re looking for your first reasonably priced set of pastel pencils, this is a great mid-level entry point.

This article was originally published in ImagineFX magazine (subscribe here). Read more: How to hold a pencil correctly.