I had been using Stabilo Carbothello pencils for years but decided I wanted to give Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils a try.
When I see a reveiw on Amazon for pencils and art supplies, the first thing I do is look at the artwork of the reviewer to see if they are amateurs, beginners, or truly advanced artists who know the material they are using. The artwork and quality of the strokes or use of the material tell me a lot. As a professional artist (40 years in film, animation, gallery artwork, and professional art instructor for a state university), I believe I can give a fair evaluation of these pencils, having explored their capabilities and limitations.
Pros and Cons on the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel 60 pencil set I purchased:
It has a nice range of colors overall well balanced, with some decent nutrals for subduing.
Color indicators on the ends of the pencil match the lead color nearly perfectly.
Pleased that they have a good range of portrait colors
Good range of vibrant bright colors for landscapes, still life, and florals, etc.
Leads do break easily when sharpening and can stand up to some decent drawing pressure
Not waxy
Not "chalky"
Generous pigmentation
The pencils apply well on smooth or even rough "Pastel" sandy paper.
Can be used over dry watercolor painting for accents and detailing.
Soft leads, and can also be lifted with a kneaded eraser.
In spite of the soft lead, they hold up excellently under hand razor sharpening.
Good details with fine tips are possible.
Blends easily with each other and with Stabilo Carbothello pastels.
Can build up about 4-5 layers before it can't layer anymore (just no more paper tooth to grab it)
Will bleed if smearing with water (even though they are not advertised as aqua/watercolor pencils
The storage case is metal and well made. It is stacked in two layers with pinch positions to lift the top tray out easily.
Cons:
Color codes do not have the actual color stamped on the label (ie., "black", "sky blue", etc.
You have to go to the website and download their chart and block in the colors for yourself to get it down.
It would be easier to locate colors if the pencil was colored on the outside with the color on the inside. It would be less time looking for the needed color.
Wish for:
More colors in this Pitt-type pastel pencils. Larger sets!
Side note: Faber Castell does make an 120 oil based pencil set (Polychromos) but they are oil based and do not blend, hence perhaps the need for more pencils in that set. That being said, I would still enjoy an expanded version of these Pitt-Pastel Pencils, beyond the 60 in the set.
Comparison to Stabilo Carbothello "Chalk Pastel Pencils": I cringe at the word "chalk" in the Stabilo brand but I will make the comparison of Stabilo and Faber Castell here. The "chalk" in the Stabilo brand (not Faber Castell) is not chalky unless you consider the soft crumbly aspect of the pencil to equate with the word chalky. There is a small measure of chalk-like consistency but not as far as the color being pale or diluted. Since both pencil brands advertise as Pastels, I will make the comparison of the two here.
The FC pastels are more durable. They are not as crumbly as the Stabilo pencils and do not break as easily as the Stabilo pastels. Faber Castel Pitt pastels also hold up under pressure and do not need as much sharpening to keep their shape. More pigment in FC perhaps? They also appear to have the same quality of pigment in them, perhaps a little bit more than Stabilo chalk pastels. That being said, I will still use BOTH brands because of the diversity of colors I get in one that the other may not have. BOTH blend well with each other.
Faber Castell comes out slightly ahead in the comparison. They sharpen well without crumbling, they hold up under drawing pressure, and they have a rich pigment, more bang for the buck you might say.
I also like the fact that these can be applied to dry watercolor paintings in order to enhance the details and ambiance of the paintings. They CAN be wet and reapplied on wet if needed. So in this regard, they have a good variety of applications in my opinion.
Wish list: Please Faber Castell, come out with a larger set of these Pitt-pastel pencils and I'll be the first to buy them!
| Manufacturer | Notions - In Network |
|---|---|
| Brand | Faber-Castell |
| Item Weight | 2.09 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 7.48 x 12.8 x 1.3 inches |
| Item model number | FC112160 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Assorted |
| Pencil Lead Degree (Hardness) | H |
| Material Type | Metal |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Size | 60 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Point Type | Fine |
| Ink Color | Assorted |
| Manufacturer Part Number | FC112160 |
