French Soft Pastels

I purchased Girault and Henri Roche soft pastels!

Girault Soft Pastels have been produced by French craftsmen since 1780. The first Girault artist created 526 colors. The company and handmaking process has been handed down through generations. And each stick has a hand stamp.

I went with a smaller set of light colors as that was what I seemed to need at the time. I found these to be creamy and soft sticks. I can layer them over many other brands, but not all. They are thinner making them good for adding details. I was told by another artist, that “Girault sticks will change your life”. Well? I don’t know. Maybe I need to try more colors?

The Henri Roche pastel brand goes back to 1720 and are produced today by La Maison du Pastel in France. This pastel is manufactured in small quantities and are hand-rolled with stamps on each stick.
These put down more color pigment than anything else I have used. They hold up very well to sanded papers. An instructor was surprised how the application of Roche black on a painting could be seen from across the room.

These sticks do not play well with other brands. Meaning, you can’t always layer different brands on top of each other. The price prevents most of us from buying sets. Save up some money and buy a few! I keep mine in their little box ready to use when needed.

Which is better? Depends on the painting and artist. I recommend trying any you can.