Introducing the New Sennelier Pastel Line

Sennelier has reworked their entire line of pastels. The new pastels are currently available from www.fineartstore.com and from www.dakotapastel.com Look for them in stores by October 2000.

The older boxed sets and old sticks will be around this year and part of next, but when they're gone, you won't be able to match about 100 of the old colors because they will be gone. In any case, the current product line is changing in some substantial ways. They are:

1. Thicker pastel sticks. Roughly the size and shape of Schmincke and Winsor & Newton. Previously, Senneliers had been slightly thinner. Times and tastes change, and Sennelier is changing with the marketplace.

2. Some reformulation to increase hardness and softness consistency through the product line, and also to ease the crumbly factor that plagues some Sennelier pastels.

3. Roughly 1/5 of the shades are being replaced. The new line will have 525 shades, including 108 new ones. Roughly 160 of the older shades (from a line of around 580 shades total) are being deleted or altered.

4. Mostly, the change is about new colors. Terrific new reds, purples, turquoises, many more deep colors to satisfy artist needs being satisfied by Schmincke and others.

The information below does not deal with the old product line. In some cases, pricing and other details are not available because Sennelier is just now releasing the new line. (Check here for updates.)

Company Background

Sennelier's history dates back to1887, when chemist Gustave Sennelier started making and selling paints for fine artists. His knack for color accuracy caused the Maison Sennelier to become a hang-out for Impressionists, who helped to broaden the range of colors in his oil color line. You can visit the store where it all began-- it's not far from the Louvre museum in Paris. The store is called Couleurs du Quai Voltaire, and it's located at 3, Quai Voltaire 75007 Paris. (And, of course, there is a web site: http://www.art.vianet.fr/annonce/magasin_sennelier/anglais/magasin/magasin.htm

The Sennelier pastel line originated in the 1920s, built from natural pigments found in the north of France, and a unique hand-made process that is still in use today. More and more colors were added through the century; even with the minor adjustments over decades, Sennelier tends to offer more colors in its pastel product line than any other company (here and there, you'll probably find an exception, but the basic idea holds). What's more, Sennelier continues to innovate. The result: a range of metallic and iridescent pastel colors, and one of the finest oil pastel lines in the industry. Plus, really big and fat pastel sticks, described below.

Sennelier retains its flawless reputation among oil painters (a great many famous paintings were made with Senneliers), but the product line is wider. Sennelier is one of very few companies who sell their pigments for custom mixes by artists (the dry pigment powder can be mixed with various chemicals so that the artist can manufacture his or her own watercolors, oil colors, etc.) In addition, there is a well-regarded line of watercolors. And there are drawing inks, papers (including pastel papers, which will eventually be reviewed here).

In native France, Sennelier is part of the Max Sauer group, which also owns Raphael paintbrushes and Berge, a line of canvas and presentation products. In the US, these products are distributed by Savoir-Faire, based in Sausalito, CA.

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Product Background

There are over 500 different Sennelier pastels. The total number of pastels in any given line is always difficult to understand because each manufacturer constructs its line in a different way.

The line is constructed from roughly 140 pigments, a somewhat confusing concept because various chemical pigment formulations are used to construct each individual color. For clarity, it might be more meaningful to think of 140 different color tones.

For example, color #270 is called Pink Lake. It's made from a chemical pigment called Anthaquinone Lake. Colors #272, 273 and 274 are also called Pink Lake, but these are made by combining Anthaquinone Lake with another pigment called Quinacridone Red. This is good news because it demonstrates Sennelier's committment to superb color-- rather than just darkening or lightening with the addition of black or white, Sennelier tweaked every color in the line.

Ultimately, this doesn't much matter. You'll be choosing colors based upon their visual quality, not on their name or chemical makeup. But if you are selecting colors on your own, names like "Apple Green," or "Golden Ochre" are not as specific as the more commonly-used names, like Cobalt Blue or Burnt Sienna. Go by the visual colors, not by the names. Color names tend to vary from one manufacturer to the next; color names are marketing concepts, not precise chemical labels.

The new line of Sennelier pastels are roughly the size and diameter of Schmincke, Winsor & Newton and other brands. They feel more substantial than the previous line, but in fact, day to day, there isn't a tremendous difference between old and new. Both are excellent.

Sennelier Pastel Products - Getting Started

The best way to start with Schmincke pastels is either to buy a box of half-sticks, or to select a batch of individual pastel colors. A well-stocked store or catalog will offer both options.

If you are buying individual sticks, you will now find a tremendous amount of choice in every hue. Sennelier is especially excellent in portrait colors, and so, you'll find a splendid range of pinks, tans, browns, reds, dark reds, and so on. The line is equally fine when it comes to landscape, so there are ample choices among greens, and earthy browns.

Pastels are racked end-out, so you can get a sense of color range by simply staring at a store display. But flourescent store lighting and the lack of any reasonable try-out space should strongly encourage you to buy a dozen and take them home. Budget just under $3 per stick-- shop around and you'll find them closer to $2.50-- so a dozen should cost no more than about $40.

To start, the conservative investment is a set of 20 half-sticks for around $25. Recognizing the popularity of half-stick assortments, Sennelier now sells not only a 40-half stick set for about $50, but also a set of 80 half-sticks for $65. This box is ideal for travel; in my experience, half-sticks tend to travel more successfully than full-sticks (for some reason, the smaller size is less subject to breakage).

Sennelier Pastel Products - Making a Committment

Sennelier is in the process of revamping the larger collections. This explains why you can now buy the 172-stick collection, in a wood box, for around $300 (it previously cost about $450). No pricing is available for the new collections because they are not yet in the stores (wait for August, then give Dakota Pastels a try; they'll have them first, I think).

In any case, the new series is logically presented.

There's a starter set, in a wood box, with 50 assorted colors. It will probably cost about $130. It's compact and nice for travel, but doesn't take advantage of the Sennelier line's greatest strength-- nuanced color differences in individual sticks.

Step up to a choice of a Portrait box or a Landscape box, each with 100 pastels. This makes far more sense, but only if you focus your energies mainly on one type of work. If you do, you will find the subtle steps between individual colors extremely useful. With Sennelier, it seems as though the company has anticipated the artist's thoughts-- precisely the right color or shade seems to be at hand here more than with any other line. And every color seems so very natural, not forced or pumped, but vivid and lifelike. Cost on the 100 pastel sets should be around $240 each.

The most sensible choice may be a larger investment than the amateur wants to make, but the 175 pastel "Traditional Collection" really is the best choice. The price tag is likely to be in the mid-$400 range, but this is the price you'll pay for a versatile, high-quality set of artist tools.

You can buy more, of course. The Royal Collection contains 250 pastels, and the King Collection is absolutely magnificent with three large trays and a handsome briefcase-style box containing 525 pastels. Look for the former with a price tag of around $650, and the latter somewhere north of $1,000.

Sennelier Giant Pastels

These $20 sticks are nearly 4 inches long and over an inch thick. Sennelier produces them in only about 50 colors, and to be honest, most pastel artists use them for very specific types of projects. But when you need a whole lot of color, these giants can save a lot of time and energy. What's more, they are really fun to use. And they don't tend to crumble quite so easily. The new line will include these pastels as well.

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