Faber Castell use the reputable blue wool scale for lightfastness as do Carbathello (Stabilo.) The Faber Castell are more lightfast than the Carbathellos. Lightfastness largely depends on the quality of pigment used and the actual pigment used across all mediums. Fillers and additives can affect lightfastness but it js primarily the pigment and the quality of it. For example, some pinks/purples in general tend to be more fugitive in all mediums and all brands due to the nature of the actual pigment used. Different brands will also use different quality of pigments. High quality soft pastels are generally lightfast as they are essentially 100 % high quality pigment. Medium range soft pastels contain filler so aren’t quite as lightfast. Pastel pencils contain clays which can be detrimental if a lesser quality pigment is used. The blue wool scale goes up to 8 - Carbothello star their pencils up to 5* which seems to be their highest. They only state 3, 4 and 5 stars as lightfast. Faber Castell on the other hand use a maximum of 3* to cover the full Blue wool 8 scales. Faber Castel uses 1 star for a blue wool rating of 3 to 4, so would be equivalent to a Carbothellos 3* star. 2 stars FC is equivalent to blue wool rating of 5 to 6, (a Carbothello 4* star) and a FC 3 star would be equivalent to a blue wool 7 or 8 (Carbothello 5* star.). I believe all the FC pencils are lightfast. Cabothellos rated 2* or less are not lightfast so you might want to remove them if you sell your work. UV glass is always an option too. I hope this helps clarify.
I have the Koh-I-Noor coloured pencils (polycolour) and their watercolour pencils (mondeluz) and LOVE both sets, plus I had a small set of their graphite pencils and they were awesome as well. So when wanting to buy pastel pencils I bought the Giaconda and have been very happy with them as well. I really appreciate you doing the review on them. This company has very good quality products at a very reasonable price. This makes it much easier for those who have a more modest budget and a great way to start out!!
Hi , Thank you for all the work you do. We read kohinor without pause, and yes they are made in Czech Repub.Eu, and also you can buy only one pencil with the specific colour you need. If you ran out of some colours faster then other. Also kohinor makes different hardness , not shure if deliver to USA.
I have a Gioconda set but of graphite. It also contains Sepia and sanguine and in fact they are very good. Their prices are excellent. Thanks for sharing and comparing qualities.
I like your earlier comparison of Derwent, Caran d'ache, cretacolor etc very much. This one was a bit less detailed, but the Giaconda part was enlightening for me...those colors look enticing. Thank you for your reviews!
I'm using Gioconda, except for it's 'White' the remaining colors are quite vivid, but white is really dull. and it's range of 'Greens' are not satisfactory, as there isn't a darker green of my taste. Apart from those 2, it's great. As seen in the video it is soft which some may like or not... So if you want a softer pencil, this would be a good deal, but a white pencil of Faber Castell or Carbothello is essential.
Glad I read this. I have just bought a set of 24 Gioconda to try on Pastelmat and was really disappointed with the white and some of the other lighter colours when testing, as they don't cover over a base colour well at all - so building layers even on Pastelmat seems out of the question.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Those are the three brands of pastel pencils that i own. I do find the Gioconda's to be the most vibrant. That could be related to them being a bit softer than the others. (It seems that they were a bit dustier in the video.) The fact that no toxins are used to produce them is a big plus. I bought the Faber-Castell's because they are harder, but still highly pigmented, so I figured they would be my fine detailing pencils. Faber-Castell's range of browns is also nice. I guess I consider the CarbOtello's to be a touch harder the the Gioconda's with an excellent color range for landscapes. I think the CarbOthello's have a very good range of blues and greens. However, the CarbOthello's do contain toxins. I think Blick has a facts sheets about them that can be searched on the Internet. I've seen it. That is why I shied away from them at first. Since I also use soft pastels, I've taken precautions, i.e. air purifier and handheld vac. So owning all three sets gives me more color choices and at least slight differences in textures. They are all very good pencils.
Carbothellos and Giacondas have just been added to my wishlist! I tend to buy my pencils open-stock so as to get only the colours I am after, and not end up with 5 different blacks from 5 different brands, so open-stock availability is a big thing for me. The core of my set is made up of Derwent pastel pencils, both from the old and new ranges, I also have a full set of Conte pencils, plus about 20 Cretacolours and a few Pitts. Carbothellos and Giacondas are a bit harder to find open-stock in Australia, but thanks to the magic of Ebay, I can get hold of them, albeit plus shipping costs. I'd also love to try some Bruynzeels at some point. Caran D'Ache are too far out of my reach financially, and I've heard they are far softer than the rest, which isn't something I tend to look for in a pastel pencil. What are your thoughts Jason? Ever tried Caran D'Ache, Bruynzeel, or Conte?
Great vid, thanks! Recently I bought Pitt pastels and I'm longing for a chance to use them. They are so pretty and good in quality. I viewed many others pastel artists recommending them as the best pastel pencils.
The Stablio Carbothello have a warning behind the metal box (they use chemicals products than can create cancer, the warning it's for one state in USA, California.), exemple that we don't read the fine print. Really SAD, that why they don't sell it in my local artstore.
I have all these pencils. They all have great features but the giocondas are the absolute best in this Price range.. but they've done themselves out of the market as you can't buy the pencils singular
I want to use all lightfast Carbothello colors because of the price and greater softness than Pitt pastels and for the rest of the colors Pitt pastels, but so far my Carbothellos keep breaking on me! I can't afford to waste so much pastel...I might get more Carbothellos in the future, but for now increasing my stash of Pitt pastel. Also got some lightfast Conte pastel colors. I don't like such thick lead (unless it's my 2H pencil), but at least they sharpen fine. Love all your pastel art related art supplies reviews especially! Really useful to help decide what's the best for someone. Many people do reviews and tests, but not many do it really well nor provide the most useful info, especially info you can't read or see yourself easily with a simple online search.
Thank you for this review. I´ve only used soft pastells in their regular form this far, and I am in the process of buying my first set of pastell pencils and trying to figure out which ones I should be getting. Interestingly, you tested the three brands that I was thinking about, so this video is perfect for me, thank you.
:D here in the US people have finely learned that Czechoslovakia does not exist for the last twenty five years and have learned the existence of the Czech Republic .... Unfortunately now it has changed to Czechia so I guess it will take about another twenty five years to figure this one up
Thanks for the video! I find Pitts best for detail as that bit harder, I’m happy with the Carbothello’s but really dislike the Giaconda - find they blend to hardly anything if not using PastelMat and go down the quickest as so soft. The one brand I regret buying!
Great comparison video. I've had a set of Faber Castell Creative Studio soft pastel for ages but haven't really used them much. Been meaning to buy some pastel paper, fixative and a set of pastel pencils to accompany that set and get started in soft pastels. Was thinking of getting Carbothellos first but it seems the Gioconda will be more than good enough for my needs (at least initially) and the price point is fantastic too. So I'll look into getting those to start with. And probably a small set of PITT pastels too. Thanks a lot for this very useful video Jason! 😊💕
You have such an interesting face. Would it be alright if I sketched it? I always ask, since my art teacher told me that he took a photo of a stranger without permission once and they almost went to court over it!
Faber Castell use the reputable blue wool scale for lightfastness as do Carbathello (Stabilo.) The Faber Castell are more lightfast than the Carbathellos. Lightfastness largely depends on the quality of pigment used and the actual pigment used across all mediums. Fillers and additives can affect lightfastness but it js primarily the pigment and the quality of it. For example, some pinks/purples in general tend to be more fugitive in all mediums and all brands due to the nature of the actual pigment used. Different brands will also use different quality of pigments. High quality soft pastels are generally lightfast as they are essentially 100 % high quality pigment. Medium range soft pastels contain filler so aren’t quite as lightfast. Pastel pencils contain clays which can be detrimental if a lesser quality pigment is used. The blue wool scale goes up to 8 - Carbothello star their pencils up to 5* which seems to be their highest. They only state 3, 4 and 5 stars as lightfast. Faber Castell on the other hand use a maximum of 3* to cover the full Blue wool 8 scales. Faber Castel uses 1 star for a blue wool rating of 3 to 4, so would be equivalent to a Carbothellos 3* star. 2 stars FC is equivalent to blue wool rating of 5 to 6, (a Carbothello 4* star) and a FC 3 star would be equivalent to a blue wool 7 or 8 (Carbothello 5* star.). I believe all the FC pencils are lightfast. Cabothellos rated 2* or less are not lightfast so you might want to remove them if you sell your work. UV glass is always an option too. I hope this helps clarify.
Wow Kyomii! That's an incredible amount of valuable info and work to sort that out. Thank you!
Thank you!!
I recently picked up the carbothello and pastel mat
they are truly amazing thank you jason
I have the Koh-I-Noor coloured pencils (polycolour) and their watercolour pencils (mondeluz) and LOVE both sets, plus I had a small set of their graphite pencils and they were awesome as well. So when wanting to buy pastel pencils I bought the Giaconda and have been very happy with them as well. I really appreciate you doing the review on them. This company has very good quality products at a very reasonable price. This makes it much easier for those who have a more modest budget and a great way to start out!!
Hi , Thank you for all the work you do. We read kohinor without pause, and yes they are made in Czech Repub.Eu, and also you can buy only one pencil with the specific colour you need. If you ran out of some colours faster then other. Also kohinor makes different hardness , not shure if deliver to USA.
I have a Gioconda set but of graphite. It also contains Sepia and sanguine and in fact they are very good. Their prices are excellent. Thanks for sharing and comparing qualities.
I'm really liking those Giocondas.
I like your earlier comparison of Derwent, Caran d'ache, cretacolor etc very much. This one was a bit less detailed, but the Giaconda part was enlightening for me...those colors look enticing. Thank you for your reviews!
I'm using Gioconda, except for it's 'White' the remaining colors are quite vivid, but white is really dull. and it's range of 'Greens' are not satisfactory, as there isn't a darker green of my taste. Apart from those 2, it's great. As seen in the video it is soft which some may like or not... So if you want a softer pencil, this would be a good deal, but a white pencil of Faber Castell or Carbothello is essential.
Glad I read this. I have just bought a set of 24 Gioconda to try on Pastelmat and was really disappointed with the white and some of the other lighter colours when testing, as they don't cover over a base colour well at all - so building layers even on Pastelmat seems out of the question.
Oh, another video of the same pastel pencil, but different. Thank you for this Jason, as always!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Those are the three brands of pastel pencils that i own. I do find the Gioconda's to be the most vibrant. That could be related to them being a bit softer than the others. (It seems that they were a bit dustier in the video.) The fact that no toxins are used to produce them is a big plus. I bought the Faber-Castell's because they are harder, but still highly pigmented, so I figured they would be my fine detailing pencils. Faber-Castell's range of browns is also nice. I guess I consider the CarbOtello's to be a touch harder the the Gioconda's with an excellent color range for landscapes. I think the CarbOthello's have a very good range of blues and greens. However, the CarbOthello's do contain toxins. I think Blick has a facts sheets about them that can be searched on the Internet. I've seen it. That is why I shied away from them at first. Since I also use soft pastels, I've taken precautions, i.e. air purifier and handheld vac.
So owning all three sets gives me more color choices and at least slight differences in textures. They are all very good pencils.
Brenda Gaines Hunter Has
GentleSpirit are you being a grammar nazi, or is your reply unfinished?
Brenda Gaines Hunter @
Thank you for your review,too. I will go to buy Gioconda based on your experience, thanks a lot. I appreciate Jason's effort and clear comparison. :)
Carbothellos and Giacondas have just been added to my wishlist!
I tend to buy my pencils open-stock so as to get only the colours I am after, and not end up with 5 different blacks from 5 different brands, so open-stock availability is a big thing for me. The core of my set is made up of Derwent pastel pencils, both from the old and new ranges, I also have a full set of Conte pencils, plus about 20 Cretacolours and a few Pitts. Carbothellos and Giacondas are a bit harder to find open-stock in Australia, but thanks to the magic of Ebay, I can get hold of them, albeit plus shipping costs. I'd also love to try some Bruynzeels at some point. Caran D'Ache are too far out of my reach financially, and I've heard they are far softer than the rest, which isn't something I tend to look for in a pastel pencil.
What are your thoughts Jason? Ever tried Caran D'Ache, Bruynzeel, or Conte?
Conte pencil are dry and hard. Caran too soft for most of my work.
I'm using stabilo carbathelo...they are excellent...but following you since I started pastel
Спасибо за интересный и информативный обзор! Тоже понравилась Джоконда больше)
Some strange ideas voiced such as pastel is all about blending or fastness depends on additives.
The company is called "Ko-he-nor". 👍 -ΙΩΝ
I just found you! Already made a playlist with just your UA-cam videos. I plan on purchasing as well. I live in the US.
Cissy Brazil great. Glad you found my channel. 😉
Great comparison video done and shown.. Thank you for taking me out of my confusion about pastel pencils brand Your technique is great.
what is the difference in the KOH-I-NOOR Artist's Soft Pastel Pencils and the Koh-I-Noor Gioconda soft pastel pencil
Great vid, thanks! Recently I bought Pitt pastels and I'm longing for a chance to use them. They are so pretty and good in quality. I viewed many others pastel artists recommending them as the best pastel pencils.
Can you recommend me some very soft pastel pencils for portraits ?
The Stablio Carbothello have a warning behind the metal box (they use chemicals products than can create cancer, the warning it's for one state in USA, California.), exemple that we don't read the fine print. Really SAD, that why they don't sell it in my local artstore.
I have all these pencils. They all have great features but the giocondas are the absolute best in this Price range.. but they've done themselves out of the market as you can't buy the pencils singular
I want to use all lightfast Carbothello colors because of the price and greater softness than Pitt pastels and for the rest of the colors Pitt pastels, but so far my Carbothellos keep breaking on me! I can't afford to waste so much pastel...I might get more Carbothellos in the future, but for now increasing my stash of Pitt pastel. Also got some lightfast Conte pastel colors. I don't like such thick lead (unless it's my 2H pencil), but at least they sharpen fine. Love all your pastel art related art supplies reviews especially! Really useful to help decide what's the best for someone. Many people do reviews and tests, but not many do it really well nor provide the most useful info, especially info you can't read or see yourself easily with a simple online search.
WickedIllusionArt sounds like you have defective carbos. Mine are much less likely to break than other brands I have tested.
I thought so too, that's why I'm willing to buy more because I know some other artists don't have problem sharpening theirs.
just try one or two to prove the point
Hi Morgan,excellent review ..By the way whats your take on derwent? is it good on par with PITT and carbothello?
Thank you for this review. I´ve only used soft pastells in their regular form this far, and I am in the process of buying my first set of pastell pencils and trying to figure out which ones I should be getting. Interestingly, you tested the three brands that I was thinking about, so this video is perfect for me, thank you.
I just bought the Gioconda and love the feel of them and they're such a vibrant addition to my pastel pencils.
which one good boss
Czechoslovakia doesn’t exist for many years. These are made in Czech republic. It is very common mistake.
:D here in the US people have finely learned that Czechoslovakia does not exist for the last twenty five years and have learned the existence of the Czech Republic .... Unfortunately now it has changed to Czechia so I guess it will take about another twenty five years to figure this one up
Ye we like to change the name of our country so offten, so we cant be find on the map :)
giocondas are softest between them
Thank you
Thanks for the video! I find Pitts best for detail as that bit harder, I’m happy with the Carbothello’s but really dislike the Giaconda - find they blend to hardly anything if not using PastelMat and go down the quickest as so soft. The one brand I regret buying!
Very nice
Unfortunately in the United States we get the shaft on the good stuff.
Great comparison video. I've had a set of Faber Castell Creative Studio soft pastel for ages but haven't really used them much. Been meaning to buy some pastel paper, fixative and a set of pastel pencils to accompany that set and get started in soft pastels. Was thinking of getting Carbothellos first but it seems the Gioconda will be more than good enough for my needs (at least initially) and the price point is fantastic too. So I'll look into getting those to start with. And probably a small set of PITT pastels too. Thanks a lot for this very useful video Jason! 😊💕
Good.
Just went to your Patreon site. ". . . created some decent artwork." indeed.
You have such an interesting face. Would it be alright if I sketched it? I always ask, since my art teacher told me that he took a photo of a stranger without permission once and they almost went to court over it!
Of course I want all three. lol
Are kooh oil based??
czechoslovakia isn't a country ;P