Product review - HAIYA oil pastels

UPDATED 7th February 2025

We were sent a box of HAIYA oil pastels by the Paul Rubens art company, asking if we would review them. We only agreed to do so with the understanding that we could write an honest review. After conducting our research and product testing, we present our findings and hope this review is helpful to you. 

Key feature of this set:
​

• Creamy Texture: They are super smooth and soft to use. The soft texture allows them to perform great for blending and mixing! Easy to colour with no effort!
• Novel Design: The new bullet design and cylindrical paint allow to grip and draw comfortably!
• 48 Vibrant Colours: 48 vivid colours and providing strong coverage, showing the texture effect of an oil painting!
• Additional sets: 60 and 72 box sets plus individual large pastels available.
• Eco-friendly and High-quality Materials: The oil pastel set is made of eco-friendly materials and high-quality. Four seasons available, winter and summer seasons soft and hard degree changes very little.
• Affordable: This set of oil pastels is very affordable, high quality, and also perfect for beginners.

Ideal for the novice

​If you're a beginner, we suggest starting with a more affordable set to gain some experience. This approach can be cost-effective in the long run. 

You can purchase this set of 48 oil pastels on Amazon for approximately £30. They are considered to be of student-quality, which means they are priced similarly to other student-quality oil pastels and provide good coverage. If you are an amateur, this set is a great way to get a feel for the medium. ​​

How do they compare to professional quality oil pastels?

Having read numerous reviews about this product before agreeing to do our own review, we note many users comparing them to the Sennelier oil pastels. The Sennelier pastels are almost certainly the best quality oil pastel on the market and were created especially for the artist Pablo Picasso in 1949, so any comparison to this product is purely cosmetic. Paul Rubens does not market their oil pastels as artist quality, so we will briefly compare them. They are both bullet-shaped, making the application slick. They are also very creamy, so each layer is thick and opaque.

Though Paul Rubens states their pastels are lightfast, we cannot find any information on the testing standards they use, so it is unlikely that they will be of the same rigorous levels that well-known brands use. Always ensure your artwork is correctly protected and avoid hanging your paintings in direct sunlight.

Our trial and findings

We used a limited number of colours and a small sheet of Art Spectrum Colourfix black to create a drawing of a fishing shack against a pink sunset. First, we applied a light layer of colours, gently blending them. Then, we added more tones and re-blended to cover most of the paper surface. We used a palette knife to lift the pastel and expose the black surface, which helped to create the contrasts found in the shack and frame. By removing the pastel with a tool, we could achieve the fine details that are impossible with oil pastels alone. To enhance the definition, we purposely left some of the paper showing through.

Sets Available:

48 colours

60 colours

72 colours

What do the symbols mean that are printed on the paper sleeve?

The paper sleeve displays the colour name, pastel number, star rating for lightfastness, and opacity level. Additionally, it provides the pigment codes that explain which pigments were mixed together to produce each oil pastel colour.

Unfortunately, these pastels are not currently available as open stock, which is a significant issue for a pliable medium like the oil pastel. The necessity of accessing additional colours is fundamental to the product's longevity. While large pastels are now available for purchase either as sets or individually, the standard sizes remain unavailable at this moment in time for individual sale.

Final thoughts

If you're new to oil pastels, starting with a set like this would be a good option. However, it's worth noting that they are creamier than most student-quality oil pastels, which you may find awkward at first. These oil pastels are perfect for creating impasto work because they are incredibly soft and creamy, with opaque colours that are ideal for this type of application. However, if you're going to create high-quality artwork for clients, we suggest using these in conjunction with artist-quality pastels. 

​At this price, they would make an excellent addition to your oil pastel collection, and it won't break the bank if using them to practice your techniques or create art to reproduce into prints.

---

Additional products available

Paul Rubens has expanded their product offerings since the initial publication of this article. Previously, we noted that they did not sell pastels individually; however, they now offer boxes of standard pastels, which include sets of eight pastels of a single colour (with 10 colours available out of a total of 72). Additionally, individual large oil pastels can now be purchased, as well as sets of 12 colours. While the availability of sets is beneficial for those who frequently use specific colours, such as white and black, it may be less practical for customers who only require one shade of green or blue, leaving the remaining pastels unused in a drawer. It would be advantageous if the company offered each colour for sale individually in both standard and large sizes.

---

About the Paul Rubens company

COMPANY HISTORY

• 2008 Paul Rubens art supply brand was established.
• 2008 Paul Rubens' 1st generation of artist-grade oil paints was successfully developed
• 2012 saw Paul Rubens' 1st generation of artist-grade watercolours successfully developed (launched in 2014)
• 2014 saw the 2nd generation of Paul Rubens artist-grade oil paints launched
• 2015 - 2016 Pearlescent solid watercolours were first launched and the 2nd generation of artist-grade watercolours were researched and developed, plus Paul Rubens' watercolour paper products, watercolour brushes, and watercolour auxiliary tools.
• 2016 - 2017, successfully developed the Paul Rubens star product, the artist-level 3rd generation "fresh new solid watercolour"

• 2018, the 3rd generation of Paul Rubens artist-level oil painting (blue packaging) was developed, and a series of alkyd resin products
• 2019, the Paul Rubens watercolour auxiliary material white ink was successfully launched
• 2020, Paul Rubens artist-grade oil painting colours (black packaging) launched
• 2021, the Paul Rubens oil pastel series officially launched
  
• 2022, Paul Rubens 4th generation of artist-level watercolour released
  

1. Who is Paul Rubens? Is he a real person?  Paul Rubens is just our brand name, not a pastel artist.
2. Where is the company based? We are based in China
3. Do you make your own products? The Paul Rubens company makes our own products. After several trials and visits to many artists, the founder of our brand went to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and other birthplace of oil painting, and finally established the brand Paul Rubens. 
4. Do they contain any animal products? No
5. Are there any beeswax in this product? No
6. Are they lightfast? Yes. Note the star ratings on each colour.
7. What other art products do you sell? Watercolours and brushes, Oil paints, Soft Pastels, Oil Pastels, Acrylic paints.
8. Do you have a website? Yes; ​Lightwish Art (lightswish.com)
9. Do you have a social media account? ​Instagram
10. Where can I buy your products?  Visit the Amazon store here > >
11. Where can I buy this set?  HAIYA oil pastels 48 set

DISCLAIMER:
It is worth noting that we do not receive a commission for any products sold through this review. In this particular case, we were fortunate enough to receive this set without charge. We are committed to providing an impartial review of the product, and our opinions are based solely on our own experiences and observations.