Prismacolor NuPastels
Prismacolor Premier NuPastels® feature rich, creamy pigments that allow for easy blending and shading. Perfect for creating illustrations or drawings, these pastels can be sharpened to a fine point for detailed work or dulled for full coverage. These pastels can be used wet or dry for varying effects.
Prismacolor.com
Colours Available: 96
Sets Available: Open stock (Individually) In a box 12, 24, 36, 48 & 96 Costs: RRP £1.57 Each (Ave)Product features:
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Nu pastels are classed as Hard Pastels. Hard pastels are made from powdered pigment, the same ingredients as soft pastels, but will usually contain more binder and less pigment. This means the colours are more muted than a soft pastel range such as Unison. They are ideal for creating initial sketches and useful for applying finer detail. They create less dust and do not break as easy as the softer brands.
The Colour Chart
As far as I can see, pastels do not have an official lightfast grading (ASTM) I have seen discussions online for future plans, but as there are no requirements at the moment, it is unlikely the NuPastels were created to be 100% lightfast. Like many mediums, there are certain colours that will fade much faster. The worst culprits tend to be the pinks, purples, oranges and some blues. The most reliable colours tend to be the greys, white, black and browns, along with many of the earthy greens too. An artist called Rick Petersen, has created his own unscientific, lightfast chart which you can view HERE. This may help you decide which colours to avoid if creating works that will be hung. If you are creating pastel art for print purposes only, lightfastness is not important.
Below is a home made chart of every colour available in the NuPastel range (96 colours) Usually I would include lightfast ratings, but as already discussed, none are available.
Below is a home made chart of every colour available in the NuPastel range (96 colours) Usually I would include lightfast ratings, but as already discussed, none are available.
Student or artist grade pastels?
It is highly likely that the NuPastels are a student grade pastel. Student grade pastels are also pigment & binder but some pigments are man made rather than from natural sources to keep costs low. This can affect lightfastness. Prismacolor offers such little information on these pastels, it is difficult to know for sure if any (or all) of their pigments are man made without contacting the company direct. You can always protect your pastel portrait from premature fading by fitting UV or museum quality glass into your frame. More expensive, but worth it in the long run.