Earthberry Pastels
Earthberry Pastels
I am absolutely thrilled to bring this review to you guys, today we are going to be taking an in-depth look at Earthberry Pastels, but as I alluded to in the social media post I submitted a week or so back, we will also be taking a look at the company’s refreshing ethical stance into pastel making.
I don’t often take a look into the analytics of this website or the Art Gear Guide YouTube channel, but I was wondering on this occasion, as to what percentage of viewers are colored pencil artists, marker artists, pastel artists, watercolour artists etc. Unfortunately the analytics don’t provide this type of break down, perhaps something to look at for the future, nevertheless it’s an interesting observation.
Earthberry The Company
When I first reached out to Earthberry, it was after receiving a few messages etc on social media and email, asking if I had reviewed the Earthberry pastels or if I was going to be doing so, soon. I have to admit, at the time I was ashamed to say I had not heard of Earthberry and so I reached out to them.
It wasn’t long before I found myself falling in love with Earthberry the company; this is not something I regularly do. I always maintain full respect for every company I review a product from, unless there is specific reason to think otherwise and this has never been the case for me thus far. However, after communicating with Earthberry, it was very clear to me that as a family run business, so many of their ethics aligned with me personally and the art community.
I know not everyone cares about the environment or sustainability and that is okay with, I wish everyone would, but I would never force the issue on others. After growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland as a child in the 70s, I seen at first hand the hate and division that manifests from trying to force certain issues on others, All we can do is hope that they do align.
Regardless, listening to Earthberry, it was so clear that sustainability and environmental issues lay at the heart of the company. As I mentioned, Earthberry is a family run business, the Mother, a lady called Galina, who’s pronunciation I probably butchered in my YouTube video review, she spent 30 plus years in the world of Chemistry.
But like so many of us, whilst working through the day, our passions for art shown through in our spare time and this was no different for Galina. Galina was a pastel artist and after years of searching and testing, she just couldn’t find the right pastels for her, so, given her professional background, she thought she would create her own pastels; and that is exactly what she did.
After a lot of trial and error, from this point on, the rest of the family became involved in Galinas pursuit for the perfect pastel, which collectively breathed life into Earthberry Pastels. Safety is always of huge importance to Earthberry and the selection of non-hazardous and non-toxic pigments has been a huge consideration.
Earthberry Grand Canyon 30 Set Of Pastels
I was fortunate enough to have been sent their Grand Canyon set of pastels and after chatting with the company and understanding their mission statement to their customers, I was so excited waiting for the pastels to arrive. It’s also important to note, that each pastel is hand made, another trait of a company that really has invested so much into the quality of their pastels.
Further in the review I will highlight the other sets available in the Earthberry range with links back to the respective sets. I would also like to highlight at this stage of the review, that Earthberry have provided a 10% discount promo code for all of The Art Gear Guide viewers and readers, on selecting the set you would like to purchase, when paying there is an option to add a promotion code, just add, H A R R Y 1 0 A R T this will reduce 10% from the price and the promotion is valid until February the 28th 2025.
Promo Code
H A R R Y 1 0 A R T
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Expires Feb 28th 2025
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Promo Code H A R R Y 1 0 A R T - Expires Feb 28th 2025 -
You can see from the packaging, that it is simplistic aesthetically speaking, a simple, recycled, cardboard box with a white cardboard sleeve, displaying the company name, along with the set name and a clear display of the colors provided within the set. Although the swatch is computer generated, I love how it just looks like someone has literally swatched all 30 colors on the front.
On removing the sleeve and opening the box, you are presented with a fibrous protection over the pastels. Ordinarily pastels come in sets protected by foam, but with Earthberry, they have sustained the fibres from the Coconut shell and this has been substituted for the foam. Not only does this protect the pastels in transit, but it is also is biodegradable and much better for the enviornment.
I have head from other artists that use the Earthberry pastels, mention that every time they remove the pastels from the protection, there is a small dusting of coconut fibres, which of course there is. This is very minimal and in the pursuit of protecting the environment, I think we can all get along with a few stray fibres.
On the inside of the box there is a sheet of paper where you can actually create your own swatch, however, off the opposite side of this sheet, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen included in any art supply. Each pastel color has been named after a plant and on the sheet, there is an image of the plant, along with the latin name for the plant and the pigment corresponding to that plant.
But it doesn’t stop there, all of the information you are going to need to know about the individual pastels in your set, is printed on that sheet of paper, information such as lightfast information, the color name and an indication of whether or not the pastel in question is part of the new Chameleon type of pastel.
Certain pastels in the sets are labeled as Chameleon, essentially signifying that, the indicated pastel, once applied to paper and rubbed, will slightly change tone. I have unforntately been unable to demonstrate this on my YouTube video review, as the camera just doesn’t seem to capture the effect. However, in real life, you can clearly see the subtle change in tone which is an incredibly unique technique. I know that know all artists will use this feature in the pastel, but there are those how will use this to amazing effect.
Earthberry Sets Available
The sets that I have listed below are the sets that are available on the Earthberry website at the time of writing this review. The reason I mention this is because the set I received “Grand Canyon” is not available but this is most likely down to demand.
Currently there are six 30 sets of pastels and if you click on the image of the set you like, it will take you directly back to the Earthberry website.
During the Christmas period, the 30 sets of Earthberry pastels have been selling for $150 but they originally sell for $195, this price range is approximately the same as similar type quality pastels in the market. For the smaller sets of 6 they cost $40 over the Christmas Period, originally $50, which is a fantastic place to try the pastels on a smaller scale to see if they are for you.
Don’t forget, using the Promo Code H A R R Y 1 0 A R T you will get %10 of your order.
Earthberry Lightfast Information
Given that the Earthberry Pastels are artist quality, they have provided all the lightfast information for each individual pastel in which ever set you prefer. Lightfast is rater out of 3 Stars with 3 Stars being the highest lightfast rating and 1 star the least lightfast.
In the Grand Canyon set of 30 pastels that I was sent. 23 pastels are rated 3 Stars and only 7 pastels are rated 2 Stars. This is a fantastic ratio when it comes to lightfastness and when you consider the pricing for the sets, I think you will agree that they are value for money.
Earthberry Pastel Performance
Obviously I can only talk about the 30 pastels that I was sent in the Grand Canyon set. As soon as I received the Earthberry Pastels I was so excited to get started testing them and to be honest with you I was blown away with their quality.
I used a white pad of Clairefontaine Pastelmat for the swatch and as you can see from the image provided, the pigments in each and everyone of the pastels tested are just staggeringly beautiful, rich and vibrant. Applying each pastel to the Pastelmat was simply effortless, I have struggled to find alternative language to describe the same performance levels and levels of joy from me using them.
Initially, the weight of the pastel touching the Pastelmat surface was more than enough to apply a layer, however, I applied a slightly heavier application and was thrilled with the pigment levels. Not one of the pastels in the Grand Canyon set I was send displayed any gritty texture, every one of them applied like butter.
I then went on to perform some artwork using the pastels, for this I used the same white Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper and as you can see I performed a still life drawing from an image I found on Pinterest. I tried to pin point the original artist but there was so many version of the same image otherwise I would have linked back to the original. If anyone knows the original artist can you please let me know so I can credit them. I did change the image and add my own colors etc so my painting does look slightly different, regardless I still want to link the original artist.
Unfortunately I was really unhappy with the first piece of art, absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the pastels, this was my own mental art block, I just couldn’t seem to achieve artwork that I felt represented the amazing quality of the Earthberry Pastels. So I completed another painting, which although I preferred to the first, I still wasn’t thrilled with the out come.
Both piece did however provide me with an excellent perception of the Earthberry Pastel quality and I loved using them. Given their brick shape, they provide the artist with a large surface area to fill in larger areas, whilst at the same time providing detailed work with the edges.
Many pastel artists use soft pastels for the larger areas and then will use harder rectangle pastels to provide details, but with the Earthberry, I was able to achieve both forms of pastel work with the Earthberry pastels.
Earthberry Pastel Conclusion
I absolutely loved using the Earthberry pastels and as soon as I started testing them, I just loved them. Also the company ethics go a long way in aiding this love affaire with the pastels. I know some artists are only interested in the quality of the product and I appreciate and respect that, I however like to know a little bit about the company, I think it can sometimes help grow a love for the product.
Artist quality pastels are always quite expensive, but what you have to take into consideration is that, you are basically using raw pigment, with a little bit of binder. When you look at a pastel block of cylinder, you may think there is not much there, but because of the pure pigment nature of the medium, it will last for quite a while. If you are brand new to pastels and looking to get started, I wouldn’t start with a high quality pastel such as the Earthberry, try a student quality pastel first to see if you enjoy the medium, and it can be quite messy, which some artists hate. I personally don’t mind the mess or the texture at all.
I have also provided a YouTube video review that you can watch, as well as a speed drawing video on my YouTube channel of both pieces displayed in this review. Some people enjoy the speed drawings of the artwork coming to life. Alternatively you can check out the still images of the artwork by following the links.
I’d love to know your thoughts on the Earthberry Pastels if you have used them, what do you think of them? have you enjoyed using them? or let me know if they are a pastel on your radar to buy and how you found out about them if not here on The Art Gear Guide.
