Phoenix Dry Pastels for Drawing and Shading
Dry pastel is pigment pressed into a stick with a small amount of binder. On paper, it behaves like chalk: you can draw lines or cover areas, then blend it with your finger to create a soft transition. This makes it popular for landscapes, portraits and studies of light.
What’s in the set
The Phoenix set comes in two sizes: 12 and 24 sticks. The larger set (No. CM24SP) has two rows of 12: the top row contains white, yellows, oranges, reds, browns and pink; the bottom row contains greens, blues, purple, greys and black. The sticks have a square cross-section, so you can draw with both the edge and the side.
- Lines and details: edge of the stick
- Areas and backgrounds: side of the stick
- Transitions: finger, paper blending stump, sponge
Paper and fixative
Pastel does not adhere well to smooth paper. You need paper with a grain that holds the pigment, ideally tinted. Fix your finished drawing with fixative to help prevent smudging. Find more pastels in the dry pastels collection, and other products from this brand in the Phoenix collection.

