MARKART
MARKART Charcoal Pencils (10 Pieces)
Best for: Portraits, figure drawing and learning charcoal with control
Shop · 22 picks · Updated 2026
Best charcoal & pastels for 2026
Charcoal gives the deepest darks of any drawing medium and suits bold value studies and portraits. Pastels add color with the same hands-on blending. Both work best on paper with some tooth.
Our 22 charcoal & pastels picks
Charcoal pencils and sticks, white charcoal, oil pastels, soft pastels and pastel paper.
PANDAFLY
PANDAFLY Compressed Charcoal Sticks (12)
Best for: Bold value studies, gesture drawing and large drawings
PANDAFLY
PANDAFLY Willow Charcoal Sticks (25)
Best for: Life drawing, gesture sketches and blocking in large drawings
MARKART
MARKART White Charcoal Pencils (5)
Best for: Highlights on toned paper and dark-paper drawings
Faber-Castell
Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils (60)
Best for: Detailed pastel portraits and finishing work
Fantastory
Fantastory Chalk Pastels (72)
Best for: Beginners, kids' projects and colorful pastel experiments
Winsor & Newton
Winsor & Newton Vine Charcoal (12 Sticks)
Best for: Figure drawing, gesture sketches and blocking in a drawing before adding detail
Pacific Arc
Pacific Arc Compressed Charcoal (12)
Best for: Charcoal drawing where you need strong darks at a low price
COLOUR BLOCK
COLOUR BLOCK Soft Pastels (100)
Best for: Pastel painters who want a wide palette in a protective case
Brusarth
Brusarth White Charcoal Set (12 Pieces)
Best for: Drawing on toned paper where highlights make the image
Brusarth
Brusarth Charcoal Pencils (6)
Best for: Beginners trying charcoal with the control of a pencil
Somime
Somime Sanded Pastel Paper (12 Sheets)
Best for: Soft pastel and pastel pencil work with many layers
KALOUR
KALOUR Pastel Pencils (72)
Best for: Portrait and realism artists who want pastel detail on toned paper
Faber-Castell
Faber-Castell Pitt Compressed Charcoal (3)
Best for: Adding the darkest values to charcoal drawings
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Charcoal & Pastels buying guide
Vine, compressed or pencil charcoal
Vine and willow charcoal are light and easy to erase, so they suit early sketches and gesture drawing. Compressed charcoal is bound into dense sticks for the darkest blacks. Charcoal pencils give the most control and the least mess for detail.
Soft pastels or oil pastels
Soft pastels are nearly pure pigment. They blend like chalk and give rich, matte color but make dust. Oil pastels use an oil and wax binder, so they are creamy, bright and dust-free, but they never fully dry.
Paper with tooth
Charcoal and pastel need texture to grip. Toned pastel paper lets white charcoal and light pastel colors show as highlights. Sanded pastel paper holds the most layers without turning muddy.
Protecting finished work
Charcoal and soft pastel smudge easily. Spray finished drawings with a fixative and store them with glassine paper on top. Oil pastel work is best framed behind glass.
Frequently asked questions about charcoal and pastels
- What is the difference between willow and compressed charcoal?
- Willow charcoal is light and easy to lift. Compressed charcoal is denser and darker but harder to erase.
- Do I need fixative for charcoal and pastel?
- It helps. Charcoal and soft pastel smudge easily, and fixative protects finished pieces.
- What paper should I use for pastels?
- Pastel paper with texture, often toned, such as the Strathmore 400 Series pastel pad, or sanded paper for many layers.
- Are oil pastels good for beginners?
- Yes. They are bright, dust-free and forgiving, and a 24 to 50 color set is enough to start.
- How do I sharpen charcoal and pastel pencils?
- With a craft knife, then refine the point on sandpaper. Pencil sharpeners often snap the soft cores.
- What is white charcoal used for?
- Highlights on toned or dark paper. Together with black charcoal it gives a full value range.