Pentel PHN Oil Pastels - 50 Colours Including Metallic and Neon

In this review the Pentel PHN Oil Pastels pack is judged as a versatile, classroom-friendly set for artists who want a wide, ready-to-use palette. The biggest reason to buy is the combination of 38 vivid standard colours plus metallic and neon options, which gives immediate variety for mixed media work. The pastels have a soft, velvety feel that makes layering and blending simple, and the included paper cuffs help keep hands cleaner during longer sessions, so they suit both hobbyists and more practised illustrators.

Key Features

• Colour range: Fifty colours including 38 brilliant tones, 6 metallics and 6 neons let artists access a broad spectrum without buying separate sets.
• Texture and blending: A soft, velvety consistency makes application smooth and allows easy blending with a finger for gradients and smudged effects.
• Clean handling: Each stick has a paper cuff to reduce direct contact and keep hands cleaner during extended use.
• Durability and versatility: The pastels are lightfast and waterproof once set, which helps finished pieces remain stable under display conditions.
• Solvent compatibility: These oil pastels are soluble with turpentine, so they work well for mixed techniques with solvent blending or underpainting.
• Surface adaptability: They perform well on paper and can also be used on cardboard, canvas and over watercolour, acrylic or oil layers for mixed-media effects.

Who It's For

The Pentel PHN Oil Pastels suit art students, classroom settings and hobby painters who want a comprehensive, ready-to-use selection of colours for drawing, shading and basic mixed-media experiments. The pack is particularly useful for projects that benefit from metallic highlights or neon accents without purchasing specialty sticks separately.

Those who need artist-grade pigments for archival museum work or large-scale professional oil-pastel paintings should look for single sticks with certified pigment data and artist-level permanence information. This set is strongest as an all-purpose, flexible kit rather than a specialist archival system.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Vibrant, high-coverage colours that customers note as consistently good in quality.
• Soft, blendable consistency makes layering and smudging straightforward for shading and effects.
• Includes metallic and neon options for creative highlights without extra purchases.
• Paper cuffs help keep hands cleaner during use.

Cons

• Not positioned as a specialist archival-grade artist line, so professionals seeking detailed permanence data may prefer dedicated artist pastels.
• Solvent use requires care and proper ventilation due to turpentine compatibility.

Specifications

Our Verdict

The Pentel PHN Oil Pastels pack is a strong value for students, hobbyists and mixed-media artists who need an immediate, varied palette with both metallic and neon accents. Its smooth blending, clean handling and solvent compatibility make it adaptable for classroom projects and personal artwork, while professionals requiring full archival assurance may seek more technical pigment data elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these safe to use with solvents?
Yes, the pastels are soluble with turpentine for blending, but solvents should be used with good ventilation and appropriate safety precautions.

Can they be used on canvas?
Yes, they work on paper, cardboard and canvas and can be layered over watercolour, acrylic or oil underpainting for mixed-media effects.

Do the colours stay vibrant?
Customers report vibrant, high-coverage colours and the product is described as lightfast once set, helping retain colour over time.