"The Switch" Carb-Othello to Faber-Castell
We recently had a question asking why switch from using Carb-Othello Pastel Pencils to Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils? What's the difference?Well, we'll get into that, but first a bit of history..Back in the mid 80s (we'll take a stab at 1984), Colin was asked to draw a picture of a Dog. Having only done Watercolour and Pen & Ink work, this proved a bit tricky. Doing an animal portrait in these mediums just didn't seem to work. Colin had pretty much given up until he walked into a local art shop in Cliftonville (Lovelys - their still going strong!) and saw a selection of Carb-Othello Pastel Pencils sitting on the shelf. For some reason, Colin decided he get them and give it another go. Can you imagine if he hadn't bought those pencils?[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]
Fast-forward to the early 90s and another brand of Pastel Pencils were emerging, Faber-Castell. They approached Colin and as soon as he tried them, it was a match made in heaven. But why?Here's why, in Colin's opinion, Faber-Castell are a better product than Carb-Othello.
Pigmentation
Simply put, the pigmentation is stronger and brighter in the Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils. For example, with Soft Pastels, their pigmentation is super-high. They're so bright they jump out of the page!The Pastel has to be stronger in Pastel Pencils to well, make them into a Pencil. Therefore some of this pigmentation is lost. It's safe to say that there is less lost with Faber-Castell that Carb-Othello. If you put them on paper side by side, there is a noticeable difference.
Harder/Stronger
Another reason why Colin prefers Faber-Castell over Carb-Othello is the durability of the Pencil. There would be times with Carb-Othello pencils that the lead with crack, sometimes all the way up the pencil! Of course this didn't happen all the time but it can be quite frustrating!
With Faber-Castell, this simply doesn't happen, they're harder and therefore stronger.
Summary:
I'm sure you can understand from the reasons above why the move from one to the other was a good choice and if you see the work being done with Faber-Castell pencils, you can't argue that they're not a fantastic product.Carb-Othello or Faber-Castell. What's your choice?If you want to make the switch to Faber-Castell, check out the range of Pastel Pencils on Colin's Art Store.Have a question for Colin? Email colin@bradleygallery.co.uk. Subscribe to our podcast to get more free tips and advice.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]