Sennelier Oil Pastel 12pc Set - Introductory Colours

Bring your artwork to life with the Sennelier Oil Pastel 12pc Set – Introductory Colours, a compact yet powerful collection of the world’s most renowned oil pastels. Originally created for Picasso, Sennelier oil pastels are celebrated for their rich, creamy texture, vibrant pigmentation, and unrivalled blendability.

This 12-piece set offers a perfectly balanced palette for sketching, layering, and expressive mark-making, ideal for artists exploring colour, texture, and light. Whether you’re creating bold abstracts, delicate portraits, or mixed media pieces, Sennelier’s buttery smooth formulation delivers outstanding coverage and a luxurious finish.

A wonderful gift idea for artists, this set comes neatly packaged and ready to inspire creativity all year round, from beginners discovering oil pastels to professionals who appreciate Sennelier’s legacy of excellence.

Colours included:
#1 White, #6 Pale Blue, #237 Ultramarine Blue, #203 Cobalt Blue, #19 Lemon Yellow, #220 Permanent Intense Red, #42 Emerald Green, #45 Green Medium, #26 Yellow Ochre, #200 Mandarin, #34 Burnt Umber, and #23 Black

To watch a product demonstration click here for a video from Sennelier.

Click here to see other Sennelier Pastel Sets.

Features:

• Use on pastel paper, gessoed boards, plates, glass and canvas

• Dimensions: each pastel 67 x 10 mm

• Professional-quality artist pastels made in France

• Highly pigmented and lightfast for lasting vibrancy

Why Artists Love Sennelier Oil Pastels:

• Originally developed in collaboration with Picasso

• Exceptional opacity and buttery consistency

• Intense, luminous colours that maintain brilliance over time

• Creamy, smooth texture for effortless blending

• Use on paper, card, canvas, wood, or metal surfaces

• Presented in a sturdy storage box – a perfect Christmas or birthday gift for artists

About the Brand

One morning, in April 1887, Gustave Sennelier takes the horse-drawn carriage along the banks of the Seine. Like every day, he passes in front of the shop, selling colour pigments, of Joseph Léon Prévost. He discovers a ‘for rent’ sign in front of the art store on the quai Voltaire. A deal is quickly agreed, and the transfer of the lease is endorsed in the Paris records.

Initially, Sennelier sold paints made by various manufacturers; later he chose to produce his own paints using local pigments and binders procured from his travels across Europe.

Anecdotally, it is believed that Sennelier gained prominence at this time. Art-supply shops were ubiquitous, and Cézanne, Gauguin, and many other artists would shop around in the neighbourhood, in search of specific shades of paint. If Gustave Sennelier didn't stock the colour, he would create it for his painters.

In 1949, Henri Sennelier, Gustave's son, created the first professional-quality oil pastel for Pablo Picasso. Picasso wanted colours he could use on any surface, without any special preparation. In addition to the Cézanne, Gauguin, and Picasso, Vincent van Gogh was also known to have used Sennelier oil paint.

Sennelier is one of just a few companies that still provides dry pigments for sale. While the vast majority of artists today simply buy ready-mixed paints, the range of dry pure pigments offered by the company is quite large, exceeding eighty colours. The artist can then mix the colours into the preferred medium, creating a range of possibilities.