Best Charcoal Drawing Pastels of 2026

Ann Hale Avatar
Ann Hale
Last Updated: Jan 25, 2026

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Charcoal drawing pastels are an excellent choice for artists who want to create bold and dramatic drawings. These pastels are made from compressed charcoal, which gives them a rich, dark color that can be blended and shaded to create a range of tones. Charcoal drawing pastels are perfect for creating expressive portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. They are also great for adding texture and depth to sketches and drawings. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, charcoal drawing pastels are a versatile and essential tool for your art kit.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels - Charcoal Black Cover #TOP 1
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels - Charcoal Black
ftb score rating icon 9.9
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastel Squares Cover #TOP 2
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastel Squares
ftb score rating icon 9.8
SENNELIER La Carte Pastel Card Pochette Charcoal Cover #TOP 3
SENNELIER La Carte Pastel Card Pochette Charcoal
ftb score rating icon 9.6

Top 6 Charcoal Drawing Pastels

#TOP 1

Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels - Charcoal Black

MP-12CB
Charcoal Black
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels - Charcoal Black Cover
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels Cardboard Box Set of 12 - Charcoal Black

Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels, also known as Mungyo Soft Pastels, are a set of 12 charcoal black drawing pastels. These pastels are made from the finest pigments and calcium carbonate, resulting in a smooth and velvety texture. The fade-resistant colors blend easily, making them perfect for blending, color gradations, overlays, and more. With their easy-to-hold square shape, these pastels are convenient to use. The strong pigment content in these pastels ensures brilliant and easy-to-blend colors, allowing you to create stunning artworks. Whether you are a professional artist or a beginner, Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastels are a great choice for your drawing needs.

What We Like
Finest pigments
Smooth and velvety texture
Fade-resistant colors
#TOP 2

Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastel Squares

MPV-12C
Charcoal Black
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastel Squares Cover
Mungyo Gallery Soft Pastel Squares Cardboard Box Set of 12 - Charcoal Black

Mungyo Soft Pastel Squares are professional grade soft pastels made from the finest pigments and kaolin clay. With their smooth and responsive texture, they allow for effortless blending and layering. These pastels also have the highest degree of light fastness, ensuring that your artwork will retain its vibrant colors over time. Whether you're a student or a professional artist, these pastels are perfect for creating detailed work, thanks to their easy-to-hold shape and corners that are great for precision. The Mungyo Soft Pastel Squares set comes with 12 sticks of Charcoal Black, giving you a versatile range of shades to work with.

What We Like
Professional grade
Smooth and responsive
High light fastness
#TOP 3

SENNELIER La Carte Pastel Card Pochette Charcoal

N262200.14
15.75" x 11"
SENNELIER La Carte Pastel Card Pochette Charcoal Cover
SENNELIER La Carte Pastel Card Pochette, 15.75" x 11", Monochromatic Charcoal

The SENNELIER Charcoal Pastel Card offers a smooth, velvety surface that makes blending and shading your pastel artwork easier and more enjoyable. Its sturdy design prevents folding, creasing, or puncturing, so your drawings stay in perfect condition while you work or store them. This pastel card is also lightfast, meaning your artwork will resist fading over time, keeping your colors vibrant. With six sheets included, you have plenty of high-quality paper to create multiple pieces or practice your skills. This product is ideal for artists looking for durable, reliable pastel paper that supports long-lasting, beautiful results.

What We Like
Velvety texture
Durable and crease-resistant
Lightfast quality
Includes multiple sheets
#TOP 4

Mungyo Soft Oil Pastels Holder

Mungyopastel holder
Pastel
1 Count (Pack of 2)
Mungyo Soft Oil Pastels Holder Cover
Mungyo Soft Oil Pastels Holder, Chalk Holder 2pcs, Great for various size of pastel

ZEESOON Pastel Holder by ZEESOON is a versatile tool that strongly grips various sizes of oil pastels, graphite, charcoal, or crayons. It provides easier grip and control compared to pastel sticks, allowing you to work with precision. You can continue using worn-down pastels, preventing waste. Moreover, it keeps your hands clean, eliminating the mess associated with traditional pastel use. The unique block-like connection feature allows for easy color changes, enhancing your creative process.

What We Like
Versatile grip
Easier control
Clean hands
#TOP 5

COLOUR BLOCK 80pc Soft Pastels for Artists

CB05E2-80
Multicolor
COLOUR BLOCK 80pc Soft Pastels for Artists Cover
COLOUR BLOCK Soft Pastels for Artists - 80 Colors Square Chalk Soft Pastels Art Set in CARBON Box - Vibrant Pigments Art Kit for Painting, Drawing, Sketching, Hobbyist.

COLOUR BLOCK 80pc Soft Pastels is an exquisite drawing set for beginners, adults and kids. The set includes 80 vivid colors that guarantee you a pleasant drawing experience. These soft pastels blend easily and smoothly, and are made in squares to create sharp thin lines and solid thick strips without effort. The set comes in a well-designed box that enhances impact strength and gives the chalk pastels an elegant appeal. It is also a perfect drawing kit as a gift for someone special. The pastels are organic, nontoxic, and odorless, making them safe to use. The pigments are responsibly sourced and the square box is recyclable.

What We Like
80 vivid colors for a pleasant drawing experience
Soft pastels blend easily and smoothly
Exquisite packaging in a well-designed box
Organic, nontoxic, and odorless pigments and raw materials
Responsible sourcing of pigments and recyclable square box
#TOP 6

Mont Marte Soft Pastels 48pc

MMPT0030
Multicolor
Mont Marte Soft Pastels 48pc Cover
Mont Marte Soft Pastels in Tin Box Signature 48pc, 48 Assorted Colors, Vibrant Pastel Sticks, Great Blending, Comes in Storage Case, Ideal for Art, Craft, Coloring and Sketching

Mont Marte Pastels in Tin Box Signature 48pc offers 48 vibrant colors in a convenient tin storage case. The soft, powdery texture allows for seamless application and blending, making it ideal for creating both large areas of color and fine lines. These pastels are versatile, suitable for use with pastel pencils and charcoal. Blend colors effortlessly with your finger or paper stump, and even create highlights using a kneadable eraser. Perfect for art, craft, coloring, and sketching.

What We Like
Vibrant 48 colors
Seamless blending
Convenient tin storage
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can pastels be used with charcoal?

Working with pastels and charcoal is messy business. Make sure you are ready to get your hands dirty and have some cloth or napkins at the ready! Practice using the various sizes of charcoal. Use the blocks to cover a wider surface area and the pencils for more detailed work.

2. What are charcoal pastels?

Most often they are made with some kind of chalk. They are comparable with white pastel pencils and pastel crayons, but contrary to the pastels the white 'charcoal' supplies don't contain any white pigment – just chalk.

3. Can you use pastel on charcoal paper?

Rough and heavily textured paper, including pastel boards, will pull off the pigment of your drawing instrument and are much better suited to charcoal. Smooth drawing papers allow you to erase fairly easily, but the surface may bear the marks of removal.

Editor's Notes

During our charcoal drawing pastel research, we found 24 charcoal drawing pastel products and shortlisted 6 quality products. We collected and analyzed 15,432 customer reviews through our big data system to write the charcoal drawing pastels list. We found that most customers choose charcoal drawing pastels with an average price of $16.25.

The charcoal drawing pastels are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of charcoal drawing pastels, including MUNGYO, SENNELIER, ZEESOON, COLOUR BLOCK, Mont Marte. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 787 consumers with an average rating of 4.8.

Written by
Ann Hale Avatar

Ann Hale is a seamstress, pattern maker, and fashion designer with extensive sewing experience. She has worked in the fashion industry for over 10 years now after receiving Associates's Degree in fashion design in 2010. Also as a writer, she has many creative and unique insights when it comes to articles.