I prefer to use Sennelier oil pastels, because of its  flexibility and smoothness. The consistency of sennelier  oil pastels is also highly appreciated for its softness and ease of application as well as the ability to inlay and collage materials directly to  it.

The History

Gustave Sennelier, a chemist by trade, thoroughly researched the history and usage of pigments to develop a distinctive process for manufacturing oil colors. The process involved the formulation of precise methods for mixing tones, and for controlling opacity and transparency.

He opened the doors of the Maison Sennelier at 3 Quai Voltaire in 1887, grinding his own pigments in the backyard. This Parisian landmark remains unchanged to this day, facing the Louvre on the Left Bank, just around the corner from the École des Beaux Arts.

The passing of over a century has seen artists with names like Cézanne, Gauguin, Monet, Bonnard, Soutine, Picasso, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Chagall, and Dali pass through its doors.

In 1949 Pablo Picasso asked Henri Sennelier to create a completely new medium that had qualities of oil paint and soft pastel in an easy to apply stick form.  Picasso told Henri "I want a colored pastel that I can paint on anything ...wood, paper, canvas or metal. without having to prepare or rime the surface".

This collaboration between the  Picasso and Sennelier gave birth to Sennelier Oil Pastels.