Since its introduction in 2007, PanPastel Artist Pastels has inspired the pastel world with its pan format and sponge applicators, allowing for smooth, even applications, soft fades and gradients. It combines the visual power of pure pigments with the mixability of fluid paints and can be used with almost any other drawing or painting material making it an essential tool for pastel and mixed media artists. And now it’s even better. We are excited to announce 53 new PanPastel colors to increase the offering by nearly 50%! The last addition to the color line was over a decade ago, making this update a significant milestone for the brand. We have been working on this color expansion since GOLDEN’s acquisition of PanPastel in 2022, as we have heard from artists that more colors are needed. The new colors are expected to inspire both longtime users and newcomers, further solidifying PanPastel’s place as a critical tool for artists today.
The color expansion was driven by feedback from PanPastel’s Signature Artists and the wider artist community. Our Materials and Applications Specialist Team, GOLDEN Lab and Marketing Department worked together to identify missing hues and ensure the new colors integrated well across the entire palette. During this process, we creating over 900 trials to ensure a high-quality product with good pay off, low dust and just the right value and hue. These 53 colors include previously missing hues like Primary Yellow, Primary Magenta, Crimson, Teal, Raw Sienna, and Burnt Umber, along with shades, middle tones, light values, and tints. Up to this point, many colors had a large gap between the masstone and tint, so we’re introducing a “medium” and “light” for a number of colors to fill that space within the gradient. Also, as part of this launch, we have reworked our sets. Our Signature Artists received samples of the new colors and incorporated them into their Signature Sets where appropriate, to improve upon their already well-balanced selections. We have also updated packaging design to enhance user experience by making it easier for artists to navigate the color set contents. HERE is a link to our updated PanPastel Sets.
As part of the integration of PanPastel into the GOLDEN family, we have updated and relaunched the PanPastel website under our GoldenArtistColors.com home page. Each color in the palette has been swatched out similarly to our other color lines, except with PanPastel we used GOLDEN Absorbent Ground to prepare the surface, which allows for dense application and a soft transition, allowing the white of the ground to show through the veil of color. Check out the new website and color palette HERE.
When selecting the new colors, we decided to discontinue three existing colors —Diarylide Yellow Extra Dark, Phthalo Green Extra Dark, and Chromium Oxide Green Extra Dark. This made room for the highly requested new hues and decluttered those color spaces. To achieve a similar color to these discontinued “extra darks”, simply blend black into the “shade” from each of these color families.
We hope you like working with PanPastel. Please share your work @goldenpaints and @panpastel. Get in touch if you have any questions by emailing [email protected] or calling 800-959-6543 / 607-847-6154. Enjoy!
Here are some images of our team selecting these new colors!
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