Review: My Gallery Mungyo Artist Soft Oil Pastel set beats three Kuelox sets!

Introduction

I started this blog writing about my three different sets of Kuelox Soft Oil Pastels but I abandoned it after I tried Gallery Mungyo Artist Soft Oil Pastels. Whoops! But I just liked them so much more. So here's a review of my Gallery Mungyo set instead.

As a self-confessed watercolour queen, I never thought I’d fall in love with oil pastels at all. They are just so messy, and they are a bit too unpredictable at times (a bit like me, I guess), but there is just no substitute for that creamy texture.

After my delightfully messy fling with my Kuelox Soft Oil Pastels (where I bought box after box in an attempt to collect all the different colour palettes), I thought I’d reached my oil pastel peak, but then I came across the beautifully presented wooden box of 72 Gallery Mungyo Artist Soft Oil Pastels and I just had to try them too.

First Impressions

While some people might think soft pastels are for children, right out of the box, these pastels feel all grown up. The sticks are slim but sturdy and they are wrapped with smart paper sleeves that try their best to protect your hands from smudges. (But they don’t always achieve that goal). Compared to my Kuelox sets, the Gallery Mungyo colours look a touch more sophisticated, which immediately appealed to the children’s illustrator in me.

Sometimes you need a hint of muted sage or dusty mauve to set the right scene and although I was initially disappointed by the somewhat limited palette, I was really impressed by the pastels blending ability and how there really has been a lot of thought put into which colours to include.  The packaging also impressed me. The wood finish box is fancy, and functional. It’s perfect as an artist’s briefcase and the stylish finish just screams ‘Let’s get to work!’

Performance

Compared to my Kuelox sets, the Gallery Mungyos are less crumbly and have a much more buttery texture. (Imagine butter left out just long enough to spread on toast but not long enough to spread on bread). Each stick glides on smoothly and I think they hold their edge a bit better than Kuelox pastels, which meant I could be more precise with finer details (like drawing this puppy’s nose without accidentally recreating a smudgy firework display).

I think that blending colours was these pastels’s superpowers. Layering colours didn’t result in that slightly muddy chaos I sometimes got with Kuelox either. I found myself using my fingers less and relying on paper blenders more though, which kept things tidier but it is a bit of extra cost for each project so keep that in mind if you are thinking about using these for a project. They’d still smudge without the blenders, of course, but they feel a bit more obedient with them somehow and a drop or two of linseed oil made a huge difference to the overall finish.

Pros and Cons

Pros

- Smooth application with great control especially on edges

- Blends like a dream without getting muddy

- More pigment depth and subtlety in colour range

- Affordable but feels higher-end

Cons

- Still messy (though less so than my Kuelox soft pastels)

- Not labelled as lightfast (though many shades hold up really well)

- The sticks are a bit thin, so they wear down faster with large coverage

My Final Thoughts

I think my Gallery Mungyo Artist Soft Oil Pastels have officially nudged my Kuelox pastels out of the top spot in my pastel pile. They’ve just got that rare mix of vibrant colours and controllability that make them a bit easier to use. I think these are perfect for dreamy skies, textured animal fur, or soft landscapes. I think I’ll keep my Kuelox for playtime but use my Gallery Mungyo when its time to get a bit more serious.

Here is the link to my set of 72 Gallery Mungyo soft oil pastels: https://amzn.to/4aDVq4U

Please note: This is an affiliate link that provides a modest percentage of sales to support this blog.