Schmincke pastels have a buttery softness that helps bring a painting to the finishing line! And the colors are lightfast and as pure as you can get.

The actual (in-person) color of this pastel is exactly the same as the color on the screen! I wanted only this one pastel, and I got it from you! Wonderful! I’m pleased with my own eyesight, my selection, and with your color representation!

The quality and feel of Schminke pastels is unquestioned, and I really like these additions to my selection of blues. I also want to commend the way that Dakota packed them, very securely and with a lot of care, taking the extra step of grouping them by hue and placing them so the individual color labels were clearly visible. It really makes a difference, and it is this kind of service that makes Dakota very special.

I use these to finish the highlights. Extra creamy, brilliant colors

Your care with packaging is truly appteciated.

I love these pastels. They are rich in pigment and layer nicely over other pastels.

I bought 5 full sticks. It’s the first time using the Schminke brand of pastel for me. I have heard very good things about them from well known professional pastelists. If you’re looking for a very soft pastel, this brand has you covered. Buttery soft, rich bold pigment, and easy to use. They take care in packaging the pastels also. Cushioned inside of a foam-lined box then bubble wrapped, no breakage….until I accidentally drop one on the floor or break it intentionally! I will purchase these again.

Thank you so much for choosing my rooster, Casanova, for an award, which is why I ordered the Schmincke pastels. They are exactly what I wanted. They arrived very quickly and were in perfect condition.

This product is very soft so I pick larger areas to work with it. Still learning about the different pastels. It seems to be of nice quality.

I recently ordered several individual Schmincke soft pastels to help fill gaps in my color selection. They were beautifully packaged and arrived quickly. Dakota Pastels' website is well-designed such that was easy to see the colors and choose the ones I needed. I'll definitely order again.

I just wanted to see what all the hype was about. Everyone seems to rave about the Schmincke brand. I love their large range of colors. I’ve used them a little but not enough to say they are a got to for me yet. But they are nice soft….but not as creamy as the Blue Earth.

My main go to pastels. Could have a greater range of light values.

I have read about these pastels for over 30 years but have never held one. I wasn’t able to hold out any longer and purchased a few sticks to replenish some other brands...all I have heard is true! These pastels are a pure pleasure to use, the softness, the intensity of color, the uniformity of texture, it’s all there-every testimony I have read or heard has been verified.

Every color of Schmincke pastels I have tried is creamy and rich. These pastels are really outstanding and a pleasure to work with.

Love schmincke!

I have a few Schminke already, but not a lot. These pinks were exactly what I needed for a specific painting. Their quality is good, soft enough for what I do, and a good price. I need to look into Schminke more often.

I bought several Schmincke pastels and I am very pleased with the quality of the product and with the entire online shopping experience with Dakota. I am just getting back into pastels but remembered that I liked Schmincke. I was not familiar with Dakota but decided to give them a try, and was glad that I did. The color charts on their website seem pretty accurate, the pastels were beautifully packed - no breakage, and everything shipped quickly.

These are wonderful soft pastels. They make laying easy because a light touch will lay down color without smudging the layer of pastel underneath. Love them.

Great

I have used Schmincke pastels for many years. They are excellent. The are soft pastels but they hold their shape when drawing, much like Unison pastels. I work mostly figurative so I pretty much know the palette I need for the figure. I prefer buying individual sticks, rather than sets. The sets usually do not have everything I need. I highly recommend Schmincke to any artist who is thinking about working in pastel. Really excellent brand.

My go to pastels. Soft. Reasonable range of color but could have more lighter colors. Goof numbering system.

Schminke a pastels are superb colorfast pastels with wonderful softness. They have a huge selection of colors. I love using them for building clouds and also for final highlights.

These pastels are wonderfully soft, and provide the spice to highlight a painting.

Schminckes are my favorite and so is Dakota Pastels!

I bought the lemon yellow for a workshop. I had never tried Schminke pastels before. It applies so smoothly and is a beautiful subtle light yellow hue that the workshop artist recommended for snow paintings. If needed, I would definitely try Schminke again. Thank you!

I love the buttery softness of Schmincke pastels. They are wonderful for adding finishing touches to a painting.

Always confident when buying Schmincke pastels, soft/buttery and long lasting.

Lady couldn’t have been nicer. Like my neighbor. Thank you so much!😎✨☺️

Creamy and beautiful pastel!

I got an award of 18 Schminke pastels and was delighted to find that, in unwrapping their paper label, I did not find a single break or divot or irregularity in any of them, top to bottom. I have brands I will not use anymore (eg. Sennelier) which have broken and fell as I unwrapped, leaving me with almost nothing to use in a +$4 stick! Schminckes are the opposite - I have ordered many Individuals now and never have had a stick break on me by accident. They are the frosting on the cake of my paintings and I love them even for softly applied glazes!

The quality of pastel is very good. The delivery very timely. I have some difficulty getting the colors I want especially the very dark tones. May have the wrong maker.

I was unable to find a source in the US to order individual pastel sticks. So happy that Dakota does that! The ordering process was clear and simple. Thank you!

Arrived promptly in good shape. I love these creamy pastel sticks!

Unfortunately these pastels are so soft that one of them fell apart when I carefully took the paper off and the other I ordered broke in pieces. Love the colors but wish there was a little more binder in them.