Comparison Between Pan Pastels, Jane Davenport Palette Pastels and Eye Shadow

Hi friends, Have you ever wondered how these similar supplies compare? Well so did I am today I put them to the test side by side and the results were pretty surprising!

Each media will present advantages and disadvantages depending on what your needs are and what you want to paint but coverage and application wise they all preformed about the same!

Let’s look at each product on its own

.
Pan Pastels

Pros:

• Large pans of color
• Brightest pure (saturated) colors available
• Pigment numb
• rs listed on pans
• Lightfast
• 94 colors available (including metallics and mediums) and each color can be purchased individually
• You can mix colors on the sponge before bringing it to your paper

Cons:

• Price: Each color costs $5-$7 each open stock, less per pans in sets
• They take up a lot of space on your table

Jane Davenport Palette Pastels

Pros:

• Come in 18 color sets for $20 (often on sale and can be purchased with a coupon at Micheal’s)
• The colors fall between the painting and tint sets of pan pastels and can be used with them to expand the range.
• There are 4 sets available and they all lock together saving space on your work table.
• Best for portrait work due to color assortment.

Cons:

• No open stock option so if you use a color you need a new set to replace it.
• Small pans could be used up quickly if you really like them.
• Colors are not as saturated as pan pastels so getting deep darks may be difficult if only using these pastels. I think given the size of the palette and the color range these would be best as a final layer over another medium like acrylic, gouache or watercolor.
• No lightfast or pigment info so I wouldn’t trust them for work to sell

Cheap Eyeshadow

Pros:

• Cheapest, I found a 120 color assortment of brights, pastels and neutrals for $12 on Amazon (the set I used was an ELF set for Target I paid $14 for years ago)
• Coverage was similar to JD pastels and pan pastels so you can see if you like it before investing in the pricier options
• Compact, takes up less space on your table

Cons:

• Tiny pans that will use up quickly and no open stock option
• No lightfast or pigment info so I wouldn’t trust them for work to sell

 

Bottom Line: My advice is to try out one of the cheaper options with the Pan Pastel applicators to see if you like them and then proceed with pan pastels if you find you need more media. The 20 color sets (or 80 color set if you can swing it ) is the lowest price per pan option if you find you like it. They are a wonderful mess free option to stick pastels.

I hope you found this useful and til next time happy crafting!