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  • #989384
    SherryC
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        Good news. Roche is making half sticks in a limited number of sets. The Fine Art Store carries three sets of three and one 12 piece set. The 3 piece sets cost $ 29 and the 12 piece set is $99. I had a balance with PayPal so I ordered some. I have always wanted to try them but they are so darn expensive.

        Sherry

        "beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament" Ralph Waldo Emerson

        #1156197
        nkoconnell
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            Hi, Sherry. I believe you saw my post about “The Tastiest Pastel Sampler” before it disappeared… my experience is that the one half-stick that I received is very dusty and crumbly, but perhaps they have different textures depending on pigment. Can’t wait to see how you like them.

            [FONT=Century Gothic]Nancy O'C

            #1156201
            SherryC
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                I did see that and was quite conflicted about trying them. I probably never would have if I had not found the half sticks. I will let you know what I think about them…if I can get up the courage to actually spread them on a paper:eek:

                Sherry

                "beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament" Ralph Waldo Emerson

                #1156173
                Lynndidj
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                    Sherry – I bought some at IAPS and have STILL not incorporated them into my box. I haven’t even tried them, other than at the booth at IAPS. They are a really nice pastel.

                    Lynn

                    #1156085
                    johndill01
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                        I also purchased a 3 pack of the half sticks at IAPS. They are so vibrant in their colors that it is hard to incorporate into my style of mixing dust. (Hesitate to call it painting :-) ). Still looking for someplace to use them, but do like the way they go on the paper.

                        John

                        #1156101
                        robertsloan2
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                            Sherry, that is so great. I might be able to get some sooner than I hoped. Always wanted to try them. So far anytime I spend more on art supplies they turn out to be cost effective. Super bright? I love using super brights, will have to see how they handle someday. Very glad they’re in half sticks now.

                            A bit odd the way they did the sets though. I like the three piece Landscape set colors, that would be intriguing as long as I bought a white stick to go with it. The 12 color set is blues and violets, not a complete range – really wish they’d done that a little differently. Or had several of them, like a warms set to go with that so you could spend the same as a 12 color set and have 24 spectrum colors.

                            I might still go for the Brights set someday with a white stick or just test them on the three color Landscape sampler first. If I like them, then I could make them pay for themselves. If I don’t, then $29 for three little half sticks isn’t as big a test expense.


                            Robert A. Sloan, proud member of the Oil Pastel Society
                            Site owner, artist and writer of http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com
                            blogs: Rob's Art Lessons and Rob's Daily Painting

                            #1156185
                            sketchZ1ol
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                                hello
                                the legend comes to ground … :)

                                i dunno tho .
                                at that price ,
                                i’d expect them to brush my teeth
                                fix my car
                                and give me a massage :lol:

                                > look forward to any threads/posts using them ! :)

                                Ed :}

                                a different world cannot be made with indifference

                                #1156073
                                chewie
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                                    i’m with you ed! unless they made my work sell so fast I could raise prices to master-level, I think i’ll pass. terry ludwigs and townsends are my current fav’s and can’t see how paying that much more will get me ahead. would be fun to sample tho., but not yet I guess.


                                    [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]A rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
                                    --- "Interview with God" (author unknown)
                                    ]

                                    #1156186
                                    sketchZ1ol
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                                        hello
                                        chewie – ah well , they are French :)

                                        from what i’ve found on the net so far ,
                                        the formulations/mixes went well above 1000
                                        back in the day ,
                                        > perhaps cottage industry vs mass production these days ,
                                        and like cuisine ,
                                        gotta have reliable sources .

                                        ah , life :)

                                        Ed :}

                                        a different world cannot be made with indifference

                                        #1156202
                                        SherryC
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                                            Make no mistake. If this were more than a hobby to keep my brain functioning, I would not even consider spending this amount of money on a stick of pigment. This is purely an overwhelming curiosity being satisfied. Sort of like a bass boat for a guy. :D Or the three rounds of golf my hubby plays every week. Not cheap either. :eek:

                                            Sherry

                                            "beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament" Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                            #1156203
                                            SherryC
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                                                Make no mistake. If this were more than a hobby to keep my brain functioning, I would not even consider spending this amount of money on a stick of pigment. This is purely an overwhelming curiosity being satisfied. Sort of like a bass boat for a guy. :D Or the three rounds of golf my hubby plays every week. Not cheap either. :eek:

                                                Sherry

                                                "beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament" Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                                #1156162
                                                Barbara WC
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                                                    Sherry-

                                                    Please review your sticks when you get them! They look so beautiful in photos, but I’ll probably never own any! But I’m always curious, and love to read art product reviews!

                                                    I read somewhere that they are a firmer pastel with a bit of grit- will be curious what you think.

                                                    Have fun with the new purchase! Collecting art supplies is addictive and can be expensive, but who cares, they bring such joy, and keep us out of trouble :) I’d probably be spending money on therapy if I didn’t get to add to my collection regularly :lol:

                                                    #1156204
                                                    SherryC
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                                                        Lynn, why have you not played with them?

                                                        Sherry – I bought some at IAPS and have STILL not incorporated them into my box. I haven’t even tried them, other than at the booth at IAPS. They are a really nice pastel.

                                                        Lynn

                                                        Sherry

                                                        "beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament" Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                                        #1156102
                                                        robertsloan2
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                                                            Make no mistake. If this were more than a hobby to keep my brain functioning, I would not even consider spending this amount of money on a stick of pigment. This is purely an overwhelming curiosity being satisfied. Sort of like a bass boat for a guy. :D Or the three rounds of golf my hubby plays every week. Not cheap either. :eek:

                                                            Sherry – you make a good point about that. They’re so expensive they are definitely a luxury item – unless by using them I can kick the quality of my paintings up.

                                                            In a direct venue like street artist program though, being able to mention “These are fifteen dollars a stick” does assure my buyers that they’re getting top quality materials used in the piece they just bought. It can also be a similar point to use gold leaf somewhere in the painting and let the clients know this is genuine gold leaf. The painting is a luxury item too. Sumptuous materials aren’t necessarily a drawback in a luxury item.

                                                            I think they’d pay for themselves but that’s just me… and the Ludwigs, Unisons and other good artist grade pastels I’ve got are just as beautiful in their own way. Each brand seems to have its own look and slightly or strongly favor its own techniques. I would think Roche have unusually pure pigments or something and also expect the sparkle of hand rolled pastels.

                                                            I’ll have to try at least one of those three color sets sometime just to satisfy the same curiosity. But if I start getting hooked on them it’s something to hold out as rewards for major successes, and maybe aim for putting together Charlie’s 30 color total palette instead of trying to save up for the monster set in the rosewood cabinet. That’s what to get if I ever get a million dollar book contract or something.

                                                            Lynn, why not try them? You already let go and bought them, go ahead and use them! If you’re not sure that your skills are up to it, then plan ahead for the painting and do preliminary studies before using them on really good paper.


                                                            Robert A. Sloan, proud member of the Oil Pastel Society
                                                            Site owner, artist and writer of http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com
                                                            blogs: Rob's Art Lessons and Rob's Daily Painting

                                                            #1156249
                                                            M_Zayer
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                                                                Hello all!

                                                                I felt compelled to make a post, as the name Roché seems to draw some heated discussion, and I thought that I could answer some questions and fill in some information.

                                                                My name is Margaret, and as of the beginning of this year, I have been officially employed by La Maison du Pastel (aka Isabelle Roché.) However, I’ve been assisting Isabelle on and off since the middle of 2010, in between my undergraduate studies. How I got here is another story…

                                                                We’ve been meaning to make half sticks for a while, but until recently have lacked the time and organization to do so. I have to say that it has been encouraging to hear your reception of them.

                                                                As a side note to Robert: for some reason, Rochester Art Supply hasn’t yet put the other currently available 12-pc “discovery” set on their website. You can see it on our website (since this is only my first post, no URLs!) The blues and violets set is in fact, one of three other 12-pc sets that will compose a 36-pc assortment. That assortment will be offered in separate parts or together (it will also include a line of assorted colors and a line of earths.) It’s not yet finished, but we do have a progress image on our Facebook page.

                                                                We know the pastels are expensive, but believe us when we say that they are also very labor intensive. We genuinely love what we do, and we can only hope that you can find as much joy in using the pastels as we do making them (and I do use them too!)

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