The Legacy of Conté à Paris

Founded in the late 18th century by Nicolas-Jacques Conté, Conté à Paris is synonymous with innovation in art materials. Conté revolutionized drawing by developing a compressed graphite and clay mixture that provided artists with a range of tones and hardness levels. This legacy continues with the modern range of Conté à Paris Carrés Crayons and Pencils, designed to offer superior control and vibrant pigmentation.

Characteristics of Conté à Paris Carrés Crayons

1. Rich Pigmentation

Conté à Paris Carrés Crayons are known for their intense, pure pigments that create striking marks on paper. The high concentration of pigment ensures long-lasting, fade-resistant artworks.

2. Versatile Hardness

These square-shaped crayons are harder than soft pastels, making them perfect for detailed line work, subtle shading, and bold strokes. Their durability allows for crisp edges and smooth blends, making them ideal for both expressive sketches and precise rendering.

3. Wide Colour Range

Artists can choose from classic Conté portrait colours  in the  Conté à Paris Carres Portrait Crayons - Set of 12, which are particularly popular for figure drawing and portrait studies, or choose the Conté à Paris Carres Landscape Crayons - Set of 12 . The extended palette set of 48 crayons Conté à Paris Carres Crayons Assorted Colours includes a range of vibrant blues, reds, greens, greys, purples, yellow and flesh tones, expanding all creative possibilities.

4. Adaptable Application

• Use the edges forfine lines and delicate details.

• Use the flat side forbroad shading and smooth coverage.

• Blend effortlessly with fingers or a blending stump forsoft transitions.

• Layer and mix colours to createcustom hues.

Characteristics of Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils

Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils

1. Smooth and Consistent Texture

Conté à Paris pencils have a creamy, dense core that allows for effortless application. Their smooth laydown makes them ideal for sketching, hatching, and tonal work. They are made from pigments, clay, and a binder, they have 5mm lead that is slightly harder than soft pastels and the 8.5mm casing has a lacquered round barrelled wood casing, ideal for a balanced pencil. 

2. Precision and Control

With a more controlled output compared to crayons, these pencils provide greater precision, making them ideal for detailed drawings and technical sketches. They sharpen to a fine point, allowing for meticulous cross-hatching and crisp edges.

3. Blending and Layering

Much like the Carrés Crayons, Conté à Paris pencils can be layered and blended to create depth and variation in tone. They work beautifully with both smooth and textured paper surfaces and can be used in conjunction with soft pastels, charcoal pencils and Conté à Paris Carrés Crayons.

Creative Applications

Conté à Paris products are ideal for:

• Figure Drawing & Portraiture: Their warm, earthy tones and blendable nature make them a staple for classical life drawing sessions.

• Urban Sketching: The precision of the pencils combined with the broad strokes of the crayons makes them perfect for dynamic cityscapes.

• Mixed Media Art: Pair them with charcoal, ink, or watercolour for unique textures and depth.

• Tonal Studies: The range of values achievable with Conté materials allows for intricate light and shadow studies.

Pastel Pencil swatches

Pastel Pencil swatches from the 48 colour selection on Clairefontaine, Pastelmat Card and White Watercolour Paper.

We swatched out all 48 colours on a dark pastel paper to test the opacity and pigment strength of the pastels.

The results were stunning. Vivid colours with a smooth lay down. Minimal dust residue with a good strength pastel core.

Every single colour provided a strong opaque hue which if required can be blended out for smooth colour transitions or blended with other colours to create further tonal ranges.

Pastel Pencils on White CP watercolour paper.

Excellent range of colours that sing off the paper.  Conté à ParisPastel Pencils work incredibly well on white watercolour paper, the white of the paper illuminates their pigment strength further, enabling some incredible spring colour combinations or to mute the colours just mix them with their complimentary colour. 

Small Bird study using the Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils

For our little pastel bird study we used Clairefontaine PASTELMAT Card for Pastel360gsm - 170Ib - 12 Sheets  pad and Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils. The Anthracite colour of the paper provided a high contrast effect and a ready-made dark tone. The initial drawing was sketched out in the lightest colour in the set to create our composition. This created our foundation to start building layers of colour onto. The Pastelmat Card is a great surface to use with the Conté à Paris pastel pencils. The grainy texture holds the pastel well allowing many layers to play with, to create some beautiful depth of tone.

Each layer of colour was considered before application and all the colours were swatched out on the same coloured paper in order to get a good gauge of how vibrant they were. 

Testing your palette before embarking on a final piece of work  is always good practice. It does save you time in the long run and provides you with some creative options when blending colours. 

With minimal pressure, layers of small marks were applied to simulate the tiny feathers of the bird's head. Light and dark colours were used to create tiny highlights and low lights giving a multi-coloured, and a multi-dimensional effect. 

We laid down the light colours for the bird’s torso adding warm hues using a stippling technique. The Wings were created using a variety of blues and tipped using the black pastel. 

Detail image of the head of the bird. 

Small stippling marks to imply soft feathers.

Conté à Paris Carrés Pastel Pencils are more than just drawing tools—they are an extension of an artist’s vision and creativity. Their exceptional quality, rich pigmentation, and versatile applications make them a must-have in any artist’s toolkit. Whether you’re experimenting with new techniques or refining your existing skills, these materials offer endless potential to elevate your artistry.

Colour chart

Lightfastness of Conté à Paris Pastel Pencils

What is the lightfastness of the Pastel Pencils?    

Four stars **** - Excellent lightfastness 
Three stars *** - High lightfastness      
Two stars ** - Good lightfastness   
One star * - Limited lightfastness   

Accessories to use with the Pastel Crayons and Pastel Pencils

• Palette Knife: A palette knife is handy for scraping off pastel layers, to create a pigmented dust which you can then smooth across the paper with a sponge, especially if you have large areas to cover. ARTessentials Palette Knife Set for Oils and Acrylics - 5 Piece.

• Derwent Pastel & Charcoal Pencil Sharpener: Derwent pencil sharpeners are the easy way to achieve the perfect point. The pastel sharpener is specifically designed for use with the more fragile media of pastel pencils. It is also suitable for sharpening charcoal pencils and other large diameter pencils.

• Masking Tape: Use masking tape to secure your paper to a drawing board or easel and create clean borders for your artwork. MEEDEN Art Masking Tape 1" - Pack of 10.

• Blending Tools: Soft brushes, blending stumps,  sponges or your fingers can be used to blend and smudge pastels, creating smooth transitions and gradients.

Colour Shaper Pastel Set - Size 6, Colour Shaper Pastel Set - Size 2, Derwent Paper Stumps Set of 3, PanPastel - Sofft Tools Starter Kit.

Another great Conté à Paris Brand are the  Conté à Paris Charcoal Pencils in varied Grades and Shades

Conté à Paris Charcoal pencils are available in different grades, ranging from soft (for deep, rich marks) to harder variants (for fine details and light shading). The signature shades of Sanguine, Sepia, and Black offer warm, natural tones perfect for life drawing and classical studies. Conté à Paris Pastel pencils work exceedingly well with these charcoal pencils.

• Conté à Paris Charcoal Pencil

• Conté à Paris Carres Crayons Assorted Colours

• Conté à Paris Carres Landscape Crayons - Set of 12

• Conté à Paris 12 Compressed Charcoal Sticks

• Conté à Paris Carbon Pencil

Papers to use with Pastel crayons and pencils

Conté à Paris Carrés coloured pastel pencils work best on papers with a slightly textured or toothy surface that can hold pastel pigment effectively. Here are some excellent paper options:

Textured Pastel & Drawing Papers

• Canson Mi-Teintes Touch Pastel Pads - 350gsm - 12 Sheets – It retains pigments particularly well and it is easy to superimpose layers of pastel. It shows colours at their best and has excellent resistance to light and time. Mi-Teintes® Touch can also withstand wet techniques.

• Clairefontaine Pastelmat – Highly regarded for its soft yet grippy surface, which holds layers of pastel well without needing fixative. Excellent for layering, blending, and erasing without losing details.

• Hahnemühle Velour – A velvety, soft-textured paper that works exceptionally well for blending pastels.

• Canson Mi-Teintes Pad - 160gsm (98lb) - 32x41cm - 20 sheets - COOL TONES - Canson® Mi-Teintes® is a double-sided art paper that contains cotton, combining mechanical resistance and a tactile feel. It features a honeycombed side—characteristic of Canson® Mi-Teintes®— which easily retains pigments and a fine grain on the other, ideal for charcoal and pencil, watercolour and gouache.

Mixed-Media & Watercolour Papers (for a softer effect)

•  Fabriano Artistico Block Extra White – Acid-free, lightly textured 100% cotton watercolour paper. A high-quality paper which is ideal for mixed media, watercolours, gouache, acrylic, ink, charcoal and pastels.

• Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Techniques Grey Pads 250gsm – A versatile surface that works well with pastels and wet techniques. This natural coloured paper is suitable for acrylic, gouache, ink, pencil, charcoal, alcohol markers, paint pens, gluing, soft pastels and oil pastels. Acid-free and pH-neutral, this slightly rough grain paper is perfect for preserving your projects over an extended period of time.

• Hahnemühle Bamboo Mixed Media Paper Pads - 265gsm (125lbs) – If you prefer a softer pastel look, this gives good results when lightly textured. These Hahnemühle Bamboo 265gsm Pads contain 25 sheets of high quality mixed media paper, made of bamboo fibres. It has a unique surface suitable for a variety of painting and drawing techniques, such as watercolour, acrylic, pastel, and for sketching and drawing with charcoal.

• Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Techniques Black Pads - At a bulky 250gsm, this natural coloured paper is suitable for acrylic, gouache, ink, pencil, charcoal, alcohol markers, paint pens, gluing, soft pastels and oil pastels. Acid-free and pH-neutral, this paper is perfect for preserving your projects over an extended period of time. Available in sizes A4 and A3.

• Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Techniques Denim Pads - Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Technique Denim Pads are a very versatile resource for artists who work in both wet and dry techniques. It features 15 sheets of paper per pad, and its gummed spine allows for convenient removal of works for easy exhibition. 

• Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Media Pads - 250gsm (115lb) - These Clairefontaine Paint On Multi-Media pads are incredibly versatile, with an assortment of six paper surfaces of varying colours (four pages each), making them a fantastic deal for artists interested in experimentation with mixed-media techniques. 

1. Choose the Right Fixative

Fixing Conté à Paris Carrés Pastel Pencils and Crayons is an important aspect in the  prevention of  smudging, but it should be done carefully to avoid dulling the colours.  Some pastel artists will spray their work in between layers and some wait until completion. Some pastel artists don’t use fixatives at all as they prefer to exhibit their work under glass.  

Fixatives:

• Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative - 400ml

•  SpectraFix Degas Pastel Fixative

•  Loxley Aerosol Fixative 400ml with a U.V. Filter

• Seawhite Clear Fixative Spray - 400ml

• Daler-Rowney Colourless Perfix Fixative Spray With Anti-UV Protection

2. How to Apply Fixative Properly

✅ Test First: Always test on a scrap piece of the same paper. Some fixatives can alter the texture and the depth of colour of the  pastels. Read all of the manufacturers recommendations. Brands may vary.

✅ Use Light, Multiple Layers:

• Hold the can about 12-16 inches (30-40 cm) away from the artwork.

• Spray in a gentle misting motion, never in heavy bursts. One continuous burst moving across the surface will work perfectly. Don’t stop half way.

• Let each layer dry before applying another (2-3 light layers work best).

✅ Angle Matters:

• Spray at a slight angle rather than straight-on to prevent oversaturation.

✅ Ventilation & Drying:

• Spray in a well-ventilated area.

• Let the artwork dry completely before framing or storing.

3. Alternative Fixing Methods

If you want to preserve vibrancy without fixative, try these:
🔹 Glassine Sheets – Place over artwork for protection before framing.
🔹 Pastelmat or Sanded Paper – Holds pastel well, reducing the need for fixative.
🔹 Framing Under Glass – Best long-term protection; use spacers to avoid smudging.

If you're looking to explore the world of Conté à Paris, be sure to check out the full range available at ARTdiscount, where you’ll find these exceptional crayons and pencils at great prices. Happy drawing!