High pastel prices

Jimmie Arroyo · 01-04-2005, 08:27 PM

I just got off the phone with Dakota Pastels. Wow, I've never spoken to someone with a "I could care less" attitude in my life. I called to see if they could match prices with ASW, which must be Jerry's in disguise.

First, it did'nt even sound like I reached their offices. I asked if they could match prices, and she answered "I could anything I want", but in a way that sounded like she was gonna follow it with a seductive "big boy." I heard a dog barking in the background which makes me think the call was fowarded to her home.

I told her the Polychromos were $129, $30 less than Dakota's. She was willing to go down to $140, which is ASW's regular price. Then I asked about the pencil set which is $49 in ASW, compare to $69 for Dakota. She went down to $58, again the regular price at ASW. With shipping, Dakota was $7 more, shipping is $8.95 at Dakota compared to $19.95 at ASW. Her attitude was terrible with a "well, what do you want to do" thing about it. The whole call was very unprofessional. I've never had this problem with Dakota before. Unless they have a HUGE sale, I would not order from them again.

Jimmie Arroyo · 01-04-2005, 11:07 PM

Ended up ordering from DickBlick, they were very nice over the phone, and they have free shipping for orders over $200.

Sharon, honestly I felt bad about the whole thing. Like I said, I never had a problem with Dakota's before, but this was just too rude on her part. I fully understand the smaller companies having to charge more, but $30 more for a set of small pastels is too much. Even with the cheaper shipping, it would have been about $40 more for the order. After the price break, it was only $7 more than ASW, and I would have ordered it if she had been polite. I've had pleasant experiences with them in the past, but if this call had actually been "recorded for quality assurance", she'd probably get fired.

The lady I spoke to at Dick Blick was very helpful and professional. They were also more than Jerry's, the free shipping helped. I might sound corny, but when I got off the phone with her, I actually felt better.

Mary Sparrow · 01-06-2005, 07:17 AM

You have already sold me on them. While I really like some of the color Sennelier gives, they crumble to easily. The Great Americans are so smooth and buttery and a bigger stick.

Sharon, do you use any pastel pencils for detail work? I find for tight areas I like to use them to move the pastel around a bit but can't find any that have nice rich darks. The nu pastel is the same way. Any thoughts on a hard stick or pencil for the darks? Or do you just rely on the soft?

Leslie Ficcaglia · 01-11-2005, 10:53 AM

Based on your comments, Sharon, I just ordered the Girault 25-stick portrait set to see how they work for me. I've been venturing into pastels in a plein air format to try to get the hang of them. I admire them so much but had been wondering how you all get those fine details with those thick sticks. Maybe the Giraults will help. Thanks for the information!

Mike McCarty · 01-11-2005, 11:53 AM

Quote:

but had been wondering how you all get those fine details with those thick sticks

I use various sized tortillions, or stumps as they are sometimes called, when the clunky chunks of pastel or charcoal just won't do. Those rolled up pieces of paper can come down to a pretty fine point. I take the color stick in one hand and the tort in the other and I rub the tort into, onto, the pigment. I then apply the pigment to the surface with the tort. You can take it down to a pretty fine detail using this method. As I move out to less detail I go back to the direct application.

Leslie Ficcaglia · 01-11-2005, 02:17 PM

Thanks, Sharon! I'll let you know. I have quite a few Unisons, some Rembrandts, and two different types of pastel pencils and I've been playing with them. I haven't actually tried to do anything figurative with pastels yet, except during some life classes. It's hard to leave the comfort zone of oils. But I love the way pastels look and am hoping to be able to move into them. You are one of the pastellists on this forum who is inspiring me to try them, by the way. Your work is so lovely!

Jimmie Arroyo · 01-11-2005, 04:58 PM

Here's the piece Sharon was refering to from Daniel Greene. It's my favorite of his also.

I have a small set of Giraults also, probably the same one Leslie ordered. It's a nice set, wish I could get the full set. I think I like them so much because they make me feel like I'm still using pencils. The Unison's feel good too, another small set, but I would have to get used to those more being fatter.

I just got in the Poloychromos set, similar to Nupastels, but softer. I've only played with them a bit, so I can't judge how good they are yet. I'm struggling with the pastel piece I'm doing now, if I don't ruin it, I'll post it and let you guys know how the Polychromos were.

Wish I could say this was the piece I was having trouble with.