She literally stumbled upon a dream job. And she seems to be VERY grateful for it. Clicked on this by accident but watched the whole thing. So interesting and loved all the colors of those pastels
Margret reaching out should be a reminder to everyone and is one to myself to always reach out for things because you never know how it could go! Might be nothing but might be a partnership !
I mean as much as they are apprentice and artisan I do recall an FT article about them a while back where they are described as partners. I want to see their movie
I love how a pillar for a niche art segment isn’t an artist herself, something poetic about that, although you can say the making of these pastels is a form of art too
"...as long as they ask for colors they don't have, we're going to be bringing in new things." In the world of the corporate juggernaut, these women, and their clientele, give me hope.
Nope, when done right like this they look like candy to me. But it is HIGHLY recommended to NOT eat it sadly. Many colors are quite toxic. Hence a lot of artists will use gloves.
When I was in elementary school, my art teacher Ms Hudson had pastels in her art room. I loved using them. They were creamy and vibrant. When I left that school, no other school art room had them. I was so disappointed. My mom tried to buy me pastels at the store, and they weren’t even creamy or vibrant. They seemed like crayons… I was disappointed but pretended to like them. This video makes me want to order some. I would love to share them with my kids. There’s nothing like real pastels.
My grand uncle always used pastels for his art. Nothing else. He would carry a box of pastels with him, drawing with them wherever he went. Colorful happy sketches of nature. Then came the war. He took the pastels with him. But he would stop using colors. He only used black. One day when he was on „holiday“ from active service he didn’t pack his pastels. My grandmother told him that he had forgotten to pack his pastels and he answered „I don’t need them any more“ And in that moment she kind of knew that he would not come back. He died in the war when he was 21 years old. Since I was the only one who liked to do art in various forms, she gave me his pastels as a present. I always wanted to use them but I always felt that I am not good enough to use his precious pastels. I still have the box. Still as good as knew (except for the black) Maybe I am ready now to finally use them…
Use them now.Dont let more time go by. I wasted part of my life being with of them. person because I was to shy to tell them to go. I was young and my parents gave me the reason to get rid you can't get time back.
i think its human nature, we see kids playing with chalk, see kids playing with wax crayons and see them as a lesser medium because kids use them. coloring pencils have a similar issue of not being given as much respect as a oil painter ect. i love oil pastels. (i also love the price) more than once i had people sublty joke about them. "are you going to try finger painting next?"
I assume it might have to do with the application and education. When you get taught in schools or university most people may use charcoal and pencils to sketch, then watercolors and acrylics for painting, maybe oils. You can teach a lot of classic techniques with them, and I think pastels just dont fill any major skill that gets taught. You do blending with charcoal and pencils, and color with paints. Colorblending is something you pick up along the way. I think it would be quite a change to go to pastels when most people work with pencils, brushes or even digital. People who experiment seem to go to sculptures, 3D textures, spraypaints and such. If you are self-taught, good pastels are very expensive. Watercolors are also a bit easier to learn.
I did an art degree and I have to say I'd never used pastels until then, we were advised on what brands to buy and if I'd never used anything else but what the college recommended I'd never use pastels again, they were like crayons. my mother thought they were rubbish and handed me her tin of old expensive pastels (they may have even been this brand) it was like chalk and cheese, completely different things, very soft, easy to blend, silky smooth and surprisingly long lasting.
My mother paints, sews, and overall makes homemade crafts. She has a 50 year old pastel set that she bought new and is the backbone of everything she makes. I've already laid claim as the future second owner. Some are miniscule but all the colors are there. She love's it more than my grandmother's sewing Editing- sewing machine.
@@bradbutcher3984 my mothers set were from the 1960s, not sure where they are now, I expect my sister has them trying to get anything off of her is like trying to get blood out of a stone. shes a total hoarder
@@Rose-jz6sx Yes they were rubbish, the funny thing is the project we were meant to use them for needed good blending my mothers better emulated it because it was the right stuff. I don't know if all art courses are like this but we had projects to do that introduced an art medium and style, like 1 month was Gauguin another warhol, we used water colours, acrylic, charcoal, pastels, photography, print screening, sculpting, metal work all sorts of things
You say that you are not an artist but you and your partner are artists. Creating beautiful colours and high quality pastels is an art in itself! Thank you for your hard work and keeping it alive.
I mean seeing how it's done I can see how you can make a living from $18 a pastel. If your only selling to 10 artists per country. I think I heard her say 76 when she was counting off those we watched being made. So that's $1,300 from that batch. Not bad for an afternoon's work. I kinda want to just buy one so I own one and can try it 😅
@@obsoletecd-rom Not really. Niche can be very cheap. The high prices is because a mix of technique of the making of the product, the materials used, and the time/effort put in to make the completed product. And considering that it's a still good art medium (I like watercolor/pastels the best out of all the different mediums, if only because it's just easier for me), it's also expensive for that reason. As you saw, they don't use machinery because of reasons they explained very well.
One of my youth core memories is dropping my full box of 80 half-pastels from Sennelier on the ground and seeing all those beautiful colors shatter. I was 17 and I am still mortified. I haven't touched any pastels since.
Seeing her eyes glowed as she was touching that yellow pigment sparked so much joy in me. This is truly someone that appreciates her craft. Everyone involved at this oil pastel studio deserves all the love and success. Truly a rare sight!
i have some yellow ochre pigment like that and even though yellows and greens are my least favorite part of the spectrum, i love this deep polleny-looking hue which is amazing next to other earth pigments like terra cotta. there's a mountain range-either it's in turkey or the balkans i think-where this ochre is a natural color in the soil strata that they mine, hence it's called a natural earth pigment
I just looked up the prices out of curiosity.... set of 12 is roughly about 200-250 USD. A set of 72, between 1400-2000 USD. Set of 648 colors, around 10 000 USD. And the complete set of 1904 colors in a wooden cabinet runs about 30 000 USD. 😮💨 Oof. I'm glad artisans know their worth though.
@@jkjkfrr Just crazy how much they cost. I guess if I were selling 30,000.00 dollar paintings I could justify it. I don't understand why they have to be that expensive given there are several really amazing brands of soft pastel that are incredible to work with.
@@jaguatiricaimediata5305 These type of pastels don't really have expiry dates and the question is difficult to answer since there are a multitude of aspects to consider. In regards to long term investment, the medium being used (pastels in this case) is both for the artist and buyer of the eventual work. A pastel artist using these pigments is able to price out their finished work much higher than another artist using a different pastel brand due to the reputation and archival longevity that they carry. I'm not an artist in a traditional sense personally, but my spouse is. I'm a maker by hobby and sort of obsess over how things are manufactured, how to replicate it, if its viable to even attempt, etc... but the TL;DR is that High Quality and Reputable artist materials (cavas, paper, mediums, etc...) are often priced in terms of their long term archival consistency (often intended to be 150+ years).
I love how they’re still using old techniques by absolute hand and using no modern machinery to do everything automatically (obviously their printing the labelling is about as modern as their manufacturing can get). This is why artisanal supplies are absolutely the highest quality and most coveted by passionate artists. This is the absolute closest you can get to having a product exactly like Degas and La Tour would have used, it’s the medium in its purest form.
As an artist and lover of vibrant color, this was mesmerizing. The world needs more of this kind of craft. Sadly, we're losing this kind of centuries of knowledge and honed expertise every day. I doubt I'll ever be able to use much less buy this kind of beautiful material 😢
We only live once. If you want to do something then you absolutely should. They have an online store. They aren’t cheap but certainly something that can be saved towards & build up a collection.
The point is that the world probably doesn't need this kind of craft anymore, but these two do it anyway. That's part of the human condition and that's art. It's unnecessary, but it's essential for the soul.
We're losing this knowledge... because it's a "well gaurded trade secret". If they shared it with others, then someone might find a way to make it cheaper. Truly one of the stories of capitalism of all time.
@Tubeytime you have completely missed the point. There is no "making it cheaper" when you're talking about trade craft like this. What makes them expensive isn't the secret formula, although that may be a small part, it's the fact that they are individually hand made. The quality of something handmade like this can't be replicated with a machine. There is literal magic happening here, the alchemy of which is only possible when done by professional hands. ❤
@@TubeytimeAlso they are not the only producer of pastels, there are plenty of pastels that are "cheaper". It is that their pastels are much finer quality and would in likelihood be more expensive if the formula was bought out by a larger producer... Her company only has 2 employees and doesn't have board of executives expecting 6+ figure salaries and so on. $15-$20 USD per pastel isn't really that much when you consider the quality of the product and the reputation the brand carries.
I’m a pastel artist, albeit a hobbyist, and my grandma gifted me 5 of their pastels as a high school graduation gift she had bought on a trip to Paris. I can’t buy their products anymore because struggling college kid and all that but I honestly can’t wait until I make enough money to be able to own one again, best pastels I’ve ever owned.
I would absolutely love working here. It's like cooking mixed with colors. Showing that they still have - and use - over 100 year old pigments brings a tear to my eye. That my friends is a very special and beautiful thing.
Everyone want to know their blue, this is why they have 300 years in the sales business, blue is the the most select, and hardest to fink in nature color. If it can move you emotionally, then they are the greatest, best, and signature in biz. Nice work.
I wonder if they ever made ynmin blue pastels. Apparently the newest blue pigment since 200 years or so and also having a super blue that camera's cannot capture and screens cannot show properly. Kind of want to know what that really looks like 😅
@@VarmintLP The pigment's patented until 2030, and by some accounts the one license holder - Shepard Color - has struggled to make it at scale. No idea how genuine that is.
@@VarmintLPHi, I live in Paris and regularly visit the shop. I spoke with Isabelle and Margaret and the latter informed me that they tried to make a YnMin blue pastel. Unfortunately the result was actually underwhelming and she told me that their Ultramarine blue is brighter than the YnMin blue. So if you want to see the brightest blue in pastel form that would be their 6911 Ultramarine. Hope this helps.
I'm not an artist, but always love the stories of how art mediums are produced. After seeing this I actually looked into buying some of these pastels for a friend, but they're actually a bit out of my price range. You definitely pay for top quality stuff.
What I found the most interesting from the business side was that they work with their clients and ask them what they need. This seems to be something that the majority of businesses today have forgotten. So we need more businesses that come back to this strategy.
There is something incredibly special about using an art material that is completely made by hand. It's like using art to make art. Digital artists could never.
@@liesalllies its okay to cry and its okay to keep searching, it may take a while to find something for you but, just know, you are not alone in this journey. ❤
Their pastels are hands down the best. Well worth the price. I’ve never understood why pastel art isn’t more popular - perhaps because you canMt mix the colours, because it often creates hazy, ethereal art, but that’s what I love about it. That and being able to ‘paint’ either the pigment with your fingers. I adore the texture and light that pastels give you. So wonderful to see this business blooming!
As a self taught super realist oil painter, I just love this. The more ancient the method the better. Today we just walz in shops clueless about what goes into our materials. We're spoiled rotten, and it's quite sad. ❤
@@markchinguz4401 Nono, they got a point. Most paints today can't replicate or are very very expensive if they replicate old colors that are no longer in circulation due to varying reasons.
@@markchinguz4401 I looked him up, he his work is rather good. Sometimes it is not bad to put out a proud statement about yourself, especially if you can back it up. Maybe do something about your own pride and allowing yourself to be confident?
@@no_peace And from what I've heard they're very pigmented meaning long lasting. A little bit goes a long way. And you don't have to buy their biggest set, you can start out with a handful of colours and expand as needed :)
I loved using pastels when I was in art school. More so than paints. These pastels are so beautiful. I wish I could have every color they've got. What a magical place this Company is. So glad they didn't let it die and I hope it thrives and keeps growing. Places like this are something we should treasure and try to keep. Bravo ladies!! 👏
This oil pastel artist is glad you’re keeping the art alive. I use oil pastels as a renter and carer to young children because it can be packed away easier than paints.
I'm assuming you're talking about the smell of the solvents? If so, solvents can be replaced with walnut oil for brush cleaning & it works great as a medium similar to linseed oil. Odorless solvents still give off fumes, while walnut oil is non-toxic. I have many customers that switched to walnut oil who were also ready to give up on oils. No media is safer than another as they all use the same pigments. You just need to take proper precautions like the 2 women making the pastels who wore masks and gloves. Or you can just throw caution to the wind, grinding that cadmium and cobalt into your veins like the artist they highlighted.
@@edmer68 No, not the solvents. Some oil paints have a smell to the oil that can be nauseating. I usually avoid them, even though from a distance, I can like and still appreciate them. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of these pastels too. Your response is very much appreciated, too. I assume you are a vendor of oils and pigments?
@@ferretyluv it’s still used. Mixed with pigment, linseed is the standard oil for making paint. It’s used as a medium to extend the color & there are varieties that slow or speed the drying time. Walnut oil is similar to linseed as a medium but can also be used as a cleaner.
I am a pastel artist. I think that it's so cool how Isabelle and Margaret are continuing the pastel business after all these years! All the different colors they make by hand are absolutely incredible! 😄
I have a great appreciation for handmade anything. But having worked with pigment, making my own colors in tattoo ink and now encaustic makes me appreciate La Maison du Pastel much more. I commend these ladies for keeping the arts alive with their product. I’ll be certain to seek out this product in the near future.
I haven't painted in months. This video makes me want to pull my pigments out and play so much...maybe even try to experiment with pastels. If I do, I know where to source my supplies. Thank you. Lovely story.
I'd much rather BI focus on making this kind of documentary about creation, rather than yet another military industrial complex documentary about destruction.
very interesting video! i enjoyed watching it! one thing though: in 3:09, it says something along the lines of “soft pastel artists can’t mix a new color before applying it to paper” however, as a soft pastel and acrylic paint artist, this isn’t 100% true. soft pastels aren’t too different from paints actually. take a piece of printer paper (or any smooth surface) and apply lots of soft pastel so that there’s a small pile of chalk powder on the surface. do the same with another color of soft pastel, and mix the two powders together to create a new color. you can use a sofft pastel tool (not a typo, “sofft” is a brand) or your finger to apply the powder onto your art piece. this is similar to squeezing two different colors of paint on a palette and mixing them together.
That looks like the most wonderful, amazing job, in the whole world to me. Apparently, I "can see more color variation" than the average person. Given this, and being an artist, I'd adore doing something like this, even if only for the sake of helping fellow creatives, curiosity, and creation. 💜
I would love to wish these 2 beautiful ladies a warm thank you. I can't mix colours plus they are so expensive that pastels are the only thing that I use & it kept my dream of painting going.
These artisans really "touch my soul". It is so good to see that traditional crafts are kept alive! I wish them all the success they so well deserve. (😎this is one of the occasion where I wish I was rich. I'd buy a whole palette and rekindle my artistic streak!)
La Maison du Pastel dedication to traditional craftsmanship and maintaining a vast color range is truly commendable! It’s a great reminder that niche markets can provide substantial opportunities for businesses that prioritize quality and authenticity. 🎨
I love this I’ve never been an artist. I do love color and how that color comes to be. To the people who use it and create wonderful things it must be so special.
Wonderful! I love seeing handcrafts, especially when they are as beautiful an art as the pictures they are used to create. Having seen this increases my appreciation of the pastels even more (which I hadn’t thought possible since I have carried that in my hand and heart my entire life. Since I noticed the difference and cherished Roché the very first time I held one in my hand. It was a special little gift from my art teacher when I received an award in art that I wasn’t able to accept (due to religious objections from that time in my life). The role they played in my life is great and the memories that they helped create. It’s wonderful knowing who they are, today and yesterday and thinking of all the people they’ve touched. The impact they have had through their own art, on this world like ripples spreading across a pond. To live on in the artwork, an indelible mark on the world in vivid color.
This touched my heart. It was fascinating to see the pastels made by hand and also to hear the ladies describe what motivated them and how they made their decisions. I have never liked the "feel" of chalk pastels, but watching these be made and seeing the vibrancy of the color in the artist's red picture has made me want to try them! So beautiful!
This is fascinating and I’ve learned so much about pastels, this woman’s devotion to old world crafts and another woman’s curiosity and now passion to keep this going. One question: It seemed at the beginning they said that pastels cannot be mixed and blended, yet I thought they could.
Pastels can be blended on the paper, but it gets difficult to keep the colour consistent over larger areas. It is also sometimes desirable to draw a line with contrast/no blending with surrounding colours (i.e. a rough line that picks up the texture of the paper), and in that case you can only work with the colours available.
God they are living the dream crafting and selling these it's beautiful I love all the colors and as someone who uses lower end pastels I could only imagine how these handle Claude is also a lovely personality 😁 I one day wish to live either creating art or working in the field somehow. The part where she's discovering the pigment is just so joyful
I so enjoy watching products being made from centuries-old techniques. In this day & age of disposable (and cheaply made) everything, it's lovely to see people carrying old traditions forward.
The comparison between this French savoir faire and the joke of the "candles video" is extreme lol These people are truly skilled in chromatology, meanwhile the candle making company just had very straight wicks
The Roche Pastels (all of them) are lusciously delightful to my brain; make me very happy! I want to create art in this Pastel medium now. In fact, I think this RUclips may give same message to other artists/art students/art teachers. Should help their business, I would think, a great deal. This is great family business story, as well.
That was wonderfully well done. Your production was excellent and really left no questions unanswered. As an artist myself, it was a fascinating peak into that corner of the business. I use mixed water base media. I think pastel is by far the most technically difficult medium to work with. Their colors are beautiful, though, and I can imagine what a joy they are to use.
Fascinating story! Such glorious colours! There is a huge possible market with the vloggers that do doll repaints using pastels to shade and colour the dolls.
@@ferretyluv mostly dollpainters are brushing on pastels, i see blush done with pastels alot. Youd rather pastel because its more realistic and faint(?), and you spray a sealant on top anyways. Oil wouldnt work atall for dolls
These two seem to put a lot of heart into what they do which I always thought was beautiful when making something. Putting their soul into it means that they love and care a LOT about their craft.
Well the complete collection is 1904 pastels.. which makes about 15€ a stick. So yes, costly, but not so much for hand-crafted pastels of this quality.
The blending to me makes the art. It is so cerebral and very fractaleque. Colors become so much more important with this medium. It's completely physical and relies on the artist's pressure and applications as opposed to the brush. I'm amazed at their dedication to the color and accuracy.
How are you going to make that comment off of one simple mistake? Should they not have created this video at all? I noticed it too but damn be glad this content exists at all
It's not a mistake. The pigment is called Cerulean Blue and they are making their own custom color from it, probably mixing it with other pigments that they don't show on camera to protect their business secrets, that they brand "Caribbean Blue" for sale.
Imagine working with a rainbow and every bird or flower in the world. Then the sky, the sea, the sunset and sunrise and you just touch on the pallet that is there. Amazing what can be created from their work.🙏💕
Pastels are my FAVORITE medium, simply because of the nature of the consistency of pastels - chalky & creamy, I love being able to blend them so seamlessly. I didn't know I needed these pastels in my life, now I do. New life goal.
"if the sun is out and we don't feel like working then we don't work."
This is the key to human happiness.
Amen!!
It makes me happy these people have an everlasting passion for their life duty. Im sort of jealous waiting for my calling
Yes! For real!
(Also startrek fan spotted, 10/10 pfp)
incompatible with mainstream capitalism, unfortunately.
Sure is
She literally stumbled upon a dream job. And she seems to be VERY grateful for it. Clicked on this by accident but watched the whole thing. So interesting and loved all the colors of those pastels
Thanks for watching!
I'm jealous, you can't really find jobs like this in America.
999th comment Like!
I clicked by accident too! What a cool watch
I'm glad she made Margaret a co-owner. She's so passionate about the pastel and colors.
I love they they captured a moment of her going through pigments and witnessing the spark of her planning out a new color.
She should!! Make her partner.
L1bhhvchv vlx@@boohere2
I bet she had no choice or she would lose the business
@@aostroskyprobably has no heirs.
Margret reaching out should be a reminder to everyone and is one to myself to always reach out for things because you never know how it could go! Might be nothing but might be a partnership !
They are life partners now as well! You never know how your life can change just by taking a jump.
At last! A highly skilled aging artisan who has successfully found an apprentice willing to take on a passion trade in this economy!
Truly what we all have wanted
"Willing"? No. Able? Yes
A million people would want to do jobs like this but can't
@@no_peace good point
I mean as much as they are apprentice and artisan I do recall an FT article about them a while back where they are described as partners. I want to see their movie
I love how a pillar for a niche art segment isn’t an artist herself, something poetic about that, although you can say the making of these pastels is a form of art too
Science and art are much closer to one another than they at first appear.
Pillar? not even
She looks great for 300 years old!
a little pastel snack in the morning does wonders for the skin
🤣
You bet😳
stupid title lmao
Them vampires, they know the secrets to eternal life.
"...as long as they ask for colors they don't have, we're going to be bringing in new things." In the world of the corporate juggernaut, these women, and their clientele, give me hope.
Am I the only one who thinks pastel looks absoloutly delicious?
Nope, when done right like this they look like candy to me. But it is HIGHLY recommended to NOT eat it sadly. Many colors are quite toxic. Hence a lot of artists will use gloves.
yes, I would be winning the darwin award.
forbidden frosting
You a marine by any chance?
Nope, that’s what I thought.
When I was in elementary school, my art teacher Ms Hudson had pastels in her art room. I loved using them. They were creamy and vibrant. When I left that school, no other school art room had them. I was so disappointed. My mom tried to buy me pastels at the store, and they weren’t even creamy or vibrant. They seemed like crayons… I was disappointed but pretended to like them. This video makes me want to order some. I would love to share them with my kids. There’s nothing like real pastels.
there are two types of pastels, chalk pastels and wax pastels.
The ones here are chalk pastels. Better colours. More control. Not “creamy” at all though.
@@sinch4044Chalk and oil. Crayons are made of wax- they’re different.
My grand uncle always used pastels for his art. Nothing else. He would carry a box of pastels with him, drawing with them wherever he went. Colorful happy sketches of nature. Then came the war. He took the pastels with him. But he would stop using colors. He only used black. One day when he was on „holiday“ from active service he didn’t pack his pastels. My grandmother told him that he had forgotten to pack his pastels and he answered „I don’t need them any more“ And in that moment she kind of knew that he would not come back. He died in the war when he was 21 years old.
Since I was the only one who liked to do art in various forms, she gave me his pastels as a present. I always wanted to use them but I always felt that I am not good enough to use his precious pastels.
I still have the box. Still as good as knew (except for the black)
Maybe I am ready now to finally use them…
Aww thanks for sharing this story. Hope you find the courage to use them as that would have been what your grand uncle wanted.
That's a wonderful story. You should use them for sure!
The only way to waste art supplies is to never use them. If you can find joy in them, and connection to your grandfather, that is enough.
Use them now.Dont let more time go by.
I wasted part of my life being with of them. person because I was to shy to tell them to go. I was young and my parents gave me the reason to get rid you can't get time back.
Woah
Wild story I think you should use em
i dont quite understand why pastels are not more popular. good quality pastels are amazing! i love them.
i think its human nature, we see kids playing with chalk, see kids playing with wax crayons and see them as a lesser medium because kids use them. coloring pencils have a similar issue of not being given as much respect as a oil painter ect. i love oil pastels. (i also love the price) more than once i had people sublty joke about them. "are you going to try finger painting next?"
I assume it might have to do with the application and education. When you get taught in schools or university most people may use charcoal and pencils to sketch, then watercolors and acrylics for painting, maybe oils. You can teach a lot of classic techniques with them, and I think pastels just dont fill any major skill that gets taught. You do blending with charcoal and pencils, and color with paints. Colorblending is something you pick up along the way.
I think it would be quite a change to go to pastels when most people work with pencils, brushes or even digital. People who experiment seem to go to sculptures, 3D textures, spraypaints and such. If you are self-taught, good pastels are very expensive. Watercolors are also a bit easier to learn.
The price may be
They're my favorite medium, but they can be very messy. Even when I sprayed fixative on them, my art college works smudge onto each other.
way too expensive and with average skill levels the art doesnt look like anything
I did an art degree and I have to say I'd never used pastels until then, we were advised on what brands to buy and if I'd never used anything else but what the college recommended I'd never use pastels again, they were like crayons. my mother thought they were rubbish and handed me her tin of old expensive pastels (they may have even been this brand) it was like chalk and cheese, completely different things, very soft, easy to blend, silky smooth and surprisingly long lasting.
I'd imagine your mother saying use mine cause they are better made and the college recs are shit.
My mother paints, sews, and overall makes homemade crafts. She has a 50 year old pastel set that she bought new and is the backbone of everything she makes. I've already laid claim as the future second owner. Some are miniscule but all the colors are there. She love's it more than my grandmother's sewing
Editing- sewing machine.
@@bradbutcher3984 my mothers set were from the 1960s, not sure where they are now, I expect my sister has them trying to get anything off of her is like trying to get blood out of a stone. shes a total hoarder
Is there a chance they were oil pastels you were using in college, and your mum's were chalk pastels?
@@Rose-jz6sx Yes they were rubbish, the funny thing is the project we were meant to use them for needed good blending my mothers better emulated it because it was the right stuff. I don't know if all art courses are like this but we had projects to do that introduced an art medium and style, like 1 month was Gauguin another warhol, we used water colours, acrylic, charcoal, pastels, photography, print screening, sculpting, metal work all sorts of things
You say that you are not an artist but you and your partner are artists. Creating beautiful colours and high quality pastels is an art in itself! Thank you for your hard work and keeping it alive.
Wish I had the money, a 36 set is $655.00,........amazing history, I have the utmost respect for these two.
Niche also means “insanely expensive”
I mean seeing how it's done I can see how you can make a living from $18 a pastel. If your only selling to 10 artists per country.
I think I heard her say 76 when she was counting off those we watched being made. So that's $1,300 from that batch.
Not bad for an afternoon's work.
I kinda want to just buy one so I own one and can try it 😅
@@obsoletecd-rom Not really. Niche can be very cheap.
The high prices is because a mix of technique of the making of the product, the materials used, and the time/effort put in to make the completed product. And considering that it's a still good art medium (I like watercolor/pastels the best out of all the different mediums, if only because it's just easier for me), it's also expensive for that reason.
As you saw, they don't use machinery because of reasons they explained very well.
If you lived nearby you could buy one at a time and it wouldn't hurt so bad. They're 20 euro. But they do have 1800 colors lol
@@jetblackstarI imagine that a chunk of that $1300 goes on purchasing the materials. Pigments can be very expensive.
One of my youth core memories is dropping my full box of 80 half-pastels from Sennelier on the ground and seeing all those beautiful colors shatter. I was 17 and I am still mortified. I haven't touched any pastels since.
Seeing her eyes glowed as she was touching that yellow pigment sparked so much joy in me. This is truly someone that appreciates her craft.
Everyone involved at this oil pastel studio deserves all the love and success. Truly a rare sight!
They're not oil pastels. They're just called pastels- it's a different medium.
i have some yellow ochre pigment like that and even though yellows and greens are my least favorite part of the spectrum, i love this deep polleny-looking hue which is amazing next to other earth pigments like terra cotta. there's a mountain range-either it's in turkey or the balkans i think-where this ochre is a natural color in the soil strata that they mine, hence it's called a natural earth pigment
as a chemist, I'm vaguely terrified of anything that's too brightly colored 😬
@@deocharismostrales4142Especially when it's centuries old...🙈
@@aclstudios What they're making are called "soft" pastels, pastels tendres. Occasionally, you will see them called "chalk pastels"
Looking at the pastel sticks is calming, hearing the co-owners talk about their work is calming, love this video!
I'm a pastel artist and these pastels are like the holy grail of pastels. I would love to own some of them but they are exceedingly expensive!
I just looked up the prices out of curiosity.... set of 12 is roughly about 200-250 USD. A set of 72, between 1400-2000 USD. Set of 648 colors, around 10 000 USD. And the complete set of 1904 colors in a wooden cabinet runs about 30 000 USD. 😮💨
Oof. I'm glad artisans know their worth though.
@@jkjkfrr Just crazy how much they cost. I guess if I were selling 30,000.00 dollar paintings I could justify it. I don't understand why they have to be that expensive given there are several really amazing brands of soft pastel that are incredible to work with.
Do they have expiry dates? Or are they a long term investment?
I wish I could reach through the screen and grab some, they are gorgeous. I know "too expensive for me" when I see it, however...
@@jaguatiricaimediata5305 These type of pastels don't really have expiry dates and the question is difficult to answer since there are a multitude of aspects to consider.
In regards to long term investment, the medium being used (pastels in this case) is both for the artist and buyer of the eventual work. A pastel artist using these pigments is able to price out their finished work much higher than another artist using a different pastel brand due to the reputation and archival longevity that they carry.
I'm not an artist in a traditional sense personally, but my spouse is. I'm a maker by hobby and sort of obsess over how things are manufactured, how to replicate it, if its viable to even attempt, etc... but the TL;DR is that High Quality and Reputable artist materials (cavas, paper, mediums, etc...) are often priced in terms of their long term archival consistency (often intended to be 150+ years).
I love how they’re still using old techniques by absolute hand and using no modern machinery to do everything automatically (obviously their printing the labelling is about as modern as their manufacturing can get). This is why artisanal supplies are absolutely the highest quality and most coveted by passionate artists.
This is the absolute closest you can get to having a product exactly like Degas and La Tour would have used, it’s the medium in its purest form.
As an artist and lover of vibrant color, this was mesmerizing. The world needs more of this kind of craft. Sadly, we're losing this kind of centuries of knowledge and honed expertise every day. I doubt I'll ever be able to use much less buy this kind of beautiful material 😢
We only live once. If you want to do something then you absolutely should. They have an online store. They aren’t cheap but certainly something that can be saved towards & build up a collection.
The point is that the world probably doesn't need this kind of craft anymore, but these two do it anyway. That's part of the human condition and that's art. It's unnecessary, but it's essential for the soul.
We're losing this knowledge... because it's a "well gaurded trade secret". If they shared it with others, then someone might find a way to make it cheaper. Truly one of the stories of capitalism of all time.
@Tubeytime you have completely missed the point. There is no "making it cheaper" when you're talking about trade craft like this. What makes them expensive isn't the secret formula, although that may be a small part, it's the fact that they are individually hand made. The quality of something handmade like this can't be replicated with a machine. There is literal magic happening here, the alchemy of which is only possible when done by professional hands. ❤
@@TubeytimeAlso they are not the only producer of pastels, there are plenty of pastels that are "cheaper". It is that their pastels are much finer quality and would in likelihood be more expensive if the formula was bought out by a larger producer... Her company only has 2 employees and doesn't have board of executives expecting 6+ figure salaries and so on. $15-$20 USD per pastel isn't really that much when you consider the quality of the product and the reputation the brand carries.
I’m a pastel artist, albeit a hobbyist, and my grandma gifted me 5 of their pastels as a high school graduation gift she had bought on a trip to Paris. I can’t buy their products anymore because struggling college kid and all that but I honestly can’t wait until I make enough money to be able to own one again, best pastels I’ve ever owned.
Visiting la maison du pastel (and buying some of their precious pastels) is every pastels painters dream 😍
Visiting La Maison du Pastel is still a dream for many middle class Indian boys.
visiting La Maison du Pastel is also a dream for unspecified middle class filipinos
A visit to this shop in Paris is a gift to all artists. The choices and vibrancy of the colors is extensive and rewarding. A joy.
As an artist who doesn’t use pastel I still appreciate the hell out of the fact they continue the craft. I bow in respect to the commitment and focus.
I would absolutely love working here. It's like cooking mixed with colors.
Showing that they still have - and use - over 100 year old pigments brings a tear to my eye. That my friends is a very special and beautiful thing.
Everyone want to know their blue, this is why they have 300 years in the sales business, blue is the the most select, and hardest to fink in nature color. If it can move you emotionally, then they are the greatest, best, and signature in biz. Nice work.
I wonder if they ever made ynmin blue pastels. Apparently the newest blue pigment since 200 years or so and also having a super blue that camera's cannot capture and screens cannot show properly. Kind of want to know what that really looks like 😅
@@VarmintLP I think its near the reply button color.
@@VarmintLP The pigment's patented until 2030, and by some accounts the one license holder - Shepard Color - has struggled to make it at scale. No idea how genuine that is.
@@VarmintLPHi, I live in Paris and regularly visit the shop. I spoke with Isabelle and Margaret and the latter informed me that they tried to make a YnMin blue pastel. Unfortunately the result was actually underwhelming and she told me that their Ultramarine blue is brighter than the YnMin blue. So if you want to see the brightest blue in pastel form that would be their 6911 Ultramarine. Hope this helps.
For a long time, blue could only be obtained by crushing lapis lazuli and azurite to use as a pigment.
This made me cry...such a beautiful thing to make and provide. It's a gift to see subtle qualities of color.
I love the way her eyes lit up when she saw that yellow pigment for the first time! Such a genuine excitement to experiment with it is hard to find.
i'd pay money just to sit in a corner and watch them work while i draw... their passion is infectious.
Hopefully this video gets them more customers. They deserve it!
Definitely will. Even if only 1 in a million people will go pro at pastel painting, that's already 1 person from the views. Then there are hobbyists.
Their pastel is 20euros a piece..l
doubt it
This is by far my most favorite Business Insider episode.
Agreed!
I'm not an artist, but always love the stories of how art mediums are produced. After seeing this I actually looked into buying some of these pastels for a friend, but they're actually a bit out of my price range. You definitely pay for top quality stuff.
What I found the most interesting from the business side was that they work with their clients and ask them what they need. This seems to be something that the majority of businesses today have forgotten.
So we need more businesses that come back to this strategy.
I hope they continue to train others to love the trade and never let it die, amazing women.
There is something incredibly special about using an art material that is completely made by hand. It's like using art to make art.
Digital artists could never.
Who wouldn't want to do this job. Maybe its just me, but this looks like a dream.
You could always try applying.
I want to cry because my life will never have a fraction of this fulfillment.
@@liesalllies its okay to cry and its okay to keep searching, it may take a while to find something for you but, just know, you are not alone in this journey. ❤
Their pastels are hands down the best. Well worth the price. I’ve never understood why pastel art isn’t more popular - perhaps because you canMt mix the colours, because it often creates hazy, ethereal art, but that’s what I love about it. That and being able to ‘paint’ either the pigment with your fingers. I adore the texture and light that pastels give you. So wonderful to see this business blooming!
As a self taught super realist oil painter, I just love this. The more ancient the method the better.
Today we just walz in shops clueless about what goes into our materials.
We're spoiled rotten, and it's quite sad. ❤
Shut
@@markchinguz4401 Nono, they got a point.
Most paints today can't replicate or are very very expensive if they replicate old colors that are no longer in circulation due to varying reasons.
@@BrokensoulRider you kinda right, my comment was more about the non-needed "self-taught super realist oil painter"
@@markchinguz4401 I looked him up, he his work is rather good. Sometimes it is not bad to put out a proud statement about yourself, especially if you can back it up. Maybe do something about your own pride and allowing yourself to be confident?
Im glad RUclips recommended this to me. I am an artist and found this so important to the art culture and future! Thank you for sharing.❤
This is where I buy my pastels and they are superb!!! Bravo Maison du Pastel!!
You must be a millionaire.
@@aclstudiosthey're 20 euro each. It's expensive but it's not like the cost of a boat or anything, which many everyday people have.
@@no_peace And from what I've heard they're very pigmented meaning long lasting. A little bit goes a long way. And you don't have to buy their biggest set, you can start out with a handful of colours and expand as needed :)
personally i'd consider this level of craftmenship art in and of itself. those colours were beautiful...
The craftsmanship pit into those pastels, is just, wow. Highly, highly respectable. Thank you for sharing this with us 🙏
I loved using pastels when I was in art school. More so than paints. These pastels are so beautiful. I wish I could have every color they've got. What a magical place this Company is. So glad they didn't let it die and I hope it thrives and keeps growing. Places like this are something we should treasure and try to keep. Bravo ladies!! 👏
One day I will save up enough to buy at least 100 colors from their shop. Pastels has been the only medium I have always felt close when drawing.
This oil pastel artist is glad you’re keeping the art alive. I use oil pastels as a renter and carer to young children because it can be packed away easier than paints.
i love pastel. something about the powder blending together can’t be replicated. blending yellows and oranges are my favorite
As a kid, my parents took me to art museums where I fell in love with impressionists. So many of them used pastels, that’s how I discovered them.
I just love looking at all the fresh pastels all in fresh little sticks stacked up in all different colors would be so soothing to work there.
This whole story soothes my soul. I hope the business thrives and the artists create beautiful master works of art. ❤
I wish I could just subscribe to the series of “cool things still being made the old school way by artisans” because this is content I come here for
These are glorious; I can't stand the smell of oil paint and would much rather have pastels like these.
I'm assuming you're talking about the smell of the solvents? If so, solvents can be replaced with walnut oil for brush cleaning & it works great as a medium similar to linseed oil. Odorless solvents still give off fumes, while walnut oil is non-toxic. I have many customers that switched to walnut oil who were also ready to give up on oils. No media is safer than another as they all use the same pigments. You just need to take proper precautions like the 2 women making the pastels who wore masks and gloves. Or you can just throw caution to the wind, grinding that cadmium and cobalt into your veins like the artist they highlighted.
@@edmer68 I dont think walnut oil works super well as a solvent but lavender spike oil works well and is also non toxic
@@edmer68 No, not the solvents. Some oil paints have a smell to the oil that can be nauseating. I usually avoid them, even though from a distance, I can like and still appreciate them. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of these pastels too. Your response is very much appreciated, too. I assume you are a vendor of oils and pigments?
@@edmer68Is linseed oil not still used? I thought that’s traditionally what’s still used for canvases.
@@ferretyluv it’s still used. Mixed with pigment, linseed is the standard oil for making paint. It’s used as a medium to extend the color & there are varieties that slow or speed the drying time. Walnut oil is similar to linseed as a medium but can also be used as a cleaner.
I am a pastel artist. I think that it's so cool how Isabelle and Margaret are continuing the pastel business after all these years! All the different colors they make by hand are absolutely incredible! 😄
Those blue sticks at 7:48 cured my sunday depression!
Oop😮
Me too! This whole video did!
RIGHT? The colours were popping out of my screen! Never had that happen with blue! I'm impressed of both the pastels and my computer 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It was the purple sticks for me! Mesmerizing!
That's how the green and yellow on tiles made me feel. Also look at their metallic scarab colors
I have a great appreciation for handmade anything. But having worked with pigment, making my own colors in tattoo ink and now encaustic makes me appreciate La Maison du Pastel much more. I commend these ladies for keeping the arts alive with their product. I’ll be certain to seek out this product in the near future.
I haven't painted in months. This video makes me want to pull my pigments out and play so much...maybe even try to experiment with pastels. If I do, I know where to source my supplies.
Thank you. Lovely story.
I hope you make something beautiful! 💕
I found this fascinating and absolutely amazing that a business that is so old is being kept alive and passed on to someone younger
I could watch this over and over, it's so magical! Well done, as always, Isabelle & Margaret!
I’m not much of an artist but pastels have always been my favorite medium. This makes me want to start making art again. Beautiful!
I'd much rather BI focus on making this kind of documentary about creation, rather than yet another military industrial complex documentary about destruction.
Thumbs up on the videos you like, thumbs down on the ones you don’t like.
Which BI videos are you watching? These are really the only BI videos I get recommended.
very interesting video! i enjoyed watching it!
one thing though: in 3:09, it says something along the lines of “soft pastel artists can’t mix a new color before applying it to paper”
however, as a soft pastel and acrylic paint artist, this isn’t 100% true. soft pastels aren’t too different from paints actually.
take a piece of printer paper (or any smooth surface) and apply lots of soft pastel so that there’s a small pile of chalk powder on the surface. do the same with another color of soft pastel, and mix the two powders together to create a new color.
you can use a sofft pastel tool (not a typo, “sofft” is a brand) or your finger to apply the powder onto your art piece.
this is similar to squeezing two different colors of paint on a palette and mixing them together.
Checked their website. A complete set of 1904 pastels is worth $30,865.00. Custom wooden cabinets included.
Ahh so only a measly ~16usd pr pastel.
Sign me up!
Nice
@@mikkelkirketerp4884 Works out to about $18.17 for each stick in their set of 36 at $655 lol.
Considering how much work goes into it and how niche the market is, that's honestly very reasonably priced.
WOW!!!
That looks like the most wonderful, amazing job, in the whole world to me. Apparently, I "can see more color variation" than the average person. Given this, and being an artist, I'd adore doing something like this, even if only for the sake of helping fellow creatives, curiosity, and creation. 💜
I love people who use the handmade way of life. 🥰
I would love to wish these 2 beautiful ladies a warm thank you. I can't mix colours plus they are so expensive that pastels are the only thing that I use & it kept my dream of painting going.
More like this. More colors and art supplies.
These artisans really "touch my soul". It is so good to see that traditional crafts are kept alive!
I wish them all the success they so well deserve.
(😎this is one of the occasion where I wish I was rich. I'd buy a whole palette and rekindle my artistic streak!)
As an artist, this is wonderful to watch. Please do something similar for oil pastels, too!
There’s something beautiful about the French from the countryside. So honest but kind. Miss them and their kindness
La Maison du Pastel dedication to traditional craftsmanship and maintaining a vast color range is truly commendable! It’s a great reminder that niche markets can provide substantial opportunities for businesses that prioritize quality and authenticity. 🎨
😂 you sound like ChatGPT
Bot Ah comment
me when i have to do a book report
My grandma made art with pastels. Despite rheumatoid arthritis in her hands, and one glass eye, she made beautiful landscapes.
I love this I’ve never been an artist. I do love color and how that color comes to be. To the people who use it and create wonderful things it must be so special.
Wonderful! I love seeing handcrafts, especially when they are as beautiful an art as the pictures they are used to create. Having seen this increases my appreciation of the pastels even more (which I hadn’t thought possible since I have carried that in my hand and heart my entire life. Since I noticed the difference and cherished Roché the very first time I held one in my hand. It was a special little gift from my art teacher when I received an award in art that I wasn’t able to accept (due to religious objections from that time in my life). The role they played in my life is great and the memories that they helped create. It’s wonderful knowing who they are, today and yesterday and thinking of all the people they’ve touched. The impact they have had through their own art, on this world like ripples spreading across a pond. To live on in the artwork, an indelible mark on the world in vivid color.
This touched my heart. It was fascinating to see the pastels made by hand and also to hear the ladies describe what motivated them and how they made their decisions. I have never liked the "feel" of chalk pastels, but watching these be made and seeing the vibrancy of the color in the artist's red picture has made me want to try them! So beautiful!
Absolutely beautiful. I'd personally watch the process for hours/days if I could. It's reignited my artistic soul
Ooohhhh, I am drooling over those gorgeous colors. Beautiful.
Business Insider has showcased some amazing crafts and processes. Thank you!
It is so so important to support these small businesses by purchasing from them!!
How beautiful to make a descent living doing what you love!
This is fascinating and I’ve learned so much about pastels, this woman’s devotion to old world crafts and another woman’s curiosity and now passion to keep this going. One question: It seemed at the beginning they said that pastels cannot be mixed and blended, yet I thought they could.
Pastels can be blended on the paper, but it gets difficult to keep the colour consistent over larger areas. It is also sometimes desirable to draw a line with contrast/no blending with surrounding colours (i.e. a rough line that picks up the texture of the paper), and in that case you can only work with the colours available.
I forgot about pastels I’ve used them once and adored using them; maybe I should change to using this medium again ♥
It is always a pleasure to watch how raw ingredients become a medium for creating art.
God they are living the dream crafting and selling these it's beautiful
I love all the colors and as someone who uses lower end pastels I could only imagine how these handle
Claude is also a lovely personality 😁
I one day wish to live either creating art or working in the field somehow.
The part where she's discovering the pigment is just so joyful
I so enjoy watching products being made from centuries-old techniques. In this day & age of disposable (and cheaply made) everything, it's lovely to see people carrying old traditions forward.
The way I gasped at the drawer of colours
I love these series. Those people are always so genuine and do things with passion and love
300 yr old pastel stick maker is impressive. First 300 yr old we've ever seen.
These are truly the most wonderful pastels to work with. I love the vibrant colors. Thank you, Business Insider for inspiring me to try them!
lies
The comparison between this French savoir faire and the joke of the "candles video" is extreme lol
These people are truly skilled in chromatology, meanwhile the candle making company just had very straight wicks
This company also kept the original formulas from 300 years ago, whilst the candle company changed to inferior ingredients to save money.
The Roche Pastels (all of them) are lusciously delightful to my brain; make me very happy! I want to create art in this Pastel medium now. In fact, I think this RUclips may give same message to other artists/art students/art teachers. Should help their business, I would think, a great deal. This is great family business story, as well.
They look really good for being 300 years old.
That was wonderfully well done. Your production was excellent and really left no questions unanswered. As an artist myself, it was a fascinating peak into that corner of the business. I use mixed water base media. I think pastel is by far the most technically difficult medium to work with. Their colors are beautiful, though, and I can imagine what a joy they are to use.
Fascinating story! Such glorious colours! There is a huge possible market with the vloggers that do doll repaints using pastels to shade and colour the dolls.
I didn’t know doll painters used pastels. That would seem risky. I would assume oil paints would be best because they stick better.
@@ferretyluv mostly dollpainters are brushing on pastels, i see blush done with pastels alot. Youd rather pastel because its more realistic and faint(?), and you spray a sealant on top anyways. Oil wouldnt work atall for dolls
These two seem to put a lot of heart into what they do which I always thought was beautiful when making something. Putting their soul into it means that they love and care a LOT about their craft.
Just fantastic! I had to look it up. The price for a three wooden cabinet "complete" set is $31,000. Mon dieu.
Well the complete collection is 1904 pastels.. which makes about 15€ a stick. So yes, costly, but not so much for hand-crafted pastels of this quality.
The blending to me makes the art. It is so cerebral and very fractaleque. Colors become so much more important with this medium. It's completely physical and relies on the artist's pressure and applications as opposed to the brush. I'm amazed at their dedication to the color and accuracy.
I really enjoyed learning about this company and the exquisite pastels they make.
Can't believe anyone 300 years old would still be doing this.
Cerulean Blue - BI intern:“this color, Caribbean Blue…“ - you can tell there’s a passion for in depth reporting^^
I was wondering if anyone else caught that. I thought the same thing. Cerulean, Caribbean... whatever.
I thought that was weird too! Just like her pronounciation of maison
How are you going to make that comment off of one simple mistake? Should they not have created this video at all? I noticed it too but damn be glad this content exists at all
@@timrtzI consider that a blemish on an otherwise impeccable report
It's not a mistake. The pigment is called Cerulean Blue and they are making their own custom color from it, probably mixing it with other pigments that they don't show on camera to protect their business secrets, that they brand "Caribbean Blue" for sale.
Imagine working with a rainbow and every bird or flower in the world. Then the sky, the sea, the sunset and sunrise and you just touch on the pallet that is there. Amazing what can be created from their work.🙏💕
I could be very happy doing this as a job.😊❤
Pastels are my FAVORITE medium, simply because of the nature of the consistency of pastels - chalky & creamy, I love being able to blend them so seamlessly. I didn't know I needed these pastels in my life, now I do. New life goal.