How To Sharpen Pastel Pencils 

Thank you Emma, you really have made a helpful tutorial on everything we have questions about.

Thanks for adding the faber castle pencils in the description 👍🏼

So happy i saw this! Thanks, Emma! Now i am able to get the point that i want!

I'm going to use this technique. I am just starting again in pastels. I bought a good sized set of the Pitt Pastel pencils and a $22 multipoint sharpener. The sharpener ate up a full inch of the first pencil but I got a nice long point, less of a point on the second and third pencil then it completely stopped working on the fourth pencil. I got out my little hand sharpener and got them more or less sharpened. I could have bought a bigger set of pastel pencils for the money I wasted on the sharpener.

TY. So glad to know someone smarter than I, has also cut their finger, while sharpening. 💛🙏

i also use cutter then sharpen the point with sand paper so I saved some pastels

Thank you for the demonstration ❤️

Super helpful. Thank you so much for this

I have also Faber Castell pastel pencils the 60 pencil set

Nice to see someone who is not afraid of knives!. I use a file, like you would use for filing metal. Mine is 12 long. It works, in my opinion, better than sand paper. I do use a knife occasionally such a when I´m in the field. I have a video on it if anyone is interested.

Hi Emma, i love your work. I struggle with sharpening, I use a blade and nail file, as I cannot seem to get a sharp tip with just a blade

excellent !!! but this craft knife sharpening works well only for sturdy pencils like PITT or carandache...some times it works well for carbothello otherwise soft leads like derwent or gioconda or conte leads falls miserably!!!

So this technique isn't for everyone, but I like to use a chisel. I like it, it's safer but also easier to pare the wood. On the downside, the weight of a chisel blade needs respect especially with more crumbly pigments, but it's worth experimenting if you find the time.

You make this technique look easy but, so far, I seem to have trouble rotating as i go and always end up with a wonky point!!! 🙄🤪 Will have another go, now I’ve seen you do it!

Thank you so much for this demo, it is very helpful!!!

I remove the wood okay, because I sharpen some pencils like this too and I enjoy it too. It's very therapeutic for me sharpening pencils with a blade but every time I try to make a point with the blade I end up breaking the lead so now I sand it in an artists sandpaper block instead

What is your favourite brand of pencil for details at the end?

Wow!

Gotta say..... I hate sharpening pastel pencils 🙄 x

THEY.KEEP.BREAKING!!!!!!!!! I’m pissed and wasted half a pencil already!!😡😡 I tried everything and I’m starting to blame the pencils’ quality!!

Aren't you worried about the massive amount of dust you put into the air with this method?