Rowney Artists"" Soft Pastels are unique characterised by a velvety smoothness in working which stems from the carefully prepared blend of pure pigments shaded by means of extenders.Colour strength is dictated by the precise proportions of the ingredients and every batch of Artists"" Soft Pastels is stringently colour matched to closely defined tolerances.The quality and permanence is such that the Victoria and Albert Museum in London used Rowney Soft Pastels to restore the Raphael Cartoons which are reproduced on the packaging of pastel sets.Rowney Artists"" Soft Pastels are becoming more and more popular among artists of all levels of ability with the broad base of subjects - portraits landscapes and still life - all lending themselves so well to pastel painting.Also many artists find pastels very useful as a quick colour sketching medium. The photo to the right shows Rowney pastels at actual size.