Working with Schminckes finest extra-soft pastels contain only the purest medium fine ground artists pigments, which are in the highest possible concentration. Contrastingly, the binding agent content, is kept to a minimum, which ensures a stable compound. In order to guarantee the highest quality it is nece ssary to manufacture Schmincke pastels using special recipes which avoid the use of machinery during manufacture. Worm extruders form the pre-kneaded dough into round skeins, which are then detached by hand & cut in a wire-strung frame. The damp sticks have to dry for around eight days before they can be labelled & packed by h&. This is a costly & time consuming process, how ever it is the only way Schmincke can guarantee homogenous quality & smoothness in all the production cycles, in order that the artist can be assured that his favourite colour shade is consistant throughout our range of finest extra-soft artists pastel colours. This cardboard set contains 10 Schmincke Finest Extra-Soft Artists Pastels. This is an ideal set for those who want to start using this medium.