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Visit Us

Discover the art of handmade pastels. Step inside the world of Unison Colour and discover the craftsmanship, colour and passion behind our world-renowned handmade soft pastels.

Visitor day

Plan your visit:

  • The second Thursday of every month

  • Approximately 2 hours

    1:30pm - 3:30pm

  • £100 + VAT per person (£120 including VAT)

Location:

  • Unison Colour, Unit 13 Vallum Farm, East Wallhouses, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE18 0LL. UK

Book your visit

Your ticket includes the full guided experience, a hands-on pastel rolling activity, a complimentary 8 Small Stick Soft Pastel Set of your choice (RRP £51.59), and an exclusive 33% visitor discount on eligible purchases made during your visit.

Visit Overview

Nestled in the beautiful Northumberland countryside, Unison Colour has a rich history of producing some of the world’s finest handmade soft pastels, loved and trusted by professional artists and enthusiasts across the globe.

Visit us and experience the magic of Unison Colour for yourself.

Join us for an exclusive, two-hour, behind-the-scenes experience at our home in Northumberland, where you’ll discover our history, explore the fascinating process of pastel making and have the opportunity to hand-roll pastels.

Whether you’re an experienced pastel artist, a beginner discovering the medium or simply someone with a passion for art and craftsmanship, this is a unique opportunity to see where colour comes to life.

Unison Colour pastel making studio on a sunny day.

What does your experience include?

Discover the history of Unison Colour

Learn the fascinating story of Unison Colour, from its beginnings and the vision of its founder, John Hersey, to its development into an internationally recognised name in fine art materials. Discover what makes our pastels so special and why artists around the world choose Unison Colour.

Go behind the scenes

Enjoy a guided tour of our Northumberland workshop and see where our famous soft pastels are created. Discover the traditional techniques, specialist equipment and skilled craftsmanship involved in producing our extensive range of beautiful colours.

Discover the secrets of colour

Learn about the pigments and materials that give Unison Colour pastels their distinctive qualities. Explore how colours are developed, how different pigments behave and what makes our pastels renowned for their softness, vibrancy and exceptional colour.

Experience the art of hand-rolling

Roll up your sleeves and experience one of the most distinctive parts of our manufacturing process.

Under the guidance of our experienced team, you'll have the opportunity to hand-roll your very own soft pastels, gaining a firsthand appreciation of the skill, care and craftsmanship that goes into every stick we produce.
Steve making pastels

Meet the makers

Meet members of the Unison Colour team and hear directly from the people who make our pastels. Discover the care and attention that goes into every stage of production, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

Explore our world of colour

Discover our extraordinary palette of 380 soft pastel colours and learn more about our different colour ranges, sets and the ways in which artists use them to create their work.
Starter 8 small stick soft pastel set 1 2026 v2

Take home a complimentary Unison Colour pastel set

Every visitor will receive a beautiful Unison Colour 8 Small Stick Soft Pastel Set, included in the price of their experience. Choose your favourite from six collections: Starter, Portrait, Landscape, Light, Dark, Midnight Retail value: £51.59

The perfect keepsake from your visit, ready to inspire your next artwork.
Close up of the Starter 72 Soft Pastel set.

Enjoy an exclusive 33% visitor discount

As a special thank you for visiting us, you'll receive an exclusive 33% discount on Unison Colour products purchased during your visit*. Whether you're looking to expand your pastel collection, discover new colours or treat yourself to something special, this is the perfect opportunity.

* This exclusive offer is available only to visitors attending the experience and applies to eligible purchases made on the day and is subject to availability.

Please note: Unison Colour is a working manufacturing environment. For the safety and enjoyment of all visitors, certain areas may be restricted and all guests must follow the instructions of our team during their visit.

Places are strictly limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Whether you’re visiting on your own, with a friend or as part of a small group, we’d love to welcome you to the home of Unison Colour. Click here to book your place.

Come and discover the people, the passion and the craftsmanship behind every Unison Colour pastel.

Book your visit

Your ticket includes the full guided experience, a hands-on pastel rolling activity, a complimentary 8 Small Stick Soft Pastel Set of your choice (RRP £51.59), and an exclusive 33% visitor discount on eligible purchases made during your visit.

  • Visitor day
  • Unison Colour Showcase 2026 Artist Visit.
  • Unison Colour Showcase 2026 Artist Visit.
  • Unison Colour Showcase 2026 Artist Visit.
  • Unison Colour Showcase 2026 Artist Visit.

Book Your Visit

Select one of our monthly visitor days...

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Colour Chart Guidance

We believe the colours in our web based colour chart are a faithful representation of our pastel range. But with any colours portrayed on the internet, there’s a whole heap of variables which mean that what you see, may not be what we see. That said, there’s some things that can be done to mitigate some of the variance.

Mobile phone and tablet screens tend to be pretty good for colour, so they’re always worth using, when viewing our colour chart.

We hate to say it, but cheaper computer displays, including laptops, can be rather hit and miss, in both colour and contrast, so they might not reveal the depth of the colour, as well as the true tone.

If you’re really keen on getting your computer up to speed on colour representation, you can use a calibration device to reach your display's fullest potential.

With all that said, if you think we’re way off the mark with any of the colours then, by all means let us know, and we’ll give it another shot.