Pastels
Pastels are pure powdered pigment mixed with a binder in stick form. They can come in several varieties - Soft pastels, hard pastels, oil pastels, pastel pencils, and pastel pans. They feel like a cross between chalk and a crayon. Pastel work is generally finished with a fixative that helps the pigment adhere to the paper and preserve the work.
Soft and hard pastels are made from powdered calcium carbonate mixed with pigment or dye to create color and then bound with a binder such as gum arabic, gum tragacanth, or methyl cellulose. The difference between the two is that hard pastels have a much higher binder content than soft pastels. Therefore hard pastels are less crumbly and difficult to break but their colors are not as vibrant as they hold less pigment.
Oil pastels are pigment bound with oil and wax. These do not smudge, produce dust, or crumble like soft and hard pastels. They also do not require a fixative to seal them when finished. They have a waxy consistency and often feel like working with crayons. They do not blend as easily as other pastels nor do they work as well in conjunction with other media. These qualities and the size of the sticks often make detailed work difficult.
Pastel pencils look like colored or drawing pencils. They are a pastel somewhere between soft and hard consistency and molded into a pencil filler. They were designed for detailed drawing. They are much less messy than other pastels and are often used in conjunction with other media types. They are also useful for outdoor and on site work.
Pastel pans are soft pastels that have been molded into pans instead of sticks. They tend to have even less binder than the already lightly bound soft pastels which allows them to have a higher pigment content. They are often used like paint, the powder able to be lifted by paint brushes and special tools. These colors are easier to blend and fully erasable. They are often cleaner and put off less dust than soft pastels.
Soft and hard pastels are made from powdered calcium carbonate mixed with pigment or dye to create color and then bound with a binder such as gum arabic, gum tragacanth, or methyl cellulose. The difference between the two is that hard pastels have a much higher binder content than soft pastels. Therefore hard pastels are less crumbly and difficult to break but their colors are not as vibrant as they hold less pigment.
Oil pastels are pigment bound with oil and wax. These do not smudge, produce dust, or crumble like soft and hard pastels. They also do not require a fixative to seal them when finished. They have a waxy consistency and often feel like working with crayons. They do not blend as easily as other pastels nor do they work as well in conjunction with other media. These qualities and the size of the sticks often make detailed work difficult.
Pastel pencils look like colored or drawing pencils. They are a pastel somewhere between soft and hard consistency and molded into a pencil filler. They were designed for detailed drawing. They are much less messy than other pastels and are often used in conjunction with other media types. They are also useful for outdoor and on site work.
Pastel pans are soft pastels that have been molded into pans instead of sticks. They tend to have even less binder than the already lightly bound soft pastels which allows them to have a higher pigment content. They are often used like paint, the powder able to be lifted by paint brushes and special tools. These colors are easier to blend and fully erasable. They are often cleaner and put off less dust than soft pastels.
Soft Pastels
Hard Pastels
Oil Pastels
Pastel Pencils
Pastel Pans
Using Pastel
To work with pastels, you tend to need special paper.
Pastel paper has tooth and texture which allows the pastel to grip the paper. Tooth is the tiny bumps and valleys found in rough paper. The more tooth a paper has (i.e. the deeper the valleys and the higher the bumps) the more layers of pastel you can add that will stick to the paper. However, the more tooth a paper has the harder it is to make precise details. Pastel can be white, but also comes in an assortment of other colors, particularly cream colored and black.
Pastel board is pastel paper attached to a stiff board backing, such as masonite, and sprayed with a texture spray to enhance tooth and texture.
Pastel paper has tooth and texture which allows the pastel to grip the paper. Tooth is the tiny bumps and valleys found in rough paper. The more tooth a paper has (i.e. the deeper the valleys and the higher the bumps) the more layers of pastel you can add that will stick to the paper. However, the more tooth a paper has the harder it is to make precise details. Pastel can be white, but also comes in an assortment of other colors, particularly cream colored and black.
Pastel board is pastel paper attached to a stiff board backing, such as masonite, and sprayed with a texture spray to enhance tooth and texture.
Works done in pastels