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Pastels
Pastels are an artist medium made from ground pigments which have been mixed with a small amount of binder and filler
and then shaped and pressed into a pastel stick.
The different types of binder used to create the pastels will dictate the hardness or softness of the pastel.
As the Pastel pigments are dry and held together with only a small amount of binder,
these chalk-like crayons are not mixed on a palette (as paint),
but are instead mixed on the paper by using different techniques of overlaying or blending.
Pastels can be used both a drawing and painting medium.
Some artists use the pastels in the same way as a pencil,
using the sides of the pastel stick for broader strokes or they may combine pastels with charcoals,
watercolours or other painting techniques.
Pastels are very versatile, as they are mixable, wipeable, and can also be mixed with water for watercolour effects.
Pastels are preferred by many artists because:
They don't darken and crackle like oil paintings
There is no fading or blistering and they do not degrade over time.
There is no drying time which allows for a more direct and spontaneous approach than painting
The colour will not change (as pastels do not need to dry).
When the surface is fully covered with pastel, the work is called a pastel painting.
If the surface is only partially covered, it's called a pastel sketch or drawing.
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