Pastels

Crayon, Pastel, Colorful, Color, School, Chalk, Draw

Soft Pastels, the ones most familiar to people, are made from pigment, white chalk and a binder such as gum arabic. Their soft chalky nature makes them easy to blend but they don’t tend to adhere well to surfaces.

Pastel Pencils, like soft pastels, are comprised of pigment, white chalk and a binder such as gum arabic, and are encased in a wooden surround.

Oil Pastels contain pigments bound in a non-drying oil and wax binder and adhere well to many different surfaces. Due to their wet oil content they can be used with a solvent, thus becoming part painting medium and part drawing medium. However, because of this oil they never truly dry.

Opposite are the basic supplies I recommend if just getting started in pastels ➡

Below is a small selection from the pastel products I use ⬇

Some of the links on this page are my ArtDiscount and Amazon affiliate links – please feel free to click, browse and shop at no extra cost to you.

Soft Pastels

  • Inscribe Soft Pastels – various set sizes available
  • Clairefontaine Pan Pastels (my ‘go to’ choice) – smaller sets and individual colours available
  • Unison (soft) – many set sizes available & individual colours available too
  • Sennelier (very soft) – other set sizes available
  • Rembrandt (medium hardness) – other set sizes available
  • Loxley (medium hardness)
  • Ashby (medium hardness)

Pastel Pencils

Oil Pastels

Surfaces

Miscellaneous