Working with Soft Pastel

SOFT PASTEL STICKS

The various soft pastel brands offer different qualities in terms of texture, pigment concentration, and colour range. At the bottom end of the market, there are coloured chalks like 'Inscribe' which are branded as 'soft pastels' but contain little-to-no pure pigment: I only recommend using these for initial blocking in as they tend to be hard and scratchy and have poor lightfastness. 

The most important variable among good-quality pastels is their hardness. Generally speaking, harder soft pastels contain more binder and less pigment than softer soft pastels. Both harder and softer pastels are useful. Harder pastels are useful for precision and control for detailed work. They also lay down less pigment, which is important for underpainting, because it doesn't fill up the tooth of the paper. 

Here is a useful hardness scale for the major soft pastel brands, produced by Dakota Pastels (a US-based art supplies shop). I recommend buying both a set of harder pastels and a set of softer pastels to form the basis of your collection: you can then supplement this with individual pastel sticks (as needed for individual projects) or curated selection boxes of lights, darks, tints and so on. 

Because it is harder to 'mix' colours using pastel sticks it is more expensive to get started with pastels than with oil paints as you need a number of them to create your 'palette'. Nonetheless, soft pastel is a thrilling medium to use - no mixing needed, just pure luminous colour! 

Here are a few of my favourite soft pastel brands: 

Sennelier

• Sennelier soft pastels have a beautifully buttery texture and intense, highly pigmented colours. They are made with a high concentration of pure pigment and minimal binder. Sennelier was founded in 1887 in Paris and was favoured by pastellists like Edgar Degas and Pablo Picasso. Sennelier were my first pastels and they remain my favourite. 
• Pricing: One full-sized stick is £4.60. Sennelier’s sets of half sticks offer particularly good value for money for beginners looking to build a pastel collection, such as the Paris Collection of 120 half sticks (RRP £125). 

Unison Colour

• Rich, creamy texture and excellent blendability. They offer consistent colour and smooth application. Excellent quality pastels.
• Unison was established by artist John Hersey in the late 1980s to address the need for higher quality and consistency in soft pastels. Unison Colour pastels are handmade in the UK.
• Pricing: One full-sized stick is £5.50

Rembrandt

• Rembrandt soft pastels are known for their moderate softness, making them versatile for both detailed work and broad strokes. They are less crumbly than some other brands, which makes them a good choice for fine details and layering. If your budget precludes buying two sets of pastels (one harder and one softer) then buying a set of Rembrandt's is a good option. They are the world's most popular soft pastel! (according to Royal Talens.)   
• Rembrandt pastels have been produced in the Netherlands since the 1920s by Royal Talens.
• Pricing: One full-sized stick is £3.10. Boxes of 90 half sticks are available online for around £60 - an excellent budget option. 

Schmincke

• Schmincke pastels are extremely soft and offer high pigment concentration (brilliant, intense colours). These pastels give a painterly finish, as they lay down so much pigment when applied to the paper.  
• Based in Germany, Schmincke has been producing fine art materials since 1881 and is well-regarded for its quality and innovation.
• Pricing: One full-sized stick is £3.90

Terry Ludwig

• Terry Ludwig pastels and quite unusual in that they are a square shape, which offers versatility in application. They are highly pigmented providing rich, vibrant colours and smooth blending.
• Terry Ludwig was founded by the artist Terry Ludwig in the early 2000s. The pastels are hand-rolled in Ludwig's factory in Colorado.
• Pricing: A set of 14 is £101 (individual sticks are not widely available in the UK)

Holbein

• Holbein pastels are fairly hard, making them suitable for detailed work and layering.
• Holbein is a Japanese company with a long history of innovation and producing high-quality art materials.
• Pricing: A set of 24 is £54 (individual sticks not available)

Art Spectrum

• Art Spectrum pastels are medium-soft, like Rembrandt, but more pigmented. They are smooth and easy to control. Art Spectrum pastels are available as both square and round sticks, so you can apply the same colour with different tips/ edges, which is very handy when it comes to detailed work. 
• An Australian brand, Art Spectrum has been producing art materials since 1966, focusing on artist-driven innovation
• Pricing: A set of 6 is £22.50 (individual sticks are not widely available in the UK)

Blue Earth

• Blue Earth pastels have a consistent softness and pure, vibrant colours. They are useful for painterly work where you require detail, as they are highly pigmented and soft, but come in a square format. 
• Blue Earth Pastels is a young company, founded in 2012 in Minnesota. 
• Pricing: One full-sized stick is £4.20

PASTEL PANS

PanPastel sells artist-quality pastels in pans (similar to face paints), as a versatile alternative to traditional pastels. The pan format offers a cleaner and more controlled application method using foam-tipped applicator tools, allowing artists to achieve a wide range of effects from broad washes to fine details. These are particularly useful for blocking in at the beginning of a pastel painting because they do not fill in the tooth of the paper too quickly. They are also low dust, so if you are sensitive to pastel dust, these are good alternatives. 

Pricing: £8 per pan 

PASTEL PENCILS

Pastel pencils are a very helpful tool to supplement your pastel sticks, offering the precision of a pencil combined with the vibrant colour and blending properties of pastels. As with pastel sticks, the various brands offer pastel pencils with different qualities. 

Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils

• Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils are soft, velvety and vibrant. They can be easily blended and layered, and they offer good lightfastness. I highly recommend these pencils for all levels. If you only buy one set of pencils, I recommend CarbOthello. The range includes 60 colours, available both individually and in sets of various sizes.
• Stabilo is a German company founded in 1855, known for producing a wide range of writing and drawing instruments.
• Pricing: per pencil £1.80, around £80 for the full set of 60 pencils.

Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils

• Faber-Castell Pitt pastel pencils are smooth, highly pigmented, and fairly hard. They offer excellent lightfastness and a range of 60 colours, which can be purchased individually or as a set.
• Faber-Castell is a German company founded in 1761, making it one of the world's oldest (and most respected) art supply manufacturers.
• Pricing: per pencil £2

Caran d'Ache Pastel Pencils

• Caran d'Ache pastel pencils are premium quality pencils. They have a creamy texture and are highly blendable. They are richly pigmented and offer excellent lightfastness. 
• Founded in 1915, Caran d'Ache is a Swiss company known for its excellent artist's pencils (the graphite pencils and the watercolour pencils are also brilliant).
• Pricing: per pencil £4.10

Derwent Pastel Pencils

• Derwent pastel pencils provide a soft, powdery texture with good pigmentation and blendability. They are designed to offer control and precision, making them suitable for detailed work. The full range of 72 colours is available individually or as a set. 
• Derwent is a British company founded in 1832, well-known for its good-quality pencils and range of affordable art supplies.
• Pricing: per pencil £2

Conte à Paris Pastel Pencils

• Conte à Paris pastel pencils are known for their soft texture, high pigment concentration, and excellent blending properties. They offer good coverage and lightfastness. The pastel pencil range includes 48 colours, available individually and in sets.
• Founded in 1795, Conte à Paris is a French company famous for its high-quality drawing and sketching materials.
• Pricing: per pencil £2.20

SURFACES

Choosing the right paper is crucial for achieving the best results in soft pastel art. Different papers offer various textures, weights, and colours, all of which can impact the outcome of the artwork.

Some of the best options on the market are:

Clairefontaine Pastelmat:

• Texture: Velvety surface with a fine, grippy texture.
• Weight: 360 gsm.
• Colours: Available in several natural and neutral colours.
• Characteristics: Known for its ability to hold multiple layers of pastel without the need for fixatives. The smooth yet grippy surface allows for excellent blending and layering. My personal favourite surface for pastel painting. 

Canson Mi-Teintes:

• Texture: One side has a pronounced honeycomb texture, while the other side is smoother.
• Weight: 160 gsm (grams per square meter).
• Colours: Available in a wide range of colours.
• Characteristics: This versatile paper is popular for its dual texture, allowing artists to choose the side that best suits their technique. The textured side is excellent for holding multiple layers of pastel.

UART Sanded Paper:

• Texture: Sanded surface with varying grits (240, 280, 320, 400, 500, 600, 800).
• Weight: Varies with the grit.
• Colours: Typically a neutral beige colour.
• Characteristics: The sanded texture provides excellent tooth for holding many layers of pastel. The different grits allow artists to choose the level of texture that best suits their style and technique.

Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card:

• Texture: Coated with vegetable flakes for a rough, sandpaper-like texture.
• Weight: 200 gsm.
• Colours: Available in a range of earthy tones.
• Characteristics: Offers a very grippy surface ideal for layering and blending pastels. The vegetable flakes provide a unique texture that grips the pastel firmly.

Fabriano Tiziano:

• Texture: Lightly textured surface.
• Weight: 160 gsm.
• Colours: Available in a variety of colours.
• Characteristics: This paper is known for its high-quality cotton content and light texture, making it suitable for fine detail work as well as broader applications.

Hahnemühle Velour Paper:

• Texture: Velour-like, soft surface.
• Weight: 260 gsm.
• Colours: Limited range of soft, muted colours.
• Characteristics: The soft, velvety texture holds pastels well and gives a unique, dreamy quality to the artwork. Ideal for achieving soft edges and smooth transitions.

Strathmore 500 Series Charcoal Paper:

• Texture: Laid texture with a series of parallel lines.
• Weight: 64 lb (104 gsm).
• Colours: Available in various tones, including white, grey, and black.
• Characteristics: The laid texture provides a good grip for pastel particles and allows for subtle blending and layering. This paper is durable and well-suited for detailed work.

Art Spectrum Colourfix Paper:

• Texture: Coated with a fine, toothy acrylic primer.
• Weight: 300 gsm.
• Colours: Wide range of vibrant colours.
• Characteristics: The acrylic primed surface holds multiple layers of pastel without filling the tooth. The strong, durable paper is ideal for heavy applications and mixed media.

Canson Touch:

• Texture: Micro-abrasive surface.
• Weight: 335 gsm.
• Colours: Available in various tones.
• Characteristics: The micro-abrasive texture grips pastels well and allows for extensive layering. This heavy-weight paper is durable and ideal for rigorous techniques.

Ingres Paper:

• Texture: Lightly textured, typically with a laid pattern.
• Weight: 90-130 gsm.
• Colours: Available in a range of colours.
• Characteristics: Named after the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, this paper is suitable for fine detail work and light applications of pastel. It offers a classic, elegant texture.

Ampersand Pastelbord:

• Texture: Sanded, archival-quality surface.
• Weight: Comes as rigid panels.
• Colours: Neutral, typically off-white.
• Characteristics: The sanded surface is excellent for holding pastels and allows for multiple layers. The rigid panels provide a sturdy, durable base, making them suitable for extensive work and frameless display.

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES

Blending Tools

• Finger: The most immediate and intuitive blending tool for many artists: make sure you wipe away excess colour to avoid muddiness. 
• Tortillons and Blending Stumps: Rolled paper tools that provide more precision for blending smaller areas.
• Blending Knives: plastic spatulas with disposable foam tips, such as the Sofft range by PanPastel. 
• Soft Brushes: Used to gently blend pastels and soften edges without getting fingers dirty.
• Chamois Leather: A soft leather cloth that can be used to blend large areas smoothly.

Rubbers

• Kneaded rubbers: Highly mouldable and effective for lifting pastel pigment without damaging the paper.
• Precision rubbers: Small, fine-tipped rubbers like the Tombow Mono Zero are useful for detailed corrections.

Sharpening

• Knife: Pastel pencils are best sharpened with a blade as you have more control than with a sharpener. I recommend Opinel carbon-steel pocket knives (no. 8 is a good size) as they remain sharp and the blade can be locked in place.   
• Sandpaper: For sharpening to a fine tip, fine sand paper is useful and minimises waste. 

Fixatives

1. Workable Fixatives: Used during the creation process to set layers of pastel, allowing additional layers to be applied without smudging (e.g., Krylon Workable Fixatif).

2. Final Fixatives: Applied once the artwork is complete to protect the finished piece from smudging and dust (e.g., SpectraFix or Lascaux Fine Art Fixative).

Water Sprayers

Used to lightly dampen the paper for a different texture and blending effect or to fix layers temporarily.

Palette Knives

Metal or plastic palette knives can be used to scrape off layers of pastel or create texture.

Gloves and Barrier Creams

Disposable gloves or barrier creams like Artguard can protect the skin from prolonged exposure to pastel dust.

Soft pastels have a rich history that spans centuries. The medium's exact invention is somewhat unclear, but it is known that artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Jean Perréal were experimenting with pastel-like materials during the Renaissance period. These early pastels were composed of pure pigment combined with a binder, allowing for bright and intense colours.

Soft pastels gained significant popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in France. The medium became associated with portraiture, largely due to its ability to render delicate skin tones and soft textures. The French artist Rosalba Carriera was one of the first to use soft pastels extensively, and her work in the early 18th century helped to establish the medium's potential. During this period, pastels were mostly used for preparatory sketches or intimate portraits.

The 18th century is often considered the golden age of pastels. Artists such as Maurice Quentin de La Tour and Jean-Baptiste Perronneau in France, and John Russell in England, achieved extraordinary levels of detail and sophistication using soft pastels. The Rococo period, with its emphasis on lightness and elegance, was particularly suited to the pastel medium.

During this time, the manufacturing of pastels also improved. The sticks became more consistent in quality, with better pigments and binders, allowing artists to create more refined and lasting works. Pastels were made by grinding pigment into a powder, then mixing it with a binder such as gum arabic, and finally forming it into sticks.

In the 19th century, soft pastels continued to be a popular medium, especially among portrait artists. However, their use expanded beyond portraiture as artists began to explore new themes and techniques.

The Impressionist movement brought a renewed interest in pastels. Edgar Degas is perhaps the most famous pastel artist of this era. He used pastels to capture the fleeting moments of ballet dancers, horse races, and everyday scenes with a remarkable sense of movement and light. Degas often combined pastels with other media, such as monotype, to achieve unique textures and effects.

In the 20th century, artists continued to push the boundaries of what could be achieved with soft pastels. Artists like Mary Cassatt, who was influenced by Degas, and later, modernists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, used pastels to explore colour and form in new ways. Picasso, in particular, used pastels throughout his career, from his early blue period to his later abstract works.

The formation of pastel societies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as the Société des Pastellistes de France, helped to promote and elevate the status of pastel art. These societies provided a platform for artists to exhibit their work and for pastel techniques to be taught and preserved. Advances in the production of art materials in the 20th century also benefited soft pastels. The range of available colours expanded, and the quality of pigments improved, making pastels more lightfast and durable.  

Some artists who have made significant contributions to the medium:

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779)

Style: Still Life and Genre Scenes

Chardin was a master of still life and genre scenes, using soft pastels to achieve subtle textures and delicate lighting effects. His ability to render the quiet beauty of everyday objects and scenes with pastels contributed to the acceptance of the medium in fine art.

Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757)

Style: Portraiture, Baroque

An early pioneer of pastel portraiture, Rosalba Carriera was one of the most famous portrait artists of her time. Her refined technique and delicate rendering of skin tones and fabrics helped to elevate pastels as a serious medium for portrait art.

Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789)

Style: Portraiture

Liotard's pastel works are celebrated for their exquisite detail, lifelike quality, and delicate rendering of textures, from the softness of skin to the intricate patterns of fabrics. He coloured extensively across Europe and the Near East, which influenced his unique style that blends meticulous realism with vibrant, exotic elements. His most famous works include portraits of European nobility and notable figures, marked by their remarkable clarity and subtle use of color. Liotard's ability to capture the essence and personality of his subjects, along with his technical prowess, solidified his reputation as one of the foremost pastel artists of the 18th century.

Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788)

Style: Portraiture

La Tour was a leading pastel portraitist in 18th-century France. Known for his expressive and detailed portraits of prominent figures, his works are characterized by their lifelike quality and vibrant use of color, showcasing the potential of pastels for capturing human likeness and personality.

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Style: Impressionism, Ballet Dancers, Everyday Scenes

Degas is perhaps the most famous artist associated with soft pastels. He extensively used the medium to depict ballet dancers, horse races, and everyday scenes. Degas experimented with pastels to achieve dynamic compositions and expressive textures, often combining them with other media like monotype and watercolour.

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

Style: Impressionism, Domestic Scenes, Mother and Child

An American painter and printmaker, Cassatt was a prominent member of the Impressionist movement. She used pastels to create tender and intimate scenes, particularly focusing on the theme of mother and child. Her pastels are noted for their softness, delicate hues, and sensitivity to light and shadow.

Édouard Manet (1832-1883)

Style: Realism, Early Impressionism

Manet, one of the pivotal figures in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, also worked with pastels. His pastel portraits and still lifes are known for their bold use of color and confident, sketch-like quality, demonstrating his skill in capturing spontaneity and immediacy.

Odilon Redon (1840-1916)

Style: Symbolism

A Symbolist artist, Redon used pastels to create dreamlike and fantastical imagery. His works often feature ethereal landscapes and mystical creatures, with pastels providing the perfect medium for his explorations of colour, light, and mood.

Jean-François Millet (1814-1875)

Style: Realism, Barbizon School

Known for his depictions of peasant life and rural scenes, Millet used pastels to achieve a softer, more intimate portrayal of his subjects. His use of pastels helped to convey the quiet dignity and humanity of his figures.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

Style: Post-Impressionism, Posters, Cabaret Scenes

Toulouse-Lautrec is renowned for his vibrant and energetic scenes of Parisian nightlife. He frequently used pastels in his works, capturing the lively atmosphere of cabarets and theatre stars with bold colours and expressive lines.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Style: Cubism, Surrealism, Modern Art

Picasso's versatility as an artist extended to his use of pastels. Throughout his career, he employed pastels in various styles, from his early Blue and Rose periods to his later abstract and cubist works. His innovative use of the medium showcased its adaptability and potential for modern art.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Style: Impressionism

Renoir, a key figure in the Impressionist movement, used pastels to create luminous and vibrant portraits, as well as tender scenes of women and children. His pastel works are celebrated for their rich colour palette and soft, flowing forms.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Style: Fauvism, Modernism

Matisse's work with pastels, particularly during his Fauvist period, is characterized by bold colors and simplified forms. He used the medium to explore his interest in line, colour, and composition, contributing to the development of modern art.

Paula Rego (1935 - 2022)

Style: Figurative art, Magical Realism  

Paula Rego's pastel art is characterized by its narrative intensity, emotional depth, and exploration of complex themes, such as gender, power, and mythology. Rego’s compositions are often bold and dynamic, with a strong sense of movement and tension and her figures are expressive, with exaggerated forms and gestures that heighten the emotional tone.