Soft pastels

Dry pastels come in several different varieties, with soft pastels being the most colourful and popular. They contain a lot of pigment and little binder, which means they produce intense colours and are easy to mix. At the same time, they crumble a lot and often require fixatives to prevent the colour from smearing. Hard pastels, on the other hand, contain more binder and are therefore firmer in consistency. They do not produce as strong colours as the soft ones, but are more precise and are often used to add details. Another variation is pastel pencils, which are actually hard pastels in pencil form. These are easy to hold, provide good control and are particularly suited to detailed work. All these types of dry pastels can be combined depending on the effect you want to achieve in your artwork.