Looking for a vibrant and expressive art medium to try? Pastels are one of the most effective media to produce rich and luminous colors. While pastels are widely considered a drawing material, they also have the potential to create painterly effects, making them one of the more versatile art mediums. Read below for a quick crash course on pastels!
Snapshot of this Post:
History of Pastels
Different Forms of Pastels
Basic Pastel Techniques
History of Pastels
16th Century
Leonardo da Vinci aims to expand color palette variety through dry pigments mixed with a binding agent
18th Century
Gains popularity as portraiture drawing medium in Europe through artists like Jean-Baptiste
19th Century
Revival of medium by impressionistic artists like Edgar Degas using vibrant color to capture light and movement
Modern Use
Widely used by amateurs and professionals alike as an expressive and versatile medium
Different Forms of Pastels
Outlined below are special characteristics of 3 of the 5 forms widely recognized by artists.
Soft Pastel
- Traditional fragile cylinders
- Powdery texture from minimal amount of binding agent
- Great for blending and layering colors
Pastel Pencil
- Thin stick of pastel in pencil form
- Produces the least amount of mess and are great to use on-the-go
- Great for controlled detail work
Pan Pastel
- Pure powder pigment set into pans or jars
- Highest pigment concentration due to no present binding agents
- Great for creating painterly effects
3 Basic Pastel Techniques
Blending
Add depth to colors by using fingers, brushes, or sponges to mix colors together
Stippling
Develop value with many small dots of pigment close together (for shadows) or spread out (for highlights)
Scumbling
Create texture and reveal layers of color with loose circular strokes
Want to learn more about pastels? Our Gallery Owner Sanaz Noori teaches Pastel Drawing on Mondays from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM! Learn relevant techniques and develop important skills to create artworks with the vibrancy only pastels produce! Explore value, shape, texture, and more to push the boundaries of your creativity.
Register for Pastel Drawing Today!