Pastels have been a popular painting medium since the 15th century. In the beginning, there were only soft pastels. In the modern world, artists use various forms of pastels to quickly paint on a paper. But what are pastels and how is one type different from the others?

Pastels: Definition
Pastels are colourful mediums consisting of a combination of pure pigment and a binder to hold the colours together. They are one of the most important elements of pastel art- an art form inspired by real-world scenes and one that does not use water, brushes or palettes. In a layman’s language, these are colourful sticks that an artist uses to make a painting. Used as a verb, pastel can be described as an artwork produced using pastels.

Unlike several other painting mediums, pastels are dry. They are made of pure powdered pigment and bind together through a binder. From amateurs to experienced artists, anyone can work with pastels at ease.

Although pastels have been around us for a long time, they became extremely popular in the 18th century. Since then, many renowned artists made use of pastels to represent their expertise in paintings. Today, there is an extensive range of pastel techniques that artists use to produce paintings inspired by the real world.

Paintings created using pastels are called pastel prints. Some of the most famous prints are animal art prints, wall art of landscape, boat pastel prints, and beach prints. They are inspired by a real-world object and represent the real form of it.

Types of Pastels And Properties
Based on pigment concentration and binding ability, different types of pastels are used today by artists worldwide. The way they are produced can affect the overall appearance of a pastel print. Mainly, pastels are of five types: soft pastels, hard pastels, pan pastels, pastel pencils, and oil pastels.

Soft Pastels
One of the oldest forms of pastels, soft pastels are commonly used by amateurs and experienced artists worldwide. In addition to fragile consistency, they have high pigment concentration and least gum binding capacity. Soft pastels are cylindrical sticks that come in many colours and sizes.

Some of the most common properties of soft pastels include high pigment concentration and powdery texture. They are useful to draw edges of fine lines and do detail work.

Hard Pastels
There are several things about hard pastels that make them appear like soft pastels. For example- they are also cylindrical sticks and come in many colours. Although hard pastels include the same ingredients as soft pastels have, they contain less pigment concentration and more binder. Plus, they do not crumble easily and remain stable.

Hard pastels are useful to add small details to a sketch. They are suitable to be used alone for an entire drawing or to blend with soft pastels.

Pan Pastels
Pan pastels are the newest form of soft pastels which come as pans, instead of sticks. This type of soft pastels has less binder than soft pastels and the highest pigment concentration. Set into pans, these pastels reduces waste and allow an artist to have more control over pastels as a painting medium.

Pan pastels are easy to mix and work on. Using these pastels, artists can effectively work with various kinds of pastel mediums. Experienced artists use them to create complex pastel prints like beach art prints and wall art of boats. It is because pan pastels are easy to erase and clean. Plus, their use does not result in leftovers like soft pastels.

Pastel Pencils
As the name suggests, these are pencils as pastels with more control. They appear similar to conventional pencils but have a stick of pastel inside them. When it comes to properties, they are between soft pastels and hard pastels.

Pastel pencils are versatile and convenient. Usually, they are used alone. However, many artists also mix them with other kinds of pastels for a wet or a dry look.

Oil Pastels
Oil pastels are similar to oil paints but without chemicals. They have a cylindrical shape similar to soft pastels. What makes them different from other pastels is the combination of oil and wax in place of gum. The blend gives consistency and properties that lack in other pastels.

Unlike other pastels, oil pastels do not crumble easily or result in the dust. Plus, they are more stable and do not require a fixative.

Conclusion
Whether you are planning to make a boat print, a wall art of beaches, or anything else, make sure the pastels you choose are appropriate and of high quality. For that, you should determine the results you require.