Soft Pastels (aka Chalk or French Pastels) are pigment mixed with binder. Soft pastels are vibrant and can be easily blended or smudged. They produce a fair amount of dust and caution should be used when working with certain pigments found in artist quality soft pastels. Soft pastels should be protected during storage and displayed behind glass. Spray fixatives can be a helpful tool while working on a pastel piece or to helping protect a finished work. Fixatives can alter the look of soft pastel colors so caution should be used. Spectrafix is modern casein fixative that is non toxic and does not darken or dull pastel colors.
Oil Pastels are a popular drawing and sketching medium. They are less powdery and harder to blend than soft pastels. Oil pastels provide a bold hard edge appearance to finished works. Oil pastels can be manipulated with solvents or oil for a softer edge blending. Oil pastels are made with color pigment mixed with a non-drying oil and wax binder. The non-drying nature of oil pastels requires final works to be sprayed with a fixative and/or framed behind glass.
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