8 facts about pastel painting

1. Pastels are made from the safe base like all other fine art paints, including oils and acrylics. The difference is the binder. Pastels use very little binder, so it’s almost like applying pigment directly to canvas.

2. The cakes are not whiteboard! Chalk is made from limestone. The cakes are totally different. Pastels are one of the oldest and most enduring bases for hand-painted portraits.

3. Pastel paints do not crack, crack, flake, or darken because there are no additives, such as oil, to cause them to do so. Therefore, it is considered the most permanent of all means.

4. It’s important to have framed pastel portraits under glass. A matting board should be used so that the paint does not rest against the glass. And like all fine art, keep it out of direct sunlight.

5. A canvas that is completely covered is called a pastel painting, a canvas that is only partially covered is called a pastel sketch.

6. Pastel paintings hold their value. Some 19th century Degas sold for $3,000,000 each.

7. Pastel is a French word meaning pure powdered pigment ground into a paste, with a small amount of binder. There is an endless variety of colors ranging from subtle to bold to bright. Pastels are not the same as “pale” ones; rather, pastels create bright and vibrant dark and light tones. They create depth and add great reflective qualities to paint.

8. Soft pastels have high pigment that gives a painting brilliant color. Hard pastels are used for detailed work and quick sketches. The artist can also use pastel pencils for fine details.