What are pastels?

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Martha teaches us how to get creative and have fun with chalk pastels, producing a highly realistic drawing of a lemon that gets Trevor thirsty for lemonade!

Pastels are sticks of colour that can be either soft and chalky, or oil based.

Soft pastels

Soft pastels or chalk pastels are made with a coloured chalk or pigment.

Soft pastels allow you to blend and mix the colours.

The colour can rub on to your hands when using them.

Be careful not to smudge your work.

Image caption,
Chalk pastels are very vibrant and easy to blend.

Oil pastels

Oil pastels give you vibrant colours and are rich and bright.

Oil pastels have a waxy greasy feel to them but won't crumble like a chalk pastel.

Pastels are a lovely medium to work with.

Oil pastel techniques

Skip image gallery

Image caption,
Tinting
Choose a colour and lean heavily when colouring the area you have chosen. You can use white on top and lean on this to colour over and blend to create a lighter shade. The same can be done with black to make a darker shade.
Image caption,
Reverse drawing
Colour an area heavily with an oil pastel. Lay a piece of paper on top and draw your design with pencil. The back of the page will pick up the colour showing your design.
Image caption,
Pastel resist
Use oil pastel to draw your design on to thick paper. Use water colour paints to wash over the top to add a background. The oil pastel will resist the water. This is a good technique to create fireworks.
Image caption,
Adding texture
Lay different textures underneath your page. Colour the page with the pastel. This will pick up the texture you have chosen. Texture can be created from material, leaves, bark, etc. Keep your eyes open for any texture you think would be good in your artwork.
Image caption,
Sgraffito
Start with a light colour. Colour the section chosen, then colour over this with a darker colour. Use a toothpick to scratch lines and patterns into the pastel colour you have used. The light colour will show through against the dark colour.
Image caption,
Scumbling
Build up texture with your pastels using small marks that overlap each other in different directions. Start with light colours then add the dark colour.
Image caption,
Cross-hatching
Overlap short lines of different colours. If using a dark colour, leave the light area blank. Add the lighter colour later. Cross over the lighter colour with dark coloured lines.
Image caption,
Oil blending
Make marks on the paper using oil pastel. Use a cotton bud with baby oil or olive oil on it to smooth and blend the colours, then leave to dry.
Image caption,
Dry blending
Work one pastel colour into another by drawing over the first colour. You can also use your finger to gently rub one colour into another.

What are pastels?

Soft pastels

Oil pastels

Oil pastel techniques

More on Drawing