What are the differences between hard pastels and soft pastels? Which is better?

The hardness or softness of a pastel depends on the amount of binder or filler in its makeup. There are advantages to each style of pastel.

What are the advantages of hard pastels?

Hard pastels have less pigment, and more binder. They are firmer to work with, but the colors are not as vivid. They are good for making crisp lines and details as they can be sharpened to a point. They are often used for outlining or adding intricate details to work done in other media. Because hard pastels are less vivid, some pastel artists use them for background color. Hard pastels are recommended for preliminary sketching.

What is the difference between hard/soft pastels and oil pastels?

The main difference is in the texture. Hard and soft pastels could be described as "chalky." Oil pastels might be described as having a "waxy" or crayon like consistency. They are cleaner, and do not rub off as much. They resist crumbling and do not pose any health risk in terms of breathing dust. Oil pastels are also more permanent and offer intense pigments. However, they are more difficult to blend and never fully harden. Therefore, oil pastels can be smudged in storage.

Medium and Hard Pastels

Firmer to work with than soft pastels, medium and hard pastels contain less pigment and more binder, making them slightly less vibrant than soft pastels — but this doesn’t mean they’re of a lesser quality. Because they’re stronger, medium and...

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Conté à Paris Sketching Pastel Carrés and Sets
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Item #: 20201
4.6 out of 5 stars
(89) number of reviews
Invented in France in 1795, Conté à Paris Sketching Carré are a compressed stick made from a blend of natural pigments, kaolin clay, and binder. These...
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Prismacolor Premier NuPastel Color Sticks Sets
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Item #: 20034
4.8 out of 5 stars
(469) number of reviews
Prismacolor Premier NuPastel Color Sticks are artist-grade, square-profiled pastels designed for clean blending and precise mark-making. With a higher...
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Conté à Paris Colour Pastel Carrés and Sets
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Item #: 20201
4.5 out of 5 stars
(93) number of reviews
Renowned for their rich opacity and the intensity of their pigments, Conté à Paris Pastel Carrés have been trusted by artists for generations. Picasso...
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Cretacolor Pastel Carré Hard Pastels and Sets
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Item #: 20077
4.8 out of 5 stars
(7401) number of reviews
Cretacolor hard pastels have been recognized by artists all over the world for their brilliant colors and high pigmentation. Their square shape lends ...
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Prang Pastello Chalk Set
Item #: 20027
3.8 out of 5 stars
Prang Pastellos are pressed colored chalk with a firm, dustless consistency. Pastellos blend effectively on paper surfaces — light colors can even be ...
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ArtGraf Viarco Pigmented Tailor Chalk and Sets
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Item #: 19542
4.9 out of 5 stars
(33) number of reviews
ArtGraf Viarco Pigmented Tailor Chalk is soft, rich, and watersouble, for use on both wet and dry surfaces. Ideal for travel or studio use, it comes i...
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General's MultiPastel Compressed Chalk Sets
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Item #: 21954
3.4 out of 5 stars
Since the early 1900s, General's has offered its handcrafted MultiPastels for drawing and sketching. These artist-quality, pigment-rich chalk pastels ...
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Richeson Street Stix Pavement Pastels and Sets
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Item #: 21972
4.8 out of 5 stars
Developed especially for use by street artists, these jumbo-sized, 2-3/4" L x 3/4" Dia pastels are ideal for long-lasting sidewalk paintings, murals, ...
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Richeson Semi-Hard Square Pastel Sets
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Item #: 21941
4.4 out of 5 stars
(31) number of reviews
Richeson's professional, semi-hard pastel sticks are perfect for underpainting. Their square shape is ideal for shading, and they can also be sharpene...
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General's Compressed Pastel Crayon Sketching Color Set
Item #: 22612
3.5 out of 5 stars
General's Compressed Pastel Crayons are extra-smooth, oil-free, blendable pastel crayons in a variety of pigment-rich colors. These handcrafted, artis...
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Van Gogh Hard Pastels
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Item #: 20015
4.8 out of 5 stars
Hard, square-shaped, easy to use. Ideal for sketching and tight drawing with edge of stick. Use broad side to lay in large areas of color. Richly pigm...
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General's Compressed Pastel Chalk
Item #: 22978
3.8 out of 5 stars
General's Compressed Pastel Chalk package contains four smooth, compressed sketching sticks. Each stick is 3"L x 1/4"W. The assortment package contain...
Yarka Assorted Sauce Classic Drawing Crayons
Item #: 20011
4.2 out of 5 stars
Assorted Sauce is a cross between a soft pastel and a Conte crayon. It combines high-quality pigment with Chasov Yar clay and industrial carbon for a ...
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Richeson Half-Stick Foundation Pastel Sets
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Item #: 21969
4.8 out of 5 stars
A great addition to any pastelist's repertoire, these new sets of Richeson pastels provide a firm foundation for portraits, landscapes, or basic paste...
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Richeson Half-Stick Pastel Sampler Set
Item #: 21968
4.8 out of 5 stars
This set offers a great opportunity to sample Richeson’s soft, medium-soft, and semi-hard pastels, all in convenient half-sticks. The set contains 18 ...
Conté à Paris Pastel Carrés Wood Box Set
Item #: 84072
The Conté à Paris Wood Box Set offers a comprehensive collection of drawing and sketching tools for artists of every level. Inside, you’ll find 70 ric...
Conté à Paris Sketching Wood Box Set
Item #: 84072
The Conté à Paris Wood Box Sketch Set equips you with time-honored tools trusted by artists for generations. This thoughtfully curated set includes 12...