Medium and Hard Pastels
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Pastels
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Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sticks and Sets
Item #: 20034
(392)
$0.97 - $99.99
NuPastels have a rich, creamy texture that blends and shades easily. Frequently used in advertising layouts, NuPastels are stronger than ordinary soft...
Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sticks and Sets
Item #: 20034
(392)
$0.97 - $99.99
NuPastels have a rich, creamy texture that blends and shades easily. Frequently used in advertising layouts, NuPastels are stronger than ordinary soft...
Sargent Art Square Chalk Pastel Sets
Item #: 21930
(64)
$6.31 - $40.42
These square chalk pastels are a great value for the classroom or for fine artists. With a velvety smooth, dry texture and brilliant, concentrated pig...
Sargent Art Square Chalk Pastel Sets
Item #: 21930
(64)
$6.31 - $40.42
These square chalk pastels are a great value for the classroom or for fine artists. With a velvety smooth, dry texture and brilliant, concentrated pig...
Cretacolor Pastel Carré Hard Pastels and Sets
Item #: 20077
(35)
$2.09 - $81.98
Cretacolor hard pastels have been recognized by artists all over the world for their brilliant colors and high pigmentation. Their square shape lends ...
Cretacolor Pastel Carré Hard Pastels and Sets
Item #: 20077
(35)
$2.09 - $81.98
Cretacolor hard pastels have been recognized by artists all over the world for their brilliant colors and high pigmentation. Their square shape lends ...
Richeson Street Stix Pavement Pastels and Sets
Item #: 21972
(15)
$6.25 - $38.49
Developed especially for use by street artists, these jumbo-sized, 2-3/4" long x 3/4"Dia pastels are ideal for long-lasting sidewalk paintings, murals...
Richeson Street Stix Pavement Pastels and Sets
Item #: 21972
(15)
$6.25 - $38.49
Developed especially for use by street artists, these jumbo-sized, 2-3/4" long x 3/4"Dia pastels are ideal for long-lasting sidewalk paintings, murals...
Richeson Street Stix Pavement Pastels and Sets
Item #: 21972
(15)
$6.25 - $38.49
Developed especially for use by street artists, these jumbo-sized, 2-3/4" long x 3/4"Dia pastels are ideal for long-lasting sidewalk paintings, murals...
ArtGraf Viarco Pigmented Tailor Chalk and Sets
Item #: 19542
(19)
$9.78 - $52.37
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...
ArtGraf Viarco Pigmented Tailor Chalk and Sets
Item #: 19542
(19)
$9.78 - $52.37
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...
Richeson Semi-Hard Square Pastels and Sets
Item #: 21941
(26)
$23.25 - $127.89
Richeson's professional, semi-hard pastel sticks are perfect for underpainting. Their square shape is ideal for shading, and they can also be sharpene...
Richeson Semi-Hard Square Pastels and Sets
Item #: 21941
(26)
$23.25 - $127.89
Richeson's professional, semi-hard pastel sticks are perfect for underpainting. Their square shape is ideal for shading, and they can also be sharpene...
General's MultiPastel Chalk Sticks
Item #: 21954
(9)
$4.81 - $12.65
Since the early 1900s, General's has offered its handcrafted MultiPastels for drawing and sketching. These artist-quality, pigment-rich chalk pastels ...
Prang Poster Pastellos
Item #: 20027
(4)
$9.30
For drawing on colored paper. Pressed colored chalk crayons have a firm, dustless consistency. Effective blending--light colors can be applied over da...
General's Compressed Pastel Crayon Sketching Color Set
Item #: 22612
(2)
$4.16
General's Compressed Pastel Crayons are extra-smooth, oil-free, blendable pastel crayons in a variety of pigment-rich colors. These handcrafted, artis...
Yarka Assorted Sauce Classic Drawing Crayons
Item #: 20011
(12)
$17.94
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 ...
General's Compressed Pastel Chalk
Item #: 22978
(9)
$4.81
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...
Van Gogh Hard Pastels
Item #: 20015
(5)
$16.22 - $58.13
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...
Richeson Half-Stick Pastel Sampler Set
Item #: 21968
(7)
$39.95
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 ...
Richeson Half-Stick Foundation Pastel Sets
Item #: 21969
(5)
$68.98
A great addition to any pastelist's repertoire, these new sets of Richeson pastels provide a firm foundation for portraits, landscapes, or basic paste...
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 hard pastels can be used to make crisp lines and add fine details to pastel paintings. What’s more, they’re more break-resistant and produce less dust. Often available in pencil form as well, medium and hard pastels can be sharpened, making them ideal for outlining, adding intricate details, or as an underpainting for other types of media, including soft pastels. Choose from many colorful pastels and chalk pastels.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.