If you're new to pastels, you may be wondering which type of pastel to use. Of course, it's all a matter of preference, but having worked with both, I'm going to give you my pros and cons and let you decide which is best for you!
Oil Pastels
First up are #oil pastels. Oil pastels have the consistency of a really creamy, greasy crayon. They're extremely blendable, albeit almost sticky to the touch and if there's a way to blend them without using your fingers, I don't know what that is. As such, they're a very messy medium and require many trips to the sink to clean your "blending tools."
It's fairly easy to change directions, once you've started a piece in oil pastels. They're very forgiving, which can be a definite bonus, especially when you're just learning them. While pastel paintings do stand the test of time, paintings done in oil pastel cannot be sealed and must, therefore, be pressed against glass when finished.
Chalk Pastels
Like oil pastels, #chalk #pastels (or "soft" pastels) are also extremely blendable. As their name suggests, they have the consistency of chalk (though, the two are not the same - one is made of stone compressed into powder while the other is made from pure mineral pigments). If you're not too keen on blending with your fingers, many different tools can be used to blend chalk pastels including blending sticks, tortillions, and Q-tips. However, using your fingers, if you prefer, is just fine, too. :)
Chalk pastels are not nearly as forgiving as oil pastels. There's room for error, but not as much as you get with the oils. Your chalk pastel #paintings can be sealed with a fixative for framing however you like. You can also purchase chalk pastel #pencils (which is what I prefer to work in) for fine details or even for creating whole paintings.
So, there you have it. The choice is yours, but now you have a little more information with which to base your decision. Happy painting!
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