What are chalk pastels?

Have you ever played with chalk on a driveway? Do you remember the fun, vibrant, powdery chalk coming to life in your hands? Chalk pastels are not quite the same, but this gives you an idea of what the medium is like—powdery with beautiful colors. 

Pastels became popular in Italy during the Renaissance. Chalk pastels gained popularity with sketching artists because they were quick to work with and easy to transport. During the 18th century, it was the height of fashion to have your portrait made with a combination of pastels and paint. However, pastels really began to take off with Edgar Degas. He created several chalk pastel drawings.

Before Degas made pastels “viral,” they were used as preparatory materials for completing an oil painting. Degas really pushed the medium by bringing pastels to the forefront and combining pastel with other techniques like having a textured surface, contrasting wet with dry pastels, and using gouache and watercolors. 

Curator Stacey Sell explains, “Pastel appeals to our sense of touch in a way that no other drawing medium really does. You want to reach out and touch this velvety surface — and at the same time you know that it would ruin exactly what you're admiring." Pastel embodies the allure of a beauty that is just out of reach. 

Pastel sticks are made by mixing powdered pigments with a binding agent, or binder, and shaping it into sticks. Depending on how the formula is mixed, a single hue can have different intensities. The main difference between hard and soft pastels is the amount of binder. Soft pastels are dustier, but their colors tend to be more vibrant while hard pastels make clear linework but are harder to blend.

Some artists call pastels “dry painting.” There are no time limitations when using pastels—you can start a drawing, get to a finish point and come back tomorrow to continue. Some artists like to use a fixative, while others, like Jeri Salter, prefer to “beat the heck out of it. Thump it, pound on it, and get all the loose pastel off” before framing it under glass. 

Different types of chalk pastel

Pastels are very tactile and fast to work with, there is no drying time needed. You cannot pre-mix colors, instead, you layer your pastels to create different hues and textures. Pastels produce dust, although most pastels are not toxic, if you think you are sensitive to it you can tap the dust off rather than blowout off or use a dust mask. Pastels tend to come in boxes with foam inserts to protect them, since the sticks can be delicate and break. This also keeps them clean and organized.

Pastels can be used with watercolors, which is why I think they are wonderful. You can layer them, or you can even use a sharp blade to get some of the dust, add a bit of water and use the pastel dust itself as a light wash. I would recommend doing the wet media first and the dry media on top for a cleaner chalk pastel drawing.

Soft pastels tend to have higher pigments, they make bigger marks/strokes. They have less binder, making them more prone to break and produce more dust. However, they feel more velvety and smooth on the paper.

Hard pastels are a considered soft pastels too, which can be confusing. They have less binder, which makes the colors a bit less vibrant compared to soft pastels. Hard pastels produce less dust, they can be “sharpened” with sandpaper or a blade. Hard pastels can make fine lines and used on the side to make broader strokes.

Pastel pencils are pastels in pencil format and tend to be more hard than soft. You can use a sharpener to sharpen them, they are great for fine detail.

Chalk pastel techniques

Hard pastels, soft pastels and chalk pastel pencils create different marks. In order to know what type of chalk pastel you want to use for your drawing, I always recommend playing with the material and making similar marks to compare. In the following images, you can se a side by side comparison between the 3 types of chalk pastel and techniques you can use in your chalk pastel drawing.

Some people are very sensitive to the way art supplies sound. Chalk pastels have a very distinctive sound because of how tactile they are. I really like the way it makes sounds as you place and layer the color on a chalk pastel drawing. If you’ve never worked with chalk pastels and don’t know what they sound like, check out this short clip.

Chalk pastel tools

Color shapers are made from silicone and used to blend the chalk pastels. Because of the material they are made of, they are easy to clean in between blends.

You can also use brushes to blend softly, get some of the dust off you page without accidentally pressing it down with you fingers or to clean small areas.

Kneaded erasers, blending stumps and tortillions are usually used for graphite and charcoal drawings but they are useful here as well.

The kneaded eraser can help lift some of the color and erase a small area or the top layer. Many people (myself included) like to blend with their fingers but it can get messy and if your hands are very oily, you will deposit the oil on your paper. Blending stumps and tortillions can be used to blend soft pastel and can be cleaned or sharpened with sandpaper.

In order to protect your chalk pastel drawing or work in layers you need to use a fixative. I recommend using a working fixative because this will allow you to hold your pastel in place while give you the option of adding layers.

Whether or not you want to use a fixative, the best way to protect your chalk pastel drawing is to frame it behind glass with a window mat, so the work does not touch the glass.

Final thoughts

As an artist, I personally love pastels because they are so easy to use. You can create several layers without worrying about drying times, and if you have a nice wet brush, they can be used like watercolors. Even if you are unsure on how to create a “good” chalk pastel drawing, you can lose yourself in the vibrant colors.  

Often, we find ourselves so busy and overwhelmed that we forget to engage in activities that truly elevate our lived experience. Our lives are filled with endless to-do lists and half-finished projects. We rarely take time to observe and meditate, learn something new, and express ourselves in a creative way.

You don’t have to be a professional artist to contribute to our world’s living history!