What is the difference between oil pastels and pastels?
They are similar in that they all have pigments like a traditional oil paint but formed into a stick format. The difference is mainly in consistency. Oil pastels use wax and inert oils and therefore, have a crayon like texture. The hard and soft pastels are chalky or powdery in comparison. Cray-pas® is the Sakura brand of oil pastels which has become synonymous with the term oil pastel since Sakura invented oil pastels in 1925. The benefit of oil pastels is its adhesion characteristics, versatility, permanence and intense pigments. Oil pastels can be applied to multiple surfaces such as paper, board, canvas, metal & glass. Oil pastels are also more permanent (adhesion) and offer intense pigments color range than chalk pastels. However, due to the wax and oil content of oil pastels, they will never completely dry. Throughout the globe, students learn oil pastels in elementary schools. However, there are many adult professional artists use oil pastels ( see www.oilpastelsociety.com )whic
