What is the difference between soft pastel and oil pastel?
Soft pastels are chalk based pastels which can be used in combination with a charcoal or graphite. They need to be fixed with an aerosol fixative once the artwork is finished. They are popular for their blending techniques. b) Oil based pastels are wax based pastels. Once on the paper they can be thinned with white spirit if desired. Oil pastels can also be manipulated with heat (i.e. hair dryer) a bit like encaustic paint. These pastels also are popular for the style of blending techniques they offer. c) Both Oil and Soft pastels are opaque mediums and perform best on paper with some degree of texture. Pads of paper specifically for use with pastels are available, but any textured paper (like watercolour paper) can be used.
