Media: Drawing — Pastel Pastels: Painting in disguise Although commonly thought of as drawing, pastel on paper is more like a painting — it's pure pigment applied in areas of color rather than lines. Pastels allow artists to achieve vivid colors without the brushes, fluid mediums, or prepared surfaces required for painting. Keeping it together Pastel sticks are a mixture of pigment and just enough binder to hold them together. The deepest tones are almost pure pigment, and chalk is added to create lighter colors. Like chalk, pastels tend to crumble easily — so artists usually spray a thin layer of fixative over the finished piece to bind the pigment to the surface. Some artists refuse to use a fixative, claiming that the highly textured surface of a pastel is altered by fixative. Whether treated with fixative or not, pastels should be kept away from intense heat to protect their texture and color. The following pastels give a sense of the richness of color and texture possible in this medium. Click on an image to learn more about that individual artwork. David Konigsburg Yutaka Yoshinaga Alice Fellows The main types of drawing are: Charcoal  Conté Crayon  Graphite  Ink Wash  Pastel  Scratchboard