What are soft pastels, anyway? They are different from oil pastels, which have the greasy consistency of lipstick. Soft pastels, on the other hand, are compressed sticks of almost entirely pigment (and little binder), which results in a chalky texture and more intense and brilliant color. Therefore, the colors of pastel works are extremely lightfast.
In order to apply the pastel to a surface, one must use a paper with a slight tooth. Personally, I like a paper with a course sandpapery feel, so that even the most ginger touch will draw pigment from the stick. This allows me to be fast and messy, which is my favorite part of being an artist!
The greatest challenge I find with soft pastels is the issue of blending colors. It's not like with paints where you can mix on a palette before applying the pigment to the surface... you have to blend on the paper. Because I don't like the effect of this method, I tend to just buy a ton of colors and not blend at all. However, this is difficult when you're trying to get a certain painting to look just right, and you don't have a color that works. Then it's either back to the store, or it's time to get creative with color usage. This is the risk that I enjoy most about this medium... will a light blue work here instead of a muddied pink? Let's try it!
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