pastel

Pastel refers to two related concepts in art and design: a drawing or painting medium and a family of pale colors. The medium consists of pigment ground to a fine powder and bound with a relatively soft binder, shaped into sticks or pencils that can be applied to surfaces. The term also denotes a range of pale, light-toned colors produced by lightening base hues with white. Pastel colors are commonly described as soft, gentle, and low in saturation.

The pastel media come in several forms. Soft pastels use pure pigment with a light binder, producing highly blendable, chalky sticks that leave a powdery residue. Oil pastels contain oil or wax binders, yielding a creamier, more resistant material that can be layered but smears less easily. Hard pastels are firmer and less prone to breakage, while pastel pencils combine pigment with binder in a pencil form for controlled lines and details.

Historically, pastel drawings emerged in the Renaissance and gained popularity in the 18th century for portraits and studies. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, artists such as Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt helped establish pastel as a serious medium. The medium continues to be used by contemporary artists for portraiture, still life, and landscape studies, often on textured papers or primed supports.

Techniques and handling vary by form. Soft pastels are typically applied in layered strokes and blended with fingers or blending tools, while hard pastels and pencils offer more precision. Fixatives are commonly used to stabilize finished works and reduce smudging. Pastel colors, meanwhile, describe pale versions of hues achieved by adding white, widely used in design contexts for their light, airy appearance.