Soft pastel crayons for easy and soft smudging
If you like clear colours and like to play with the transitions of colour you will love painting with soft pastel crayons. The crayons are free from oil and consist only of colour pigments and binding material. Soft pastel crayons are really "soft" to use: The soft crayons sliding easily over the surface and can be smudged wonderfully. This can be done either with a finger or a paper wiper.
Painting with soft pastel crayons works best on rough surfaces. Specialist shops have specially developed papers for this purpose. And they don't have to be white! Because soft pastel crayons allow the background to shine through, coloured papers produce interesting effects. Who paints with soft pastel crayons, must know: The pictures are sensitive. In order for the colour pigments to adhere to the drawing paper, they should be sprayed with a fixative (e.g. hair spray).
Oil pastels for colourful drawings
Pictures painted with oil pastels are sturdier. This is because their colour pigments are mixed with binding materials, waxes and oils. Fixing is not necessary here. Painting with oil pastels is also possible on smooth paper. You must impress more than with the soft pastel crayons. Therefore, it is better to use firmer paper.
Oil pastel crayons cover more strongly and are less easy to smudge. But: You can paint oil pastels over with turpentine and a brush! If you want to achieve a particularly colour-intensive result, you simply lay several layers of colour on top of each other. Drawings with oil pastels are reminiscent of oil paintings. For those who don't yet have the courage to paint with oil paint, painting with oil pastel crayons is a wonderful practice field.
