Knowra Pastel Pastel A drawing medium made from sticks of powdered pigment bound with a small amount of binder. Its loose, dry pigment produces soft, matte marks that can be blended or layered.
Pastel stick : A shaped drawing stick made from pigment, binder, and sometimes fillers. Its composition and firmness determine how readily pastel transfers to a surface.
Soft pastel : A pastel with a high pigment concentration and little binder, producing soft, easily spread marks. Its loose pigment makes it the most readily blended pastel form.
Rosalba Carriera : An eighteenth-century Venetian portraitist renowned for establishing pastel as a major medium for portraiture. Her international success helped make pastel fashionable among European elites.
Charcoal : A drawing material made from carbonized wood, used to create dark, often easily smudged marks. Both are dry, blendable media, but charcoal chiefly supplies value while pastel supplies color.
Pastel paper : A drawing paper with a textured surface designed to hold dry pigment. Its tooth catches pastel particles and allows successive layers to adhere.
Hard pastel : A firmer pastel stick containing more binder than soft pastel. Its controlled marks suit outlines, details, and preliminary drawing.
Maurice Quentin de La Tour : An eighteenth-century French portraitist known for highly finished pastel likenesses. His portraits demonstrate how pastel could achieve both precision and luminous color.
Conté crayon : A compressed drawing stick made from pigment, clay, and a binder. It makes firmer, less powdery marks than pastel and is commonly used for line drawing.
Fixative : A liquid coating sprayed onto artwork to reduce the movement of loose media. It can secure fragile pastel, though it may alter the work’s color or surface.
Oil pastel : A drawing stick made from pigment, non-drying oil, and wax rather than a dry gum binder. It is a distinct, waxy medium often grouped with pastels despite behaving differently.
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