1. Pastels are made from the safe base like all other fine art paints, including oils and acrylics. The difference is the folder. Pastels use very little binder, so it’s almost like applying pigment direct to canvas.

2. The cakes are not whiteboard! Chalk is made of limestone. The cakes are totally different. Pastels are one of the oldest and most durable bases for hand-painted portraits.

3. Pastel paints will not crack, crack, peel, or darken because there are no additives, such as oil, to cause them. Therefore, it is considered the most permanent of all media.

4. It is important to have pastel portrait paintings framed under glass. A mat board should be used so that the paint does not rest against the glass. And like all fine art, keep it out of direct sunlight.

5. A canvas that is completely covered is called a pastel painting, a canvas that is only partially covered is called a pastel sketch.

6. Pastel paintings retain their value. Some of the 19th century Degas sold for $ 3,000,000 each.

7. Pastel is a French word that means pure powdered pigment ground into a paste, with a small amount of binder. There is an infinite variety of colors ranging from subtle to bold and bright. Pastels are not synonymous with “pale”; rather, pastels create vibrant and light dark and light tones. They create depth and add magnificent reflective qualities to the paint.

8. Soft pastels are high in pigments that give paint a brilliant color. Hard pastels are used for detail work and quick sketches. The artist can also use pastel pencils for fine details.