Soft Pastel Originals: Why Fragility Is Part of Their Presence

When we think about soft pastels, we might think about chalk pastels, children’s chalks, or perhaps the sketches of Degas. These are all legitimate thoughts; however, I wish to bring pastels to their rightful place: a true artist’s medium!

Just like oil paintings, I truly believe that pastel paintings deserve their own place. And whilst throughout history they have come in and out of fashion, they never seem to have found a stable place at the table as finished works in their own right.

This is also why soft pastel originals raise very practical questions: will they smudge, how should they be framed, are they archival, and what does it mean to care for one properly? I want to answer those questions without reducing the medium to its risks. 

In short: soft pastel originals are delicate surfaces, but they are not temporary works. When framed professionally behind UV-protective glass, kept away from moisture and direct sunlight, and handled correctly, they can remain vivid for generations. 

Colours that you could almost taste

There’s something so incredibly magical about practically pure pigment that is almost hard to describe. Imagine oil paint of the highest quality, but unadulterated by the oil itself. High-quality oil paints are in fact essentially only pigment and oil, with as few additives as possible. So the next step on that scale is in fact soft pastels!

From my standpoint as an artist, I don’t think there’s anything more luscious and delicious than this pure colour-powder. And making them is an art form almost as complicated as using them to make art! Because it is practically pure pigment, each pigment has a different “thirst” level, meaning the amount of water it can accept and the amount of binder it needs to retain its shape. Add too much and you have a stone brick that might not leave any marks at all. Add too little, and your pastel will become powder before it even touches the surface of the paper!

Because I am so alchemically inclined, I have indeed tried to make my own soft pastels, as one does. And it made me respect this craft that much more. Some came out pretty decent, and I could use them, others were absolutely not usable at all, and the differences between them were just a few shades! Reputable pastel makers have entire traditions behind them, with generations of people passing down more and more experiential knowledge, whereby they build vast encyclopedias of perfect recipes for each colour, and their individual tones and temperatures. Therefore for me it is a very human medium: from finding the pigment, or creating it, to moulding it by hand, packaging it by hand, to the hands of the artist themselves!

Fragility as presence, not weakness

One of the main arguments, as it were, for why pastels haven’t earned their place as finished works in their own right is because they are a fragile medium. It can be wiped off, almost entirely from the paper that is holding it, or instantly damaged by water, or even change because of humidity that is too high. But are these real reasons to dismiss perhaps one of the purest forms of medium there is?

As an artist almost specialised in soft pastel paintings, I usually use the highest end of that scale: practically pure pigment soft pastels. These are handcrafted pastels which, because they have no fillers and only so little binder that they barely hold together, cannot be processed industrially. They need a human touch and very long drying times such that they won’t crack. I typically use either ultra-soft ones or very soft ones, but I have yet to use just powdered ones, for reasons that will become clear throughout this article.

Pastel as the medium closest to the first pressure of the hand

When it touches our hands, as artists, the magic may begin.

Or not.

Soft pastels are famously difficult to work with. Most artists either avoid them, or downright hate them. They are worse than charcoal, because you can’t even erase them, whilst you can destroy them so easily. This very short range of workability, how unforgiving they are, how brutal in showing your mistakes, whilst being so delicate in their result, makes them not very popular.

The truth is, however, that pastels are a very unique medium in their very own league. It’s like finger painting, but with slightly more control, which I’m sure would also be heavily debated.

But there is something so fundamentally honest about it, that cannot be replicated by any other medium.

Paints have brush, drying, layering, subtraction, or even scraping. Pastel has pressure, tooth, dust and hand, which are also pretty limited in their reach. You can only apply so much pressure until the pastel will practically explode in your hand. And you can only be so soft before you don’t have any marks made at all. People love the pastel’s blending capabilities, which are only rivalled by those of proper oil paints, but I personally avoid blending almost at all costs. Much like erasing, blending can create bad habits of dishonesty, where you smudge and hide mistakes behind it. I much prefer the brutality of the medium, and have given it a whole year just to stabilise my hand when working with it.

There is something so raw about this brittleness that must be praised and cherished.

The tooth of the paper as a relationship: how soft pastel holds pigment 

It took me quite a while to realise that the paper is as important as the quality of the pastel itself! Very similar in fact with watercolours, the paper and its tooth are vital to a successful work. We define tooth as the resistance to the applied medium, through the structure of the paper or surface to be painted. In watercolour this is achieved by making cold-pressed or hot-pressed thick papers that can absorb the water needed to work with watercolours. For pastels you need enough tooth that the pastel can grab onto, but not so much that you end up wasting the whole pastel just to leave a visible mark. And with pastels being quite expensive, this difference is very significant.

If the paper is too smooth, soft pastels can’t grab onto anything and will quite literally fall off the paper! And this exact same thing happens, once that tooth is filled with pigment! So unlike any other medium, with soft pastels an artist truly only has a good two attempts, three if you’re lucky at getting everything right, before the paper itself will fight you back and essentially spit out the excess pigment.

This relationship to the paper thus becomes essential. I have now consistently used only handmade cotton paper from Hahnemühle, which gives me enough tooth to hold the pigment properly, but not so much that I would need to use a brush to physically push the pigment into it.

The surface as a place where the artwork remains unfinished in the right way

Perhaps even more than watercolour, pastel has an almost three-dimensional quality to it! The tooth is three-dimensional and based on the pressure used you can flatten it into more saturation and intensity, or less. This ability is perhaps more similar to that used by graffiti artists than any others. The closer you are to the wall, the more intense the colour; the further you are, the more ephemeral the effect. Soft pastel works in almost exactly the same way, but at a microuniverse level. And because our hands are so much bigger than these tiny pastels, the care needed and instincts are more akin to those of Impressionists than regular painters.

And this medium doesn’t dry, or form a skin, it is an unprotected last record of the artist’s hand and literal fingerprint. The work is therefore not “less durable” in spirit, but exposed in surface. This unfinished-ness is exactly what I’m exploring with this medium. In particular the edge-quality you can get from it is simply unparalleled! The scratching of the paper’s tooth adds an extra dimension to the experience of art and of making it, that not even charcoal can compete with.

These qualities make pastel unmistakably a medium in its own right and quite frankly of its own league.

Why pastel suits the figure from life

The old masters intuitively used pastels as a sketching medium, a proto-painting before the oil masterpieces. It’s not only quite convenient, because you don’t have to mix paints, or carry an entire art studio with you, or painting mediums, but it’s also instant. It doesn’t need to dry, certainly not as long as oil paint does, and the colour doesn’t change over time.

What you see is what you get.

But this brutal honesty also means there is almost no room for error. If you want to make a red mark, you better be sure about it, because that red pastel will deliver! And once it’s there, you can’t take it back. If you try, you have a smudged mess, and a less toothy paper which now accepts less pastel, if at all, leaving just pure and glorious frustration behind.

Because of this roughness and three-dimensionality of the paper’s tooth and pigment meeting each other, you can capture incredible little moments that happen in a life session. There are marks that can only be done with soft pastels, and I celebrate exactly those marks.

If caught just right, you can make pastel almost float on the paper: like pure pigment ephemerally floating in air.

Because it is dry powder, it actually does float in space. It floats on top of the paper’s tooth, which makes it the nightmare of conservators and museums alike. But why should art always be so resistant to our violence?

Care as a form of respect, not inconvenience

 

There is something so precious in its delicacy. A soft pastel that survives tells not only the story of its conception, but rather, the story of its handling too. For a soft pastel painting to survive generations, it would require generations of care, true and honest care, and education, as well as protection from exactly the violence that artworks encounter all the time.

Be it through moving, handling, all the way to authoritarian regimes declaring them illegal and dangerous, art survives through people’s hands: our hands.

Because my own philosophy is all about humaneness and care, the fragility of this medium is part of the art itself. This is not a hindrance, but rather a promise that the values of this practice will continue through this work, in a very direct and physical way, with its collector.

Its fragility directly requires us to pay our respect to art itself, in a way that other mediums cannot, and I think that is a beautiful thing that should be cherished as such.

Why matt colour feels different from digital colour

Soft pastels are matt. Very intensely matt. They absorb light with almost no glossy reflection and unlike watercolour, their intensity is not dulled down, nor diluted; it remains pure, fully saturated pigment. This is why it is also incredibly difficult to take proper pictures of them. Even though they’re easier to photograph than oil paintings, because of the lack of reflections, you can’t photograph the aliveness of these pigments. This is why many times I am forced to adjust the saturation slightly, when I edit them, such that people may get a glimpse of the real works!

But soft pastels are in fact archival. For as fragile as they are, ironically they are among the most lightfast colours we have! And because they don’t have any oil in them, they also don’t yellow over time.

Isn’t that extraordinary?

You see exactly what the artist saw, and put down with their own fingers, and it may remain as such forever. If of course the people and culture and collectors keep the work safe, everyone can enjoy the freshness and immediacy of that work, just as it was laid down by the artist themselves.

As matt as the pigments are, they still reflect light, and so these paintings are truly alive. As the light moves through your home it will be reflected by every single powder particle in a way that cannot be replicated.

Thus pastel is the opposite of screen-colour and the digital world: not backlit, not glossy, not algorithmically intensified, but sensorial, human… textural. 

Read more about the differences between digital and original artworks in my article: Does owning original art still matter in a digital culture? 

The collector’s real fear: not damage, but responsibility

The question then becomes, not “will this smudge?” but rather “Am I allowed to own something this delicate?” Especially in Western culture, “quality” is associated with durability and resistance to, well, our own lack of responsibility ultimately. If we compare this for example with the famous kimonos of Japan, we can understand how culture can become part of artworks. Kimonos might not survive a harsher culture like our own, but they do survive in Japan: over many generations. There is pride in taking care of a well-crafted kimono that has been passed down through the generations. There is pride in assuming that responsibility for care. And much like kimonos desperately want to be worn, likewise pastels desperately want to be seen!

Thus the art becomes a social responsibility, where your care quite literally becomes part of the artwork in a very practical and direct way that is more akin to the work of a conservator on an oil painting than to a normal art collector.

So the fear shouldn’t allow the thought to arise, that “the best place for a pastel work is a safe vault in a bank”, but quite the opposite. A pastel painting wants to be seen and appreciated, and its care taken pride in.

Imagine a pastel going down through generations, much like a kimono would: it keeps not only the direct expression of the artist alive, but it is a testament to the practice of care, responsibility and respect as actively lived values within that family, passed down from generation to generation together with a beautiful work of art.

The unframed original as an artwork awaiting its final threshold

I mostly sell my pastel paintings as unframed for two reasons.

Firstly, because I can ship them in the safest way I have found for my own work, with museum-grade protective materials. Many would swear that rolling a pastel is murder, but for my own works, if done correctly, it is one of the safest and most controlled ways to ship them, where the pigment stays in place far more safely than if it were framed. Even if I do send a framed pastel, I would still secure the pastel first inside the frame, and then put the frame around it.

And secondly, because this gives another entry point for the collector themselves to complete this artwork with a frame of their choosing and their taste. I offer full post-handling consultation, of course, if and where it is needed, but I found that many collectors really enjoy the process of framing, especially a soft pastel.

One collector took my work to his favourite frame-maker and he, upon seeing that it was indeed a soft pastel, threw everyone out of his work studio! He screamed “Nobody even breathe around it, until I have secured it!” The collector in this case felt very honoured to have his new work be handled with such intense care, where his other works would have been pinned to the floor and treated quite harshly.

Because soft pastel is a rather rare medium, most frame-makers haven’t had the chance to frame one, so they take a lot of joy and delight in it too!

And of course the final magic: you get your work framed in your desired frame, that you discussed with your frame-maker, aligned with the care guidance given by the artist! So now from the hands of the pastel-maker, through the hands of the artist, through the hands of the frame-maker, it is finally here: in your hands.

And hopefully in the hands of your children later on.

There is something so beautifully humane about this whole process and so unadulterated by machines, algorithms or industrialisation.

This whole process deserves its place in the highest ranks of fine art.

FAQ

▸ Is an unframed pastel original safe to ship?

Yes. I mostly ship my original pastel works unframed because, for my own work, this is the safest and most controlled way I have found to send them. Each work is protected with museum-grade materials and packed so that the pastel surface is kept as stable as possible during transport.

Shipping is fully insured for the value of the artwork.

Once the work arrives, it should be taken directly to a professional frame-maker, ideally without being opened or handled beforehand.

▸ What should I do when the pastel arrives?

Please do not touch the surface of the artwork.

Soft pastel is made of delicate pigment resting on the tooth of the paper, so the safest thing is to keep the work in its protective packaging and bring it directly to a professional frame-maker. Handling instructions are provided with the work, and these should be followed before the artwork is opened, mounted, or framed.

▸ Will it smudge?

Yes, if it is touched or handled incorrectly.

No, if it is framed and cared for properly.

A soft pastel original should be treated as a delicate surface, not as a sealed plastic object. Once framed correctly behind protective glass, it can be safely displayed and enjoyed, while still preserving the living quality of the pigment.

▸ Do you use fixatives?

A collector or frame-maker should never apply fixative to the artwork without the permission of the artist.

Fixative can darken, dull, or visibly change the colour of pastel pigment. I myself only gently mist the vapour of the fixative over the pastel, rather than spraying it heavily onto the surface. This helps preserve the delicacy, powder quality, and colour intensity of the work as much as possible.

This is very important: the surface should not be “sealed” by someone else as if it were a technical problem to solve. The delicacy of the pigment is part of the artwork.

▸ How should I frame a soft pastel original?

Instructions are provided with the work for the frame-maker.

I recommend that original pastels are framed professionally using only acid-free, conservation-grade materials. The pastel should be protected behind UV-protective museum-grade glass, ideally with anti-reflective qualities. The glass should protect against UV light while keeping the surface visually clear and alive.

The pastel surface must never touch the glass. It should be mounted with proper spacing, and the mount should be fitted carefully to help prevent dust from entering the framed work. Acid-free mount board and conservation tape should be used, including tape that can be removed safely if necessary.

▸ Can I hang it in a normal home light?

Yes, but with care.

The artwork should not be hung in direct sunlight, high humidity, bathrooms, kitchens, or anywhere it may be exposed to moisture, heat, smoke, or rough handling. A calm interior wall with stable light and temperature is ideal.

Soft pastel is fragile to touch, but when framed properly and kept in the right conditions, it can remain vivid and beautiful for generations.

▸ Is soft pastel archival?

Yes. Soft pastel is one of the most archival colour mediums when cared for properly.

Because the pigment is not suspended in oil, it does not yellow over time in the way oil-based materials can. High-quality pastel pigments are also highly lightfast. The surface is delicate, but the colour itself can remain extraordinarily fresh if the work is protected from touch, humidity, direct sun, and careless handling.

▸ Why do you sell many originals unframed?

For two reasons.

Firstly, because I can ship them more safely this way using protective materials and a method suited to my own pastel works.

Secondly, because framing becomes the final threshold of the artwork. The collector gets to choose the frame, the mount, and the final presentation in conversation with their frame-maker, while following the care guidance I provide.

In that sense, the work passes from the hands of the pastel-maker, to the hands of the artist, to the hands of the frame-maker, and finally into the hands of the collector.

▸ What happens if the artwork is damaged in shipping?

Shipping is fully insured for the value of the artwork.

If anything appears damaged on arrival, the packaging and artwork should be photographed immediately before further handling. The work should not be touched, cleaned, fixed, sprayed, or taken apart. Contact me as soon as possible so that the issue can be assessed properly and the insurance process can be handled with the necessary documentation.

▸ What makes this different from a print?

A fine art print can be beautiful, but an original pastel is a completely different object.

An original pastel contains the actual pigment touched by the artist’s hand. The powder sits on the tooth of the paper; the surface holds pressure, hesitation, edge, dust, and fingerprint. As the light moves through your home, it catches the pigment particles in a way that cannot be replicated by a print or a screen.

For more on this difference, you can also read my articles on Giclée prints and Original Artwork vs Fine Art Print.