Glossary: Pastel

A drawing stick made of ground pigments and chalk mixed with gum water and oil. Pastel drawings retain their colours well with the underlying surface supporting the paint. Pastel as a medium is sometimes unstable on the paper and can come away in dust size particles. It seldom, if ever affects the quality of the picture. Some artists like to avoid this by "fixing" their works. This is done by use of a fixing spray that holds the pastel in place. Before sprays were invented artists ran the reverse side of the paper over a lit candle to cement the paper and pastel. I think the spray wins hands down personally