Table of Contents
Mastering the Art of Creating Gradients with Pastels
What Are the Different Types of Pastels and How Do They Perform?
What Are the Advantages of Using Soft Pastels for Expressive Work?
What Are the Advantages of Using Soft Pastels for Expressive Work?
Mastering the Art of Creating Gradients with Pastels
Remember, creating gradients with pastels takes practice. Don't be discouraged if your first few attempts don't turn out as you hoped. With time, patience, and the right tools from The Sydney Art Store, you'll be able to create stunning gradients with pastels in no time.
What Are the Different Types of Pastels and How Do They Perform?
Pastels come in several forms—soft, hard, oil, and pencil—and each brings a unique texture and performance quality to artwork. Soft pastels are highly pigmented and ideal for expressive, painterly techniques, blending easily across textured paper or pastel board. Hard pastels offer more control and precision, making them excellent for detailed work or underdrawings. Oil pastels, with their creamy texture, allow for bold strokes and layering similar to painting, while pastel pencils combine pigment with control for intricate compositions. Each type serves different creative purposes, so understanding their characteristics is essential. Artists often mix formats within a single piece, using soft pastels for vibrant colour and pastel pencils for sharp highlights. Choosing the right pastel medium ensures both creative freedom and the ability to achieve your desired visual effect.
What Are the Advantages of Using Soft Pastels for Expressive Work?
Sennelier Oil Pastel Set 24 Assorted Portrait
$118.80
Sennelier Oil Pastels
$5.31
Sennelier Oil Pastel Set 24 Still Life
$118.76
Soft pastels are favoured for their rich pigmentation and ability to create expressive, atmospheric effects. They blend effortlessly, allowing artists to transition smoothly between colours or build contrast through layering. Because they contain minimal binder, soft pastels offer brilliant saturation and a tactile, velvety finish that’s difficult to achieve with other mediums. They’re especially suited for landscapes, portraits, and abstract work, where movement and emotion are central. Artists can smudge, blend, or layer strokes to create anything from dreamy gradients to bold textural marks. While soft pastels are delicate and can smudge easily, proper technique and surface selection make them highly versatile. Their responsiveness to pressure and layering makes them ideal for developing style and spontaneity—key elements in expressive art.
What Soft Pastel Ranges Are Available at The Sydney Art Store?
The Sydney Art Store carries an extensive collection of soft pastels from globally respected manufacturers known for consistency and brilliance. Brands like Sennelier, Unison Colour, and Rembrandt offer creamy textures and strong pigmentation ideal for detailed portraits, landscapes, and atmospheric work. Each pastel set or individual stick is curated to help you achieve smooth blending, strong colour transitions, and layering flexibility. We also stock pastel pencils for fine detail, making it easy to expand your range while staying within the same tonal family. Whether you're building your own palette or selecting from themed sets, The Sydney Art Store provides a spectrum of professional-quality options to meet your artistic needs. For those focused on lightfastness, vibrancy, and application ease, these soft pastel collections offer a premium creative experience.
