Pastels are one of the most direct ways to put colour on paper. There is no water to manage, no brushes to clean and no drying time, so you can start a picture in the evening and finish it the same night. If you are looking for an oil pastel for beginners guide, or wondering whether soft pastels would suit you better, the first thing to know is that the two look similar in the box but behave very differently on paper.
This guide explains the differences, the paper each one needs, beginner blending techniques, and a few things to know about working with pastels in Singapore’s humid climate.
Oil Pastels and Soft Pastels Are Not the Same Thing
Both come as sticks of pigment, but the binder holding the pigment together changes everything.
Oil pastels bind pigment with oil and wax. They feel creamy, a little like a crayon that has been warmed in your hand. They do not crumble or create dust, they stay slightly soft on the paper for a long time, and they never fully harden. Colours are bold and saturated.
Soft pastels (sometimes called chalk pastels, although good ones contain very little chalk) are mostly pure pigment held together with a small amount of gum binder. They are powdery, release fine dust, and blend into velvety, smooth gradients. They can look almost like paint once layered, and they are a classic medium for portraits and landscapes.
You will also see hard pastels and pastel pencils. These are firmer versions of soft pastels, useful for details and for an underdrawing before you go in with softer sticks.
| Feature | Oil pastels | Soft pastels |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Creamy, waxy, no dust | Powdery, dusty, very soft |
| Blending | Push and smear with fingers, tissue or a blending tool; can use a solvent sparingly | Rub with fingers, tortillons or soft sponges; blends very easily |
| Layering | Limited; layers get slick quickly | Many layers on textured paper |
| Look | Bold, bright, painterly | Soft, velvety, subtle gradients |
| Mess | Low; good for small spaces | Dust gets everywhere; needs ventilation and cleanup |
| Finished work | Stays slightly soft; needs protection | Smudges easily; usually framed under glass |
Neither is “better”. Oil pastels are friendlier for a small HDB flat, for children, and for bold, expressive pictures. Soft pastels reward patience and are wonderful for soft skies, skin tones and atmospheric scenes.
Choosing Your First Set
Start small. A modest set of student-grade colours is enough to learn how the medium works, and you can add single sticks of artist-grade colours you use most.
- For oil pastels, a set of around 24 to 48 colours gives you enough variety. Look for sticks that feel creamy rather than hard and scratchy. Cheap sets that feel waxy are harder to blend and can put beginners off.
- For soft pastels, a half-stick set is a cheap way to try many colours. Add a few hard pastels or pastel pencils for details.
- Useful extras: a kneaded eraser, paper tissues or a soft cloth, blending stumps (tortillons), a palette knife or old plastic card for scraping oil pastel, masking tape, and a drawing board.
Art supply shops and larger bookshops in Singapore usually stock both types. Test sticks in store if testers are available.
Paper Matters More Than You Think
Pastel needs tooth, meaning a textured surface that grips the pigment. Smooth printer paper will not hold much colour.
For oil pastels, try:
- Heavier drawing or mixed media paper, which holds several layers.
- Pastel paper with a light texture.
- Card or primed board for bolder work, since oil pastel does not need a special surface to stick.
For soft pastels, try:
- Pastel paper with a laid or textured side. Many come in mid-tone colours like grey, beige or blue, which make both light and dark pastels stand out.
- Sanded pastel paper, which holds many layers but wears down fingertips and sticks quickly. Save it for later.
A tip that helps beginners: work on a toned (coloured) sheet rather than white. Tiny gaps between strokes show a neutral colour instead of glaring white, and your pictures will look more finished from the start.
Blending Techniques to Practise First
Spend your first sessions on small swatches rather than a full picture. These techniques work for both types, with small differences.
- Layering light to dark. With soft pastels, start with light pressure and build up. With oil pastels, many artists put down lighter colours first, because dark oil pastel easily muddies lighter ones on top.
- Finger blending. Rub two colours together where they meet. It is quick and very effective, but wipe your fingers between colours to avoid muddy mixes.
- Tissue or stump blending. A folded tissue gives a smoother, softer blend; a tortillon is good for small areas.
- Scumbling. Lightly drag one colour over another so both show through. This creates lively texture for foliage, clouds and fabric.
- Sgraffito (oil pastels). Lay down a light colour, cover it with a darker one, then scratch lines through the top layer with a toothpick or palette knife to reveal the colour underneath.
- Solvent blending (oil pastels). A small amount of an artist’s odourless solvent or baby oil on a cotton bud can turn oil pastel into something close to paint. Use only a little, work with good ventilation and follow the product label. Many beginners skip this at first.
- Feathering and hatching. Short, light strokes laid side by side, letting colours mix in the viewer’s eye rather than on paper.
A good first exercise is a simple sunset sky: three or four colours blended from top to bottom, then a dark silhouette of trees or HDB blocks along the bottom.
Working With Pastels in Singapore’s Humidity
Our climate affects pastel work in a few ways.
- Soft pastel paper can feel slightly damp on very humid days, and pigment may not grip as well. Working in an air-conditioned room helps.
- Oil pastels go softer in the heat. Keep them out of direct sun and away from hot car interiors. In an air-conditioned room they are easier to control.
- Store artwork flat, separated by glassine or baking paper, in a dry cupboard. Mould can develop on paper in damp conditions, so avoid storing artwork near bathrooms or outer walls that sweat.
- Protecting finished pieces. Soft pastel is usually framed behind glass with a small gap so the surface does not touch. Workable fixative can be used between layers, though heavy spraying can darken colours. Oil pastel can be protected with a fixative made for oil pastel, or framed.
Safety and Cleanup
Soft pastel dust should not be blown off the paper towards your face. Tap the board gently over a bin or newspaper instead. Some pigments are not meant to be inhaled, so work with a window open or a fan pointed away from you, and avoid eating while working. Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth rather than sweeping dust into the air. Oil pastel is less messy but can stain fabric, so wear an old shirt. For children, choose sets labelled for children’s use and supervise them.
Where to Go Next
Once you are comfortable blending, try a still life of fruit from your kitchen, a simple landscape from a park photo, or a pet portrait. If you enjoy the painterly feel of oil pastel, you may also enjoy moving on to oil painting for beginners, which uses similar ideas of layering and colour mixing. Prefer something more tactile? Our guide to sewing plushies by hand is another relaxing, low-cost craft to pick up at home.
The most important thing is to play. Fill a few pages with swatches, scribbles and messy blends before worrying about a “real” picture. Pastels forgive a lot, and the colours alone are a reason to keep going.