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Soft Chalk Pastels

Chalk pastels are one of my favourite products to use in the classroom. They allow a child to lay down a lovely layer of colour with just their fingers. No paint, brushes or water necessary to create a colourful work of art. There is a wide choice of colours to choose from and children can learn about blending and layering easily. Chalk pastels, as opposed to oil pastels, may be easier for children to control and allow for more detailed drawing (without losing the ability to blend and layer). Chalk pastels also create more dust and may break and crumble more easily with added pressure.�
The variations from soft chalk pastels to harder chalk pastels affect the vibrancy of the pigment, their blendability, and their likelihood to crumble and break.
Soft chalk pastels: more vibrant colour, very blendable, likely to crumble with pressure, excellent for layering.
Hard chalk pastels/pencils: blendable, less likely to break/crumble, excellent for layering, better for creating fine details.

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Equipment

Pastel Paper. Different brands of pastel paper have different textures or surfaces to give the pastel something to grip onto. ...
Pastel Colours. ...
Fixative/hair spray . ...
Sketchbook for Practicing. ...
An Easel. ...
Drawing Board. ...
Bulldog Clips. ...
Pencil for Initial Sketching.

Pastel techniques

There are several ways in which students can create with and explore the use of chalk pastels. Experimenting with these techniques will help them to develop confidence and to create art pieces with more depth and complexity.
Drawing with the End:
Using a pastel like a pencil, drawing with the end, results in a defined and decisive line. Varying the pressure you’re using will alter the line’s thickness and vibrancy.
Using the Edge:
Laying the pastel on its side to use the edge creates a larger block of colour. This is an excellent way to add colour to a larger area quickly, and can also highlight the texture of the pastel paper.

Pastel techniques continued

Hatching & Cross-Hatching:
This is a common technique and works best with harder pastel pencils and sticks. Hatching is the use of fine parallel lines to add colour or shading. Cross-hatching is the addition of angled or perpendicular lines.�
This method is especially useful when using pastels because the hatch marks can either be blended together to cover a large area with colour or can be left unblended to add loose, visual texture.
Blending:
Pastel pigments can be spread and mixed together once placed onto paper. Colours near to each other can be blended (through the use of a finger or other tool) to mix a new colour or to create a smooth transition between the two.
Scumbling:
Pastels are known for being exceptionally simple to layer. Scumbling is the process of dragging a pastel softly over the top of a previous pastel application, giving the image depth and visual texture.