{"id":12263,"date":"2024-01-22T14:46:31","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T18:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=12263"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:16:19","slug":"oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastels-a-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastels-a-comparison","title":{"rendered":"Oil Pastels vs. Soft Pastels &#8211; A Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"insertbackground\">\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"videoflexwrapper\">\n<div class=\"videotop\">\n  <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rNr6MrQtPc4?si=eTP3XB3o1sA-ylAE\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrapperpage\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideo\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetabletcontainer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetablet\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"orangecontainermobile\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorange\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebartop\">\n<div class=\"vertalign\">\n<div class=\"logoimage\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/logosmall75.png\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarcarddescriptiondark\"><span>JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR<\/span><br \/>\n    Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today.<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbuttonholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttonsmem\">START FREE TRIAL<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<hr style=\"background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttons\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"contentfix\">\n<h2>What&#8217;s the Difference Between Oil Pastels and Soft Pastels?<\/h2>\n<p>Oil pastels and soft pastels are extremely different from one another. Even though both mediums are referred to as &#8220;pastels&#8221;, they are different mediums entirely. In this lesson, we&#8217;ll see just how different they are.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-compared-to-soft-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Oil pastels compared to soft pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"447\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-compared-to-soft-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-compared-to-soft-pastels-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-compared-to-soft-pastels-768x429.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>The Binder<\/h3>\n<p>To understand the differences between oil pastels and soft pastels, we need to start by taking a look at the compositional makeup of each material. That starts by taking a look at what&#8217;s called binder. Binder is the material that holds the pigment together. All colored art materials include pigment and binder. Pigment is what adds the color, and binder is what holds the color together.<\/p>\n<p>Soft pastels feature a gum or methyl cellulose binder. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/soft-pastel-binder.jpg\" alt=\"Soft pastel binder\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/soft-pastel-binder.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/soft-pastel-binder-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/soft-pastel-binder-768x430.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But oil pastels feature an oil and wax binder.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-binder.jpg\" alt=\"Oil pastel binder\" width=\"800\" height=\"444\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-binder.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-binder-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-binder-768x426.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Because these two binders are extremely different from one another, the materials are going to behave differently on the surface. This means that we need to approach using them differently as well. Because of its binder, soft pastels are applied dry. They&#8217;re noticeably powdery and easily blended or smudged with a finger. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-soft-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Blending soft pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"447\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-soft-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-soft-pastels-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-soft-pastels-768x429.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This differs from oil pastels, which are applied in more of a wet manner. Oil pastels never dry completely thanks to their binder. They&#8217;re a little bit more difficult to blend with a finger compared to soft pastels. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-oil-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Layering oil pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"452\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-oil-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-oil-pastels-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-oil-pastels-768x434.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Surfaces for Pastels<\/h3>\n<p>Soft pastels are typically applied to textured papers. The textured surface, of course, allows for layered applications allowing you as the artist to fill in the tooth of the paper to build up complexity in the color. Oil pastels are most often applied to textured papers just like soft pastels, but oil pastels, because of their binder, can be applied to virtually any surface, including glass.<\/p>\n<h3>Oil Pastel and Soft Pastel Behavior<\/h3>\n<p>Typically, oil pastels are more intense in color compared to traditional soft pastels. Because of their similarities to crayons and colored pencils, oil pastels behave more like a crayon when they&#8217;re applied. You can see here that layering produces some mixing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/mixing-oil-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Mixing oil pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/mixing-oil-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/mixing-oil-pastels-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/mixing-oil-pastels-768x430.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/> <\/p>\n<p>Soft pastels, however, are more like chalk. They&#8217;re powdery and loose, and easily blended with a finger or blending tool.<\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimage\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>The Oil Pastel Course<\/span><br \/>\n    Learn how to use oil pastels while exploring the subjects of landscape, still life, and portraiture in this comprehensive course.<br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-oil-pastel-course\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW COURSE<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Oil pastels can also be blended, but typically we don&#8217;t use a finger to blend them. Oil pastels can be blended using a colorless blender, but you can also use painting mediums to blend the material as well. Mediums such as terpenoid or other oil painting mediums will also work for blending oil pastels.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-oil-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Blending oil pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"447\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-oil-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-oil-pastels-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blending-oil-pastels-768x429.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Techniques for Oil Pastels and Soft Pastels<\/h3>\n<p>Many of the same techniques used for soft pastels can be applied to oil pastels. For example, scumbling and feathering are two techniques used for both mediums. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastel-techniques.jpg\" alt=\"Oil pastel and soft pastel techniques\" width=\"800\" height=\"444\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastel-techniques.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastel-techniques-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastel-techniques-768x426.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Oil pastels, however, can be scratched and removed from the surface. You can use this characteristic to create textures in the surface or remove oil pastel from the surface completely. Oil pastels can be applied in a thick manner imitating impasto oil painting techniques. Soft pastels, however, because of their dusty powdery nature remain fairly flat on the surface. <\/p>\n<p>Because oil pastels are so sticky, you may notice some of the material sticking to other colors of pastels. Of course, when you apply this to the surface, you&#8217;ll see some contamination. So with oil pastels, it&#8217;s important to pay attention to the tip of your stick and make sure it&#8217;s clean before applying it to the surface. Soft pastels, however, don&#8217;t share this characteristic. You don&#8217;t really have to worry too much about contamination when you&#8217;re using soft pastels.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-contamination.jpg\" alt=\"Oil pastel contamination\" width=\"800\" height=\"442\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-contamination.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-contamination-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/oil-pastel-contamination-768x424.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Soft pastels effortlessly cover over other applications, much like an opaque painting medium. As you can see here, I&#8217;m adding blue dots over the top of a darker blue and it&#8217;s easily visible with a very light touch. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-soft-pastels.jpg\" alt=\"Layering soft pastels\" width=\"800\" height=\"456\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-soft-pastels.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-soft-pastels-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/layering-soft-pastels-768x438.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagedays\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Animals with Pastels<\/span><br \/>\n    Explore pastels through the subject of animals. Learn how to draw four different animals with soft pastels, pastel pencils, and oil pastels in this course that includes videos and step by step ebooks.<br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/animals-with-pastels\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW COURSE<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Oil pastels are also capable of this, but it requires a little bit more effort. With most applications, some of the colors already on the surface will influence the colors that you add on top. <\/p>\n<h2>Oil Pastels vs. Soft Pastels &#8211; Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Both soft pastels and oil pastels are obviously capable of producing amazing results, which can look like a painting. But it&#8217;s important to note that even though both of these materials are called pastels, they&#8217;re typically not used in combination with one another. This of course goes back to the fact that their binders are so extremely different, making them completely different mediums.                      <\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagenews\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Like This Lesson?<\/span><br \/>If so, join over 36,000 others that receive our newsletter with new drawing and painting lessons. Plus, check out three of our course videos and ebooks for free.<br \/><script src=\"\/\/static.leadpages.net\/leadboxes\/current\/embed.js\" async defer><\/script> <button data-leadbox-popup=\"v2CJtikZQDhPy8h6xv3hv4\" data-leadbox-domain=\"thevirtualinstructor.lpages.co\" style=\"background: rgb(230, 125, 55);border-color: rgb(230, 125, 55);border-radius: 10px;color: #FFFFFF;display: inline-block;vertical-align: middle;padding: 16px 32px;min-width: 150px;border: 1px solid rgb(230, 125, 55);width:70%;margin-top:8%;font-size: 1rem;font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;text-align: center;outline: 0;line-height: 1;cursor: pointer;-webkit-transition: background 0.3s, color 0.3s, border 0.3s;transition: background 0.3s, color 0.3s, border 0.3s;  box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);\">YES! 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START FREE TRIAL FREE COURSE VIDEOS What&#8217;s the Difference Between Oil Pastels and Soft Pastels? Oil pastels and soft pastels are extremely different from one another. Even though [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drawing","category-painting"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What&#039;s the difference between oil pastels and soft pastels? In this lesson, we&#039;ll take a look at the similarities and differences between these different art mediums.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matt Fussell\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/oil-pastels-vs-soft-pastels-a-comparison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.9\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TheVirtualInstructor Blog |\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oil Pastels vs. Soft Pastels \u2013 A Comparison\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What&#039;s the difference between oil pastels and soft pastels? 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