Core Differences in Materials and Application
Pastel painting involves dry pigments bound with minimal gum, applied directly to a surface using sticks or pencils, creating a powdery texture that does not require drying. In contrast, oil painting uses pigments mixed with drying oils like linseed, applied wet with brushes or knives, allowing for layering and blending on the canvas as the paint remains workable for days or weeks.
Blending and Layering Principles
Pastels blend easily with fingers, tools, or by layering colors side-by-side, relying on optical mixing and fixatives to prevent smudging, but layers cannot be built as thickly without crumbling. Oil paints blend seamlessly on the surface using wet-on-wet techniques or glazing for translucent layers, enabling complex depth and texture through slow-drying properties that allow corrections over time.
Practical Example: Portrait Rendering
For a portrait, an artist using pastels might sketch the face with soft strokes, blending skin tones directly with a finger for a quick, impressionistic effect, completing the work in one session. With oils, the same portrait could involve underpainting in thin washes, followed by thicker impasto layers for highlights, taking multiple sessions as each layer partially dries, resulting in a more luminous, detailed finish.
Applications and Artistic Considerations
Pastel techniques suit rapid studies, landscapes, or expressive works where immediacy and vibrancy are key, often on textured paper, though they require protection from dust. Oil techniques excel in museum-quality pieces, historical art, and detailed realism due to their permanence and archival quality on canvas, but demand ventilation and longer studio time, influencing choices based on project scale and desired longevity.