The pastel is a powder colored in the nuances and in the gradations varying in the infinity, the intensity of which remains intact in the course of time. He(it) appears under the aspect of chalk or rather flat broke used stick or diluted in the water.
The pastel works with fingers, he allows at the same moment the speed of the emotion and the graphic writing, the notation of the idea, the ease of the disappearance and of to regret, while privileging the softness and the matité of the material(subject) as well as the luminosity of the complexion.

Pastels are chalks of pigments in powder agglomerated by means of Lac, they are of a very wide range of tones, they allow a technique of very supple(flexible) drawing often considered as a sort of flat broke painting (as regards the dry pastel).

Working process

The principle of the manufacture of the pastel rests(bases) on a just balance between the hardness and the tenderness. The pastel does not have to crumble off between fingers but leave enough material(subject) on the paper.
Proceed of the same maniére that for the gouache, but to collect the mixture more finely crushed on an appropriate(clean) linen.
This one is folded up so as to form an envelope which we present under a press to extract the water. Further to this operation, we shall obtain a " wet cake ".
Cut or form cylinders with this "cake", reserve for drying one fortnight before use.