Elena reached for a stick of , a deep ultramarine blue. Unlike oil paints that required brushes and solvents, pastels were tactile. They were pure pigment held together by the slightest bit of binder, a direct bridge between the artist’s hand and the surface. "The secret," she whispered to herself, "is in the layers." The Foundation
She didn't use a fixative; she didn't want to dull the brilliance of the raw pigment. Instead, she slid the piece into a glass frame with a deep mat, preserving the fragile, beautiful dust forever. An Introduction to Pastels
Next came the . These were buttery and rich. She applied a vibrant ochre over the distant cliffs. Because pastels are opaque, she could layer light colors directly over dark ones—a freedom few other mediums allowed. Elena reached for a stick of , a deep ultramarine blue