Soft Pastel Supplies for Beginners: Everything You Actually Need to Get Started

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A little note: some links in this guide are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend supplies I actually use.

If you’re brand new to soft pastel, figuring out what supplies you need can get overwhelming very quickly.

There are hundreds of colors. Hard pastels, soft pastels, half sticks and full sticks. Sanded papers with different grits. Fixatives. Blending tools. And approximately one million opinions about which of those things you absolutely must have before you can begin.

Here’s the good news:

You really don’t need very much.

When I first began painting with soft pastel, I certainly didn’t own the collection I have today. And you don’t need the “perfect” set or every color imaginable to make something beautiful.

A few good pastels, the right surface, and permission to play are more than enough to begin.

So if you’ve been wanting to try soft pastel but aren’t sure what to buy, let me make this simple.

There are plenty of wonderful supplies you can add later. In fact, discovering new pastel brands, textures, colors, and papers has become one of my favorite parts of the medium.

But those things can come with time.

Your first goal is simply to begin.

1. Soft Pastels

Let’s start with the obvious one!

Soft pastels are sticks of dry pigment held together with a small amount of binder. Unlike paint, there’s no brush standing between you and the color. You hold the pigment directly in your hand and make marks on the surface.

That tactile quality is one of the things I adore about pastel.

You’ll eventually discover that different brands have very different personalities. Some are incredibly soft and buttery. Others are firmer and allow you to create different kinds of marks.

But you absolutely do not need to understand all of that before buying your first set.

2. The Right Paper Matters More Than You Might Think

If there’s one beginner mistake I would love to save you from, it’s assuming that any piece of paper will work equally well with soft pastel.

It won’t.

Pastel needs something to grab onto.

Artists usually call this texture the paper’s “tooth.”

A very smooth piece of paper doesn’t give the pigment much to hold onto, which can make pastel frustrating to work with.

A textured or sanded surface gives you more ability to build layers and create the beautiful broken marks that I love in impressionistic pastel painting.

I personally prefer working on sanded paper for much of my studio work.

Both Lux Archival and UArt are professional papers. They’re more expensive, but they allow for many layers and techniques that are wonderful for the impressionistic look I love.

Which brings me to one of my favorite beginner tricks.

3. An Inexpensive Beginner Surface: Watercolor Paper + Clear Gesso

You absolutely do not need expensive pastel paper to experiment with this medium.

You can make your own pastel surface using something you may already have:

Watercolor paper and clear gesso.

Brush a thin layer of clear gesso over the watercolor paper and let it dry.

The gesso adds grit to the surface, giving your pastel pigment something to grab onto.

And yes, I really do mean clear gesso, not white gesso.

I use this technique myself. It’s inexpensive, simple, and a wonderful way to test the waters before investing in professional sanded paper.

If your biggest concern is spending a lot of money before you know whether you like pastel, this is where I would begin.

4. Do You Need Pastel Fixative?

Not necessarily.

When I’m creating finished work on pastel-specific sanded paper, I don’t always use fixative. The tooth of a good sanded surface does a wonderful job of holding pigment on its own.

Where I do find fixative especially helpful is when I’m creating with soft pastel in an art journal or working on a less textured surface.

My personal choice is Sennelier Fixative. I’ve tried many different options, and it’s the one I prefer.

For art journaling in particular, I consider fixative important because those pages are going to be turned, handled, and revisited. A light spray helps set the pigment and protect the work.

But for your very first supply order?

I wouldn’t consider fixative mandatory.

Start with your pastels and surface first.

5. A Few Inexpensive Extras That Make Painting Easier

There are a handful of little things I keep nearby that make working with pastel much easier.

Artist or masking tape is useful for securing your paper and can also create that satisfying crisp border around a finished painting.

Foam core makes an inexpensive backing board. I often tape my paper directly to it while I work.

Baby wipes and paper towels are worth keeping within reach because, wonderfully and inevitably, pastels get messy.

If you’re preparing watercolor paper with clear gesso, you’ll also want an inexpensive brush.

And finally, you may want a blending tool, especially when working on sanded paper.

Even something as simple as a packing peanut or makeup blender can work and save your fingers from rubbing directly against the gritty surface.

None of this needs to be fancy.

Please Don’t Wait for the Perfect Supplies

This may be the most important thing I can tell you.

Buying art supplies can very easily become another way of postponing making art.

You research another pastel set.

Watch another comparison.

Read another review.

Build the perfect shopping cart.

And somehow you still haven’t made a mark.

If you already have some pastels sitting in a drawer somewhere, use those.

If you have watercolor paper, try preparing it with clear gesso.

If all you want to do right now is watch someone paint with pastel before deciding whether you want to invest in supplies, that’s perfectly wonderful too.

There is no perfect set waiting somewhere that will suddenly make you an artist.

You’re already an artist.

The supplies just give you something to make marks with.