Have you recently inherited or purchased a pastel drawing and want to know its value? Mearto provides quick and affordable online appraisals of pastel drawings. All you have to do is click on the “Start Appraisal” button above and follow the steps to send us information about and images of your pastel drawing. One of our qualified and experienced specialists will review and get back to you with a fair market and insurance value, typically within 48 hours.

Have questions about the valuation provided, or would you like some advice about selling your pastel drawing? We are here to help! Our platform allows you to chat back and forth with a specialist to ensure that all of your questions are answered. 

What are pastels and how are they used?

Pastels are crayon-like drawing materials made of powdered pigments affixed together by gum or resin. Pastels behave similarly to charcoal, but because of the binding material, more readily affix to a surface. Pastels are a multi-colored material, not to be confused with chalk which are not made with a binding and so behave even more similarly to charcoal in its ability to sit on the drawing surface as opposed to readily affixing to it.

What are the different types of pastels?

There are five types of pastels: soft, PanPastel, hard, pencil and oil.

• Soft pastels consist almost entirely of pigment with only enough binder to hold their utilitarian form. Pastels can run the gamut from soft to hard with many variations in between.
• PanPastels are a variation of pastels that can be mixed and applied like paint. They are considered to be a soft pastel in texture, but have a more cake-like texture and are popular for exploring mixed media techniques.
• Hard pastels have as much pure pigment as soft pastels, but have more binder making their form less pliable and readily transferable than soft pastels. The colors of the hard pastels are not as intense as the soft pastels, but they’re form is much more substantial and doesn’t crumble at the same rate as soft pastels.
• Pastel pencils are simply pastel material encased in a wooden pencil form. Pastel pencils can be sharpened to a fine point making more specific and intricate details easier to apply.
• Oil pastels are for works on a variety of surfaces including: wood, glass, canvas, and plastic. Oil pastels behave similarly to soft pastels, but the addition of the oil makes the texture more fluid. Oil pastels have the consistency of a crayon, but the texture is creamier and richer than the wac base of the crayon which is harder.

Who are some notable artists that have worked with pastels?

There are many notable and highly-valued artists who created both sketches and finished works in the pastel medium. Some of those artists include:

• Mary Cassatt
• Edgar Degas
• Odilon Redon
• Jean François Millet
• Childe Hassam
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir 
• Pablo Picasso 
• Eugène Delacroix
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

What was the most expensive pastel drawing ever sold?

A pastel on board variation of Edvard Munch’s The Scream sold at Sotheby’s for a staggering $120 million.