Emphasizing a free, spontaneous style and explaining the properties of this fascinating medium—and the various surfaces that can be used as a canvas—this convenient guide walks painters through the basic steps of getting started with tips and tricks for a temperamental medium. This guidebook, full of vital, confidence-building advice, teaches painters how to work upright to avoid dust spoilage, correct mistakes with relative ease, and protect, store, and transport finished works. Richly illustrated sections emphasize color and sketching techniques—such as how different strokes can be executed with the end or the side of a pastel stick, and how colors can be blended—while planning the layout of each painting is also fully explained.