Pastels come in two varieties 鈥 oil pastels and chalk pastels. Both are quick to use and easy to control.
Chalk pastel are soft and can be blended with your finger or a cotton bud. Oil pastels are blended by applying one colour on top of the other.
Pastels work best on a rough paper. Coloured paper or black paper make effective backgrounds. You could prepare a background by rubbing the side of a pastel across it before starting your drawing.
Techniques
Apply pastel in layers to created smooth granuated tones.
Different amounts of blending can help suggest different textures in your subjects.
Create expressive marks by leaving them unblended, or applying them as hatched or cross-hatched lines.
Use oil pastels as a resist before applying watercolour or ink wash. This is a good way of creating highlights.