What are the differences between pastels and pigments?
I can’t go into any technical difference as I have no idea. I was using pigments for years. But early this year I started using pigments and they were a revelation. I found that only do they adhere better than pigments, but I was able to build up piles of dust in corners and on angles of armour pieces. And they also work well when applying thicker mud to the model. I still have my pastels and use them, but nothing like as much.
I too find pigments a little bit better than pastels but its not a game breaker.
Pigments come in a much larger color range that we modelers would use.
I now use pigments because I ran across a killer deal on Mig pigments and products early this year on ebay that would have been criminal to pass up!
I would not dout that they are one and the same.
Bill
It’s going to depend on what brand of pastels and pigments you are going to compare. All pastels are not alike. All “pigments” are not alike. I use a brand of pastels called Alphacolor, it comes in a set of 12 earth tones, which are perfect for weathering. I have compared these pastels to Vallejo and AK interactive “pigments” and I do not notice any difference. In fact they mix quite well with both brands.
The problem is that modeling companies don’t like to share what their stuff is made of, while art suppliers are very open about it. Most pastels use gum arabic as a binder, but what do modeling companies use as a binder? I haven’t a clue because they won’t tell. That makes it difficult for consumers to compare. Sure, the modeling companies claim their stuff is “better quality” than art pastels, but they provide no information to back up their claims. Can we trust them?
Also consider price. $15 US will get you a set of 12 pastel earth tones. That same amount of money will get you 2, maybe 3 “pigments” from model companies. If I can’t tell the difference, the higher price is not worth it. (I put ‘pigment’ in quotes because it is a bit misleading. They don’t sell just pigment–it has some sort of binder as well. If it had no binder, the pigment alone wouldn’t adhere to anything. Humbrol labels their products as “weathering powders,” which is a much more honest label).
Of course, compare them to a different brand of art pastels and you may get different results. Then there are the pan style pastels and pigments, which could be a different animal altogether.
Paints normally contain a vehicle- a liquid that holds the pigments, and hardens after painting, and pigments, that are the actual color-producing part. Pigments are a very general term, and can refer merely to those materials folks can buy to make their own paint, or to add some color to some other substance like plaster, to give it color.
Folks have found that one can apply pigments directly to a model to give the same effect as drybrushing paint.
I have no idea what the definition of pastels are as a substance used in model building. I think of pastels as colors of very low saturation. Colored chalks are an example.
By pastels, am assuming the opening post is referring to the stick form? Be aware that there are various types ranging from oil (like the crayola brand you used in pre-school) all the way to dry, usually referred to as chalk pastels. The latter is what you want, as this is the type modelers will scrape back into powder form.
The stick pastels found in art stores are cheaper compared to the grounded pigments that are bottled as powders and branded for modeling, but could this be because there is more binder and less powder in the sticks? Jars of grounded pigments can be found in art stores as well, and a quick comparison for prices seem to indicate that you really do pay more for those brands dedicated to the modelling hobby.
regards,
Jack
Good point about using pigments by drybrusing. Also using pigments to “paint” an area by rubbing it in. When I’ve tried this with chalk pastels they simply don’t stick very well.
What I meant to convey is that drybrushing common model paints results in a translucent effect very similar to pigments applied dry.
I’ve used both pastels and pigments. I much prefer pigments. Pigments are not expensive at all. You just need only a few colors and one bottle will last for a long time.
I use Tamiya weathering kits