Oil pastels vs Soft pastels: Which should you try first?

If you want to start creating pastel art and are curious to know which pastel type to use, then this article is perfect for you. I will be discussing the main differences and my personal perspectives on both types as a beginner. So without further Ado, let's begin.

Ingredient: 

The main difference between oil pastels and soft pastels is the ingredients that are used in the process of manufacturing them. Oil pastels are known to contain oil and wax, though the quantity varies between companies. Soft pastels, on the other hand, contain inert binders, like gum Arabic or chalk.

Texture: 

Oil pastels tend to be more smooth and creamy. They are harder in comparison to soft pastels, and they stick to the paper easily. Whereas, soft pastels are drier and chalky which means they leave more dust. True to their name, they are delicate so they must be handled with care, or else they crumble quite easily.

Usage:

The oil pastels were easy to hold and they didn't feel fragile (they were almost crayon-like). Blending was easy with both heavy pressure and light pressure applied, so I didn't face any difficulties regarding that. The soft pastels were almost better in blending as compared to the oil pastels and had more saturation but they left a lot of dust behind. Whenever I need to blend something, the chalk would build up on my page so I had to constantly blow on it to keep the dust from getting mixed up in other colors. The soft pastels were not fixed, I found out that if you layer colors using soft pastels, and go over it with a piece of tissue or foam, it would rub off quite easily. So I would recommend getting a fixing spray at the end so the picture could stay intact.

A word of advice:

If you do start coloring with pastels, bare in mind that they stick to your hand and wrist. So I would recommend starting from the top to the bottom so that the colors don't get smudged by your hand. I also suggest using tissue or cotton swabs to blend pastels since using your finger to blend can potentially ruin your art. The colors can stick to your finger, and if they touch any other area of the paper it can create a smudge. Besides, smaller areas that your finger cannot blend need other alternatives for blending. 

Which pastels would you want to try out first?