Can we mix pastels on the actual paper? I say yes! That is exactly what I do. I literally treat pastels as I do paint. With pastels, we have sticks, so you cannot get the exact color you want sometimes. You have to start layering and mixing together. I use my finger or a brush to blend colors and values together to get the appropriate color or value. I treat it very much like paint, and I think that is why my pastel work has a tendency to look like an oil painting with a painterly quality. I always use my fingers to mix it and find this the easiest. If you are using the pastel medium, get in their with your hands and start treating it like a brush (in certain areas, not all). Try to “paint” with pastels.

Ultimately, it does not matter the medium. It is just a vehicle expressing the emotion and the feel of what I saw that happens to be used with pastel. Also, don’t buy those large sets of pastels. There is no way it will give you the colors you really need. Most of the colors you will not use, they are often too bright. I tend to use more muted colors. I usually have plenty of those bright reds or yellows left over because I find the beauty is in the greys, not in the loud colors. Use your fingers, mix it, and treat pastels like a painting!

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