For the technically interested...

I always use soft pastels as my main medium – I like their vibrancy and immediacy - but I usually start with an under-painting of acrylic or watercolour. Although I used to rely on pastel paper (I favour Canson); more often these days I use a heavy watercolour paper or an acid free mount board. The latter I paint with a pastel primer to give the surface ‘grip’; sometimes with added ‘moon dust’ for extra texture.

At work in The Gallery in Ilkley