Artist Reply: I use dry pastels, primarily Rembrandt, NuPastels (good for sharpening to a point for fine detail), and a mixture of a few other brands. The key to the look of my work, as any pastel painting is first and foremost the texture of the paper surface in addition to the blending technique used. Everyone's approach is different so experimentation is paramount. All of my paintings are done solely using dry pastels.