Sennelier set Half Stick Soft Pastels

Soft pastels: This is the most widely used form of pastel. The sticks have a higher portion of pigment and less binder, resulting in brighter colors. The drawing can be readily smudged and blended, but it results in a higher proportion of dust. Finished drawings made with soft pastels require protecting, either framing under glass or spraying with a fixative to prevent smudging; hairspray also works, although caution should be taken, as fixatives may impact the color or texture of the drawing.[2] White chalk may be used as a filler in producing pale and bright hues with greater luminosity.

Pastel supports need to provide a "tooth" for the pastel to adhere and hold the pigment in place. Supports include:

laid paper (e.g. Ingres; Canson Mi Teintes)
abrasive supports (e.g. with a surface of finely ground pumice or marble dust)

Techniques
Pastel techniques can be challenging since the medium is mixed and blended directly on the working surface, and unlike paint, colors cannot be tested on a palette before applying to the surface. Pastel errors cannot be covered the way a paint error can be painted out. Experimentation with the pastel medium on a small scale in order to learn various techniques gives the user a better command over a larger composition.[5]

Pastels have some techniques in common with painting, such as blending, masking, building up layers of color, adding accents and highlighting, and shading. Some techniques are characteristic of both pastels and sketching mediums such as charcoal and lead, for example, hatching and crosshatching, and gradation. Other techniques are particular to the pastel medium.

Colored grounds: the use of a colored working surface to produce an effect such as a softening of the pastel hues, or a contrast
Dry wash: coverage of a large area using the broad side of the pastel stick. A cotton ball, paper towel, or brush may be used to spread the pigment more thinly and evenly.
Erasure: lifting of pigment from an area using a kneaded eraser or other tool