New tools!

Judy Perrin, my teacher at the Calgary School of Art, introduced me to a new type of pastels (new to me, anyway...) called PanPastels.
These are very soft, low dust and highly pigmented pastels that don't come in a stick but in a small round plastic container called a "pan". Looks like makeup, really...
They are applied with specially designed tools called Sofft Tools - different size / shape sponges, some attached to a handle to resemble a paintbrush, some on their own, all intriguing and a lot of fun to work with. Each individual colour comes with a couple of tools; they can be purchased separately as well.
Judy also gave me a few sheets of sandpaper to play with, since I didn't have any at the time.
I've been experimenting with these ever since, having a blast. They blend so well, the colours are so vibrant, the tools are so interesting, the sandpaper holds so much pigment... I use them with my hard and soft pastels, as each kind has its own applications.

For more information on the PanPastels go to their website. Not all art stores carry them, and not all colours are available in Canada at this time. I got my set from Opus Art Supplies online store, my individual colours from Colours in Calgary.
There is also a new kind of paper that works very well with pastels called PastelMat, but I haven't been able to get any yet.
Painted on 10" x 9" sanded paper using PanPastels and hard pastels.