Polychromos pastels are characterized by their stable consistency and excellent adherence to paper, cardboard, wood and stone. Harder than soft pastel crayons, Polychromos crayons are also well suited for drawing and can be smudged to create fine colour transitions. Their square cross-section assists in the drawing of very fine details, as well as the shading of larger areas.  Polychromos pastels can be ground into a fine pigment powder using sandpaper, and then mixed with oil, resin or an acrylic medium to form paint.