Drawing or Painting

In her FAQ on pastels, asked if their use is drawing or painting, Painting guide Marion Boddy-Evans writes: "I've also heard it said that people who don't take what they're creating seriously consider themselves to be drawing, whereas those who take pastels seriously consider themselves to be painting." Interesting comment, Marion! I don't know who said it, but I'm glad they didn't say it to me - I think I might have resorted to violence. I take my drawing very seriously indeed.

As far as pastels are concerned, I think I agree - nit-picking over the name doesn't matter, its the end result. These days, the boundaries of art are more blurred than ever, especially when you consider the use of digital media and printing techniques.
The Compact Oxford English Dictionarydefines drawing (noun) as "a monochrome picture or diagram made with a pencil, pen, or crayon rather than paint. 2 the art or skill of making such pictures." By this definition, both colored pencil and pastel drawings would come under the category of painting.

I quite like Dali's comment - "Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad."