粉彩（英语：Pastel）是一种绘画颜料，通常制成笔型，所以又称粉彩笔或粉色画笔，有时为了与油粉彩区别，又称为干粉彩。粉彩始创于1919年，主要用于绘制粉画，有很强的覆盖性，色彩明快，颜色种类繁多，在任何粗糙的表面（素描纸，黑板，石头，猫脸等等）都可绘制，笔触类似油画，作画方法类似水彩画先薄后厚，先浅后深，上色辅助工具是纸擦笔、手指、海绵等。在**，oil pastels习惯上称之为粉蜡笔，制成圆柱细条状，常为幼儿的绘画工具，叠色效果佳；而soft／hard pastels习惯上称之为软式／硬式粉彩；制成长方柱条状，硬式粉彩条可直接在纸上作画，描绘线条轮廓，软式粉彩条粉末较细致，刮取色料用手或其他工具涂抹开来叠色作画。

A pastel (UK: /ˈpæstl/; US: /pæˈstɛl/) is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.