So, art class ended with pastels. I wish I could have finished stronger, but even so, I have a whole arsenal of tools to play with now.
The loose and easy nature of charcoal and big drawing paper will always be my friend :) I'm confident I can learn to use pastels in a variety of effective ways. Plus, if I ever feel stuck, I can stir my creativity with ink, collage, gesture, or any combination of techniques I've learned.