Pastels: What I’ve Learned So Far
What I’ve learned so far is that there is no one definitive right way to use these things. What works for artist A may not work for artist B.
My first pastel was a complete disaster. Well, actually more than one but that’s beside the point. So I bought a book. Then I bought a couple more books. Each book describing the methods of the author, and each author having his/her own unique method.
Some begin with their hardest pastels, and finish with the softest. Others begin with an underpainting. An underpainting might be done in watercolor, acrylic, or dry pastel wetted with water or alcohol. I’ve tried several of these methods, but only recently discovered an article in the Pastel Journal by a professional artist doing his artwork in a manner similar to my own. I felt vindicated from deviating from the norm.
To complicate things further, soft pastels come in varying degrees of softness, and will perform differently on different types of paper. A good comparison of some popular brands can be seen at Dakota Pastels.
Pastel papers have a “tooth” for the pastel to stick to. A support with a substantial tooth holds more dry pastel than a paper with less tooth. Using a smoother paper requires a little more planning by the artist. A workable fixative may be sprayed on the support to add more tooth to a support, or to “fix” the layer so the next one does not disturb the previous application.
Several pastel demonstrations can be found at Creative Spotlight. Anita Wolff does a marvelous demonstration on Canson Mi-Tients called Daffodil Hill. Karen Utz offers this simple demo which also includes pictures of some useful items to have in your pastel studio.
I began using soft pastels about 2 years ago. I’m not an expert with them, but I’ve come a long way since then. If your first attempts didn’t turn out like you expected, don’t be afraid to try different methods, papers, or brands of pastels.
Thanks for stopping by today!
2 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
I for one completely understand what you are saying. I have found over time that my technique has changed. I am not sure if that is from studying ideas from other artist that my own “style” evolves in the progress without me even realizing it is happening. I am now going to check out your links in this post for some new ideas…thanks so much
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about personal progress as an artist. Sometimes I feel so lost it makes me cross-eyed, which doesn’t help with drawing accuracy. Working from a tutorial allows me to slow down and really look at how the artist composed the piece. Have fun!
-Lisa