2 materials, steps, techniques

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Pastel Painting: Lesson Two, Materials, Steps, Techniques

Page 1The text and original artwork in this document are the property of Robert Stites, all rights reserved.

Zinnias RWS


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Using Your Materials

Hard Pastels

Hard pastels are used mostly for underpainting and blockingin, but there are some fine pictures done entirely in hard

pastel, so dont be reluctant to give it a try (todays example is

done mostly in hard pastel).

You can use stick corners for lines until they get dull, then

you must sharpen them with a razor blade and sandpaper

block. A chisel point provides a sharp, durable edge for lines,

and a flat diagonal surface that is handy for broader strokes.

When you need to cover a large area, break off an inch or so,

round off the ends slightly (so they dont leave lines), and make side strokes.

Sometimes a NuPastel is too hard, right out of the box. Whether this is caused

by varnish or a surface accumulation of binder, the way to get rid of it is to

scrape all four sides of the stick lightly with a razor blade orto lay it flat and

rub all four sides on a kraft paper grocery bagit doesnt take much.

Small pastel sets like the ones well be using come in saturated colors, because you can always knock back a

saturated color with white, but theres no way to intensify a pale tint. Darkening a color calls for mixing with

black, but take it easy. A little black goes a long way.

Soft PastelsYou should have a set of 24 Goldfarb Studio (student grade), soft

pastel half- sticks, made by Castell-Faber. The color you apply to

paper is often rubbed in for backgrounds and other subordinate

picture elements, but it is better to leave the top layer

undisturbed as it is this color, resting on the surface, that gives

pastels their unique bloom. Alas, this characteristic doesnt

show up well in photos (including the examples used in this

course) or printed copies of pastels pictures. You must observe

and original to see it.

Fixative

Some pastel artists are passionately opposed to the use of fixative, arguing that it darkens the colors. Theyre

right, but when used in moderation, the darkening is negligible though the benefits are not. Use it out of

doors only; tape the picture in a vertical position, and spray from a distance of about a foot and a half, as you

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NuPatels (hard)

Chisel Point

Castell Faber Goldfarb half sticks (soft)


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keep the can moving. Three passes the short way, and four the long, is enough. Fixative

substantially reduces the risk of smudging, gives you at least one more layer after the

paper is loaded, and isolates the layers so you can apply a new one without stripping off

color which is already laid down.

There are two kinds of fixative; use workable, because it leaves a matte finish that will

take more pastel. The other is called final, which leaves a glossy protective surface not

suited to the further application of color.

Pastel Paper

The list calls for three 19 x 25 sheets of Canson Mi Teintes, [me-ta(n)], which is

smooth on one side and pebbly on the other. You can use either side. It is acid free, has

moderate tooth, is available in many colors, and is reasonably priced at around $1.50 per single large sheet.

This is the best way to buy paper, incidentally. Pastel paper in pads costs more per square foot, and comes inwhite and assorted colors. Pastel artists prefer toned paper to white, but the assortment includes some colors

youll probably never use. A pads only advantage is it can be used

as a mini-drawing board, provided you put something under the

sheet youre using to prevent grooving the ones below.

You have enough paper to get you through this course, and thats

about all, but its generally available, and if you buy ten or more

sheets from Blick theyre about a dollar a sheet (at the time of

writing) plus shipping .

Drawing Board

There are two boards in this picture; the one recommended is the

smaller, which is not quite big enough to hold a half sheet of paper.

The board is 15 x 16, and a half sheet is half sheet is 19 x12

which means that a long end will hang over by about 3 inches. Trim

it, and save for color tests. One advantage of a small board is that

its easy to rotate as you work.

To use the drawing board as an easel, put it on a table and prop up the far end with some books or, rest the

bottom edge on your lap and lean the upper part against a table, chair, whatevers handy. Most artists work

at an angle near vertical, but thats up to you. Put an towel on your lap (under the bottom edge of the board)

to catch dust.

To make a poor mans portfolio, cut a piece of corrugated cardboard about 16 x 20 square, and fold the 20

end over about 3 inches. This calls for some planning, because corrugated board wont fold straight across the

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Drawing board, which can double as a portfolio


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corrugations. The fold makes a pocket to keep your masterpieces

from falling out. The pocket should be opposite the hand hole. Put

your paper or fixed paintings in the fold, open side next to the board,

and slip the board under the clamp . Hold down the other end with

the big rubber band that comes with it, or with a bungee cord). Theclamp is strong and hard to open. If you have trouble, pry up with a

screwdriver or other tool small enough to get in one of the holes.

Masking tape holds your paper to the drawing board.

Black and white charcoal pencils (soft): Charcoal is compatible with

pastel, and erases easily. It is an oxymoron to speak of white

charcoal but thats what its called. The advantage of using charcoal in

pencil form is, the pencils can be sharpened to a fine point (a hand

sharpener will work if youre very careful) . Use white for highlights

and black for shadow and rough drawing.

Kneaded and plastic erasers are for corrections. Use the plastic for large

areas, and shape the kneaded eraser to a point or wedge to get into

tight places where the plastic wont fit.

The damp cloth or baby wipes areto clean your hands. It is surprising

how dirty your fingers get, and unless you keep them clean, color will

come off on everything you touch including the other sticks.

The ruleris for measurements, and if rigid, you can lay one end on the

paper as you hold up the other, to make a serviceable mahl stick, to

keep you hand from smudging the picture as you work.

The Sandpaper Block willbring your charcoal pencils to a fine point

and can be used to clean stumps. When the sandpaper gets loaded,

tear it off to expose a new strip.

The Razor Blade is used to sharpen your pencils and pastels, and to

scratch away color.

The Steps in Pastel Painting

1. Make a rough drawing to define the size and position of the larger

shapes, and put them in proportion and perspective. Use charcoal

or draw lightly in hard pastel. Avoid graphite pencils; pastel wont

stick to the marks (at least not very well). The drawing forms the

basis for everything that follows, so take time to get it right.

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Pear Step 2; Blocked in underdrawing

Pear

Ruler used as a mahl stick


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2. Block in the values with their approximate colors. That means

show them in broad strokes without detail.

3. Build up the picture by adding layers of soft pastel. For

corrections, remove pastel with a use a paper towel to before

erasing. If you want to remove only part of the color, daub with

the kneadable eraser. Its tacky surface will pick up color

without the need to rub. Reshape the eraser often, folding in the

color it picks up. Kneaded erasers dont leave crumbs and last a

long time, but eventually they get filled with color or dry up,

and have to be replaced.

4. As mentioned earlier, a big difference between pastels and paint

is that you mix pastel colors on the paperrather than on a palette,

so the more colors you have, the less mixing is required.

Working with small sets like ours means we will do more mixing

than usual. Sometimes, as in portraiture, it is necessary to match the subjects skin color carefully, but for

many other subjects (a barn, for example) you dont have to be so particular.

5. To preserve the bloom and intensity unique to pastels, do no more rubbing than you can avoid as you

near the final (outermost) layer.

6. Develop all parts of the picture gradually, rather than trying to finish one part before moving on.

Techniques

For expert and beginner alike, a pastel painting emerges from the drawing and blocked-in underpainting,

with the application of additional layers and revisions, usually done in soft pastel. These are some of the

techniques:

Layering

As you move from blocked-in underpainting to finished picture, youll apply new layers of color over wh

is already there. Layering can also be used to blend and mix colors; apply the darker color first, overlay it

with a lighter one and blend with a fingertip or a stump. If you dont want the colors to mix, apply fixative

between layers.

SCUMBLING: Dont be put off by the slangy name. The word is used variously but to me, it means a kind oflayering, achieved by putting down a dark base color, fixing, and using side strokes, lay a lighter color on top,

allowing some of the base color to show through (illustrations, next page).

GLAZING is a special case of scumbling in which the overlay is applied as a veil so thin it is translucent (as in

the McCoun apple).

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Pear,; Layered, Corrected (RWS 2010)


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Hatching

Hatch marks are thin parallel lines drawn close to one another.

Shadow can be indicated by hatching in a dark color. When

hatching a curved surface, let the hatched lines follow the

direction of curvature. One of the most useful ways to use

hatching is to mix color without blending.

This involves optical mixing in which hatches act the same

as dots used in pointillism. Alternate the hatched lines using

the two or more colors you want to combine. Keep the linesclose. The colors will be seen as one except close up. (see the

hatching under the eyes in Study for Mrs. C) .

Another good use for hatching is in subjects which can be

represented with many short lines, like the blades of grass or

weeds in a landscape.

FEATHERINGis a special case of hatching. Many slim parallel

lines are drawn in more than one color, as inMrs C..

Blending

Blending is the most common way to mix colors; it is also used to soften the transition from one color to

another. In painting a sunset, e. g. you want the varied colors of the sky to merge, changing gradually (we

will do this in Lesson 7). Rub the different hues together at their junction. Brushes and rubber tipped tools are

sold for this purpose, but your little fingers work fine. If space is too small for a finger, use a stump or cotton

swab.

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Study for Mrs. C. RWS

Bread Study, scumbled (bottom half rubbed in for comparison)Bread Study; first layer, rubbed in


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Broken Color

Broken color is the opposite of smooth, color. Instead of a

single consistent tone, it combines multiple hues and values,

keeping them separate. The Lounge in Lesson Four usesbroken color for the loveseat, and if we look carefully, we

see that broken colors often are often seen in nature .

Highlighting

This technique is used to indicate brightly lit areas and

reflections, and are often the lightest parts of the picture. In

portraiture, you may see a dot of reflected light in the eyes. If

a subject is strongly lit from one side, brightly lit parts are

highlighted. Both uses are seen in the Study for Mrs. C.

Novelties

There are a lot of other techniques, some bizarre, including the use of liquids (baby oil or alcohol) to make a

pastel wash; sgraffito, in which a thin but opaque layer of dark color is scratched away to form an image;

and multimedia, which combines watercolor, acrylic, oils or pen and ink with pastel. You will be better off to

leave these until you learn the basic techniques.

Underpainting and Blocking In

For next week we will paint an arrangement of zinnia blossoms and greens in a china pitcher. Well do it fromimagination, in hard pastel on a quarter sheet of paper, referring to the above photo of a growing plant for

colors and shapes.

Exercise: Underpaint a pitcher with zinnias and greens, and block in the colors.

Steps:

1. The purpose of an underpainting is to size and position the major shapes and to put them in proportion

and perspective, in preparation for the soft pastel which is used to finish the picture. Perspective can be

ignored for this subject because it is all on one plane or nearly so, and proportions can be adjusted by eye.

After defining the major shapes in white charcoal, block in the colors.

2. Apply two shades of blue to the pebbly side of the paper, forming a background for the pitcher, and

inferring a table with a lighter wall behind. Run them all the way across the paper (well erase where the

pitcher goes). Draw the outline of the pitcher in white charcoal and rub in the color outside it. Then wipe off

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Reference photo of a zinnia growing out of doors


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Pastel Painting: Lesson Three, Buildings

the blue where the pitcher goes with a paper towel. Go over

the area with your plastic eraser, and block in the pitcher

with white.

3. Show only as much detail as needed to guide you in

finishing. Apply rubbed black in the central area above thevase, so it wont look empty. We do it now, because it would

be tedious to work around the leaves later. Indicate the

location of the blossoms with circles or ellipses.

Assignment

On the underpainting prepared in class, paint an

arrangement of zinnia blossoms with greens in a white

china pitcher.

Steps: Zinnias

Working from the underpainting, finish the picture with

hard and soft pastels. Assume a soft light from above right.

1. Apply and rub in the background.

2. Paint petals to form blossoms in yellow, accented with

orange. The centers are dark brown, and thimble shaped.

Hard pastel sticks are about the right width for petals.

3. Add leaves and stems, in two shades of green.

4. Add some babys breath, woodpeckering the tiny flowers.

5. Shade the pitcher; give it a shadow and highlights.

6. Touch up, and sign.

Revised 2/23/2011

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Pitcher with Zinnias RWS

Underpainting, blocked in


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