Pastels Section
Drawing with pastels goes back to the 16th century and was used by many famous masters including Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Whistler and Degas to name but a very few.
There are several qualities and brands and it is a widely respected art form in its own right.
Pastel sticks and pencils can produce intense, vivid colors not always possible with other media. Or they can be used for soft dream-like works by subtle blending and overlaying of related shades. As drawing instruments they need no drying time and can be used equally effectively for loose, impressionist work or very detailed compositions.
Basically, there are three types you need to be aware of initially...
1. Soft and hard pastels - the most common.
2. Pastel pencils - similar to hard pastels.
3. Oil pastels - the same pigments but bound in waxes and oils.
I've grouped the soft & hard variety together because they're more or less the same formula. It's just that some brands are manufactured to a slightly harder consistency than others which produces slightly different properties.
They can all be used on a wide variety of surfaces, from specialist Ingres textured paper to rough sandpaper. And there's a variety of accessories available to enhance your creative possibilities...
Have a look at the individual articles below to learn more about what you can achieve with this very popular and adaptable medium.
Pastels Articles
Pastel Pencil Horse
If you want to see how to draw a pastel pencil horse then here's just the thing to watch - it's a wonderful example by artist Mary Herbert....
Pastel Types
This short video by Christine MacLellan gives the would-be pastel painter a quick insight into the various types of pastel...
Soft and hard pastels and pencils
Soft and hard pastels have been around since the 16th century and have been used by some of the world's most famous artists. They are extremely versatile and can produce intensely vibrant colors as well as (perhaps more obviously), soft subtle shades of pale tones...
Oil Pastels
Learn everything you need to know about using oil pastels...
Pastel Accessories
Using a few, well chosen accessories can greatly enhance the quality of your work...
Pastel Paper
Want to know what paper to use? Click here to find out more...
Love To Draw With Pastels? What Tips Can You Share With Others?
If you like to draw with pastels, you’ve almost certainly discovered some handy little hints that could benefit other artists. They may seem insignificant to you but don’t underestimate how much others can learn from them...
Perhaps you have some great tips for blending colors? Or maybe you know how to inject brilliant light into your work? It could even be something as simple as "how to stop smudging your pictures".
By sharing your tips and advice, it will help us all to enjoy this wonderful medium even more! Here’s how you do it...
See Pastels Tips From Other Visitors
Click below to see pastel tips from other visitors...
Don't throw awaythose broken pastels
I learned from Cheap Joe's catalogue to not throw away your crumbling, broken pastels. Pulverize them with a mortar, then mix in a bit of alcahol or mineral ...
Suede Mat Board
Suede Mat board is a wonderful surface for soft pastels. It absorbs so much color and is excellent if you are using many layers of color. It can be easily ...
For Your Protection
If you are like me and like to blend pastels with your fingers, there is a very good barrier cream made in Australia by Hamilton Pharmaceutical pty.
It ...
Fixative
Treat your pastel artwork with fixative after each layer. The colour & texture will NOT change providing you do not spray too close to the image itself ...
My favorite pastel surface
My favorite primer for watercolor paper whether I'm using dry (hard or soft) pastels or oil pastels is clear Colourfix sanded primer. A sanded surface ...
Under painting in pastels
To achieve greater depth in paintings, start your pastel with an under painting--start with hard pastels and darker colors, then build up with lighter ...
Velvet Mat Board
I cut a mat the other day from a red/brown velvet board. The middle was too small to use for much of anything, so I decided to try it for a pastel painting....
Pressure Fixative
I use a pressure technique in order to avoid spoiling my colors with fixative. With the painting face up on a flat table I cover the surface with waxed ...
Chamois cloth: Very useful in soft Pastels
I have found a number of wonderful uses for ordinary chamios cloth, from any auto store. First, rubbed rather briskly, it will effectively remove pastel ...
How to keep your pastels clean
Buy cornstarch in a grocery store.(The type used for making cornbread). Pour some of it into a clean container. Place the dirty pastels in it. Gently move ...
Chalk Pastels In Water
Chalk pastels are great for producing a soft, delicate look to your picture.
But, if you soak a chalk pastel ...
rework an area of a picture
If you need to go back into the picture say near the middle and you are worried about smudging your work take a piece of black paper and cut a square out ...
colors to use in skin
when doing portraits I start out with a light cream color for a foundation and do shadows in blue's browns and red. The under layer of skin has so many ...
Velour paper
When working on velour paper, I found the best way is to work is in very fine layers building up the colour and spraying regularly with fixative.
When ...
Be Bold With Base Colour
I have only just started experimenting with pastels but have found that the more generous I am with the initial base colour, such as flesh tones, the better ...
Corrections To Pastel Work
This is a good way to correct your work in soft pastels.
Brush off the pastel from the area you are not happy with. Make a paper mask to cover the ...
Hard and Soft Pastels: Know Your Composition and Colors!
One thing I have learned from using pastels, is that it takes time to blend colors together, it takes many layers. So plan out your compostion, get a rough ...
Sharpening pastel pencils
At last I have found a decent pencil sharpener to sharpen my pastel pencils!! It is a cosmetic pencil sharpener by Bourjois and has a large and small hole ...
Use Finger Plasters (Band Aids) to Blend!
I went on YouTube for some video tutorials on how to use pastels. I was surprised to see that a man was using hand plaster (which he put around his 2nd ...
keep your fingers clean
When working with soft pastels your hands get dirty with the colours that you may contaminate your next colour with.
Keep your hands clean by holding ...
Cheap Alternative to Fixative
To fix chalk pastels use a cheap hairspray instead of the expensive arty fixative. Go to the 'pound shop' (or dollar shop) to stock up.
Also, use pastels ...
A cheap alternative to expensive fixative
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I actually received this tip from an art teacher years ago.......instead of using fixative on drawings and pastels, you can use hairspray which is just ...
Mixing Landscape Greens
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Especially if you're using student grade pastels, the range of greens you have might all be very bright true greens. In nature, the greens in many climates ...
How to erase soft pastels
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I use scotch magic tape. It is has less glue and does not stick, tear, or leave glue on the paper. Put the sticky side down over the part you want to erase ...
Keeping pastels clean
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I use chickpea flour instead of rice to store the pastels I am using. It's very effective. It also means I can keep the rest clean and therefore easy to ...
Pastels on Black Paper
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You can buy acid free black construction paper at a large craft store or order it very inexpensively online. You get about 30 sheets for $5.00
Still-...
Fingers with Oil Pastels
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When I use oil pastel I like to use my fingers to smooth out some of the rough area that looks a little bumpy. You can also use a smooth paintbrush, sponge,...
How to clean soft pastels
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If you want to clean your soft pastels, simply immerse them in a jar of uncooked, dry rice. Depending on how many you will be cleaning at any one time,...
Retaining the color strength in your pastel work.
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Spray your pastel work "as you go along" in order to "set" the colors in your painting and to minimize the lessening of color strength that seems to occur ...
A few things I do
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1. I always have a wet rag handy for cleaning my hands between colour changes, there is nothing worse than spoiling a pale subject with a smear of dark ...
No fixative use at all
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A tip I picked up when creating with pastels is to complete the work and tap the back of the work lightly, all over, with a flat ruler type tool, (it must ...
Keeping pastel pencils sharp
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When working with pastel pencils I always have at the side a piece of fine or medium sandpaper to use to keep the pencil sharp and used at the right angle ...
Save the Powder
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When working with pastels, keep a tray of aluminum foil under your foam board and save the powder that falls from your work. When you have a good amount,...
using fixative
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It is best when using fixative to only use it during the painting process and use what is known as workable fixative.
It is a way of building up more ...
Drumming
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When I want to paint a sunset or sunrise and I want the colours to blend subtly, I first put the colours on that I wish, blend them back and forth lightly ...
