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
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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,...
rework an area of a picture
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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 ...
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 ...
