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The Drawing Using a pastel pencil, I sketch the setup on German made Ersta sanded paper. The sanded paper gives me plenty of tooth to work with, since I like to put many layers of pastel, and this paper can hold lots of pigment. The compositional elements of the painting are determined, and at this stage I can make many changes until I am satisfied with the arrangement. |
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The Underpainting Before I start applying pastel, I underpaint with a thin oil and turpentine wash, giving me a solid foundation on which to work. This wash stains the paper, but doesn't use up any of the tooth. Sometimes this underpainting is done in a deeper value of the colors to be applied on top; sometimes done in the color complements. |
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Application of Pastel This is where the fun really begins!!! Now I begin to apply pastel. I work the paper from top left to bottom right primarily because the pastel dust falls and can "dirty" finished areas below. At this stage, I begin with the harder NuPastels. As a general rule, the hard, medium, and soft pastels are used in that order, but I don't always stick to that if I need a particular color "out of order".
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As I continue to
apply the pastels, I establish my palette of colors and keep those
pastel sticks in a separate container or on my easel. By repeating
the color usage I create a color harmony unique to this particular
painting. This is the stage where I can mold and sculpt by blending,
hatching, crosshatching, scumbling and scribbling to create textural
variety: a knubby chenille cloth, smooth apples and a shiny, reflective
pitcher. Each texture requires a different application technique.
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The Finished Painting When I finish, I turn the painting to the wall for a while so I can look at it later with a fresh eye. I can still make changes or add an extra highlight if needed. I then take the painting outside and beat on the back of it, knocking off most of the excess pastel dust. When framing, I separate the image from the glass with a spacer and reverse bevel the bottom mat. |
