Artists & Illustrators - UK (2019-12)

YOUR QUESTIONS

BELOW Jeannette
Hayes, Pink Beech,
pastel on paper,
size tbc

BELOW RIGHT Unison
Colour’s associate
artist Fiona Carvell

What are the advantages of working

with pastel over other drawing media?

Jeannette Hayes: My immediate

answer is the immediacy. They are so

direct, vibrant and capable of so many

exciting effects. I am very much a

mood painter and it does suit my way

of working. The personal impressions

I create require quick application and

it is great medium for explorations.

Are there certain surfaces that you

would recommend for getting the

best out of your pastels?

Liz Reekie: There are many types

of paper suitable for pastel use,

however, it is necessary to have paper

of a reasonable weight – say 140gsm

and upwards – with a good tooth to

hold the pastel. There are sanded

papers of different grits, some artists

prefer a fine and even grit as they

glaze with the side of the pastel. The

velour or flock papers are more suited

to artists who don’t blend pastels.

You can prime your own surface by

adding marble or pumice dust to

gesso and applying it to a board or

paper. There are ready-made primers

also available and application with a

brush can give an interesting texture.

Canson Mi-Teintes is a very good

160gsm paper for introducing

students to pastels. It is acid-free with

a high rag content, a good surface

tooth to hold the pastel, and a range

of 50 colours. A midtone and neutral

colour such as Moonstone or gris clair

is a really good choice as it will not

interfere with tonal values and colours.

UART Premium Sanded Paper is

also recommended, it can hold many

layers of pastel. It comes in a range of

grades, from 800, the finest, to 240,

which is very rough and not suitable

for blending.

If an artist is worried about inhaling

pastel dust, what precautions would

you recommend?

LR: It is important that pastels are

handled and used correctly. We

recommend you keep the formation

of airborne dust to a minimum. Wash

your hands thoroughly after handling

the pastels. Some people choose to

wear protective latex or vinyl gloves

and we would also recommend artists

wear a dust mask during heavy usage.

When it comes to layering and mixing

colours, do you have any advice on

best practice?

LR: Try using layers of harmonious

colours as they will interact with each

other – they need to be colours that

will work well together. Then adding

complementary colours over this adds

depth and vibrancy. If you feel you

have too much pastel on the surface

this can be resolved by using a stiff

brush to gently dust away the excess

pastel, then applying the correct

colour on top.

The maximum number of layers

depends on the paper you are using

and whether you are blending

between layers or not. On average,

our Associate Artists can use around

10 layers on Pastel Mat (blending

each layer) but only around five on a

textured pastel card (not blending at

all) using colour shaper tools (a

Torchon) to assist with blending.

Artists & Illustrators 71