Artist's Palette - AU (2020-03)

demonstration

MASTER HINTS

AND TIPS

• A pastel artwork is described as a ‘painting’ if the
  image covers the whole piece of paper, even when
  there is no use of the pastel in a wet form or the use
  of paint brushes. When there is a large portion of
  the paper remaining, it is referred to as a sketch.


• Pastel pencils are useful for sketching and adding
  fine detail to a pastel painting. Essential colours
  include white and black; although a whole set is
  beneficial. Graphite pencils may leave indentations
  on pastel paper which cannot be lifted out.


• I consider medium to dark toned pastel
  papers easiest to work on.


• Use warm and cool colours to enhance your painting.
  Throw violets in your shadows to bring them to life.


• Use warm and cool versions within an area of
  a single colour, such as warm and cool reds in a
  waratah, or warm and cool blues in the ocean.


• Seal your finished work with a couple of light coats
  of fixative (heavy spraying will darken your work).

grass and more detail on the elephant’s face and trunk. I

added a streak of fading sunlight on the ground, which

demonstrated that there was enough light left on the plains

to give my elephant her bright flickering highlights.

STEP FIVE

On the main elephant, I added some warm Burnt Sienna

to the mid-tones and some black pastel pencil scribbled

into the darkest dark shadows. I added grass using fine

strokes here and there in various foreground tones.

STEP SIX

For some icing on the cake, I created bursts of dust stirred up

by the feet of the animals. I carefully cut out shapes in tracing

paper that revealed where I wanted the dust to appear. Using

tracing paper as a mask allowed me to accurately cut and

position the paper over the painting. I rubbed a light cream

pastel on a slightly damp toothbrush, and then flicked it onto

the paper, creating a fine dust. The damp specks of pastel soon

dried off, and I could add more layers and vary the colours.

FINAL STEP

Throughout the painting process, and day by day, I moved

back to view the painting from a distance. Having done

this for the last time, I sprayed a little more dust around

the elephant’s foot (which she was stamping down to make

her point clear). Then I sealed the painting, signed it, and

photographed it before it was framed under glass. n

STEP FOuR

STEP FIVE

STEP SIX