Sketch Book for the Artist

COSTUME

Colored Materials

ART STORES BRIM OVER with the many

colored materials available. Seemingly

infinite choices of texture, hue, size,

shape, quality, and cost are laid out for our

pleasure and perusal. Many products are

sold individually and in boxed sets. The

higher the quality (and cost), the finer

and more subtle the texture and color

should be. Most stores leave small

pads of paper on their counters

for customers to test

materials, and

wherever permitted, I suggest you do so.

Often, there are disparities between the

apparent nature or color of what you

hold in your hand and its performance

on paper. Try materials that are new

and unfamiliar; you may be pleasantly

surprised to discover something you could

not have imagined using. Before making

substantial investments, purchase a small

selection of different items you think you

will like. See how they work and return

later for more of what proved best for you.

PIGMENTS

Pigments, used to make colors, are derived from many sources:

rocks, minerals, plants, animals, insects, and synthetics. They vary hugely

in cost, intensity, and subtlety. Beware—some are toxic. The nontoxic

range below represents a suggested starting point for experiment.

1. OIL PASTELS: Many colors, including
   iridescents, are made in brands of diverse
   quality and cost The best are paper-
   wrapped sticks of sumptuous, soft, oily
   pigment. The worst are like revolting
   old lipsticks that get everywhere except
   where you intend. Children's wax crayons
   are relatives, and can be a great
   rediscovery for bold drawings.


2. CHALK PASTELS: Blackboard chalk is
   the basic member of the family, great for
   sidewalk work. Pastels are finer; chalk-
   based but very subtle, slightly oily to the
   touch, crumbly, paper-wrapped, and sold
   in many colors. Pastel pencils are slender
   and in wood casing. Conte crayons are
   square-formed, unwrapped harder pastels,
   made in about 80 colors.


3. COLORED PENCILS: Dry pigments
   ground together with chalk, clay, or wax
   and a binder are shaped into fine strips
   and encased in wood like a graphite pencil.


4. FELT-TIP PENS: Instant-drying alcohol-
   or water-based inks stored in the barrels
   of the pens are delivered via smooth
   nylon or felt tips of varying shapes and
   thicknesses.

OIL PASTELS

Oil-based, these work best

when slightly warm, and can be

softened and manipulated with

degrees of heat. Use them to

draw lightly (as above left) or

thickly, mixed on the paper

and scratched into (as below).

Dissolve in turpentine or mineral

spirits to produce oil paint or

wash. They work well on tinted

or dark paper; though lines can

develop greasy stains around

the edges if the paper is not

first stretched and treated with

a gelatin paste laid as a wash.

CHALK PASTELS

Pastel pencils make fine lines

(as above). Sticks and conte

crayons make thicker marks (as

below). Bright pastels are more

brilliant on colored paper.

Store loose pastels in dry rice

to keep them clean. Be aware

that fixative dulls pastel. Many

artists apply fixative to the back

of their work, allowing it to fix

slightly from behind. Degas

built his pastels in layers, fixing

each layer on the front, except

the final layer, which he left

unfixed to retain its brightness.