Artists Back to Basics - Issue 6 Volume 3 2016

just figure out what it wants to do

and go with it. There was always

going to be a lot of methods and

processes dragged straight over

from the graphite side of the studio

but some aspects couldn’t be

more different. First thing though

is to go through the materials

and equipment side of things.

Workspace

I always work flat on a drawing

board with the graphite, with my

hands and elbows mostly resting on

the table once the initial sketching is

over. This is just not possible with

pastels because of the amount of

dust generated in the process. You

have to work at an easel. I made

mine with a counterweight and

pulleys so I can easily and quickly

adjust the working height as I go

along just by raising or lowering it

with one hand (figures 2, 3, & 4).

This means I don’t have to reach

up to the high parts or stoop over

for the low bits if doing large work.

It also means I can go between

working either sitting (figure 5) or

standing quickly and easily which

is a mighty boon as anyone trying

to do art with chronic back pain

will attest. I fixed a heap of lights

to the actual easel which go up

and down with it, with more light

coming from overhead and hanging

behind me around head height.

There is a shelf running along the

bottom edge a few inches wide that

ends up with a whole bunch of bits

and pieces of pastels on it which

Fig 3: One of the cable anchor points
behind the lowest part of the 4 square
metre working surface. Cable is
nylon coated clothesline, rest of easel
is all scrap timber and steel found
laying around here and there.

Fig 2

Fig 3