30 artistDecember 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.ukGETTING STARTED WITH PASTELS: 1st of 3
Pastel basics
In the first of three articles, Robert Brindley
discusses the merits of painting with pastels,
including advice on basic techniques, and
demonstrates a simple pastel landscape
P
astels are ideal for capturing
light and colour. It was a desire
to produce paintings with more
impact, colour and contrast that
attracted me to the medium. I took
inspiration from the pastel paintings
of other artists who were using vibrant
colour on a black ground, in conjunction
with bold mark making, and spent time
experimenting in order to achieve these
effects. For me, painting with pastels
has been enjoyable and has more than
satisfied the need to provide variety in
my work.Getting started
There is a huge choice of materials
and equipment, so the following list is
intended for those who would like to
try pastels without spending a fortune.
I suggest a limited range to begin with
but try to buy the best quality that you
can afford.
l I recommend a good-quality starterset of soft pastels. Most manufacturers
make starter sets of 24, 36 or 72 pastels
tailored for general work, landscape,
portrait etc, which should be quite
adequate. Rembrandt soft pastels
are a little harder than some, but are
an ideal choice for most beginners.
Unison pastels are superb and can be
purchased in several combinations of
grouped sets. Daler-Rowney soft pastels
are available in several sets and offer
excellent value for money.
l The following pastel paper or
board should prove suitable for the
beginner: Hermes fine sandpaper,
available in black or grey, unmounted
or mounted on stiff board; Art Spectrum
Colourfix textured boards and papers;
Ampersand Pastelbord textured board.
l Some of these items will only be
required where you decide to prepare
your own painting surfaces or if you
decide to use pastel in conjunction
with another medium: a soft, easy toclean eraser is essential, a kneaded,
putty or plastic eraser is recommended;
a blending stump; a hog oil-painting
brush or plasticised colour blender
would be useful; a copious supply of
kitchen towels; a razor blade or craft
knife for the removal of small mistakes;
gloves – this is personal choice but an
increasing number of pastel artists wear
them all the time.Basic techniques and
versatility
Pastels are pure, ground pigment held
together with a binder; they can be
quite messy to work with so keep your
working environment clean and tidy.
By working with the different areas
of the pastel stick many marks and
textures can be achieved, which can
be manipulated by blending, blurring
or layering with further applications of
colour. As with everything, the key is to
practise until you feel confident with
your mark making and drawing.TIPS FOR USING PASTEL
l Never load too much pastel on to the
ground too early on.
l Try to develop the painting from dark
to light, but leave the extremes till later.
l Be aware of creating dirty colour.
Apply the colour lightly initially; and
experiment on a scrap of paper irst if
you are not sure.
l Try to resist adding detail too early.
l Don’t work too small, especially with
the larger pastels. The painting will
become too busy.
l If the tonal sequence doesn’t work,
the painting won’t work either.
l Plan your composition meticulously
before you start for the best chance of
p Harbour Relections, Whitby, pastel on Hermes ind sandpaper, 11 3 15in (28 3 38cm). success.
This painting was made using almost all the marks mentioned in this articleRobert Brindley
is a member of the Royal Society of Marine
Artists. He exhibits annually in Whitby,
gives demonstrations and tutors
workshops for art clubs. Robert’s book
Painting Landscapes in Oils is published by
Crowood Press, http://www.crowood.com; his
four DVDS are available from Town House
Films, telephone 01603 782888;
http://www.townhouseilms.co.uk
robertbrindley.com