TheArtistApril2016__

http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2016 33

E

ven with a limited number of

colours, the essence of an image

can be captured fairly swiftly in

pastel, if detail isn’t the prime

objective of your painting. With a little

planning, the process can be speeded

up even further by initially blocking in

areas of your support with thin washes

of watercolour or acrylic paint.

Supports

Pastel paper should be stretched first,

but as it is rather thin and lightweight

and not really intended for use with

water-based paints, you will only need

to dampen it slightly before sticking it

to your drawing board with Gumstrip. If

you wet it too much there is a danger

that it will tear as it becomes taut in the

drying process. I keep a stock of

Canson Mi-Teintes paper in a variety of

colours, and prefer to work on the

smooth side rather than the mechanical

texture of the reverse side. When using

card I choose from a supply of

Clairefontaine Pastelmat Card. Pastel

card can be held in place on your

drawing board with masking tape.

Coloured grounds

It is preferable to start with a tinted

colour as a ground and, if this is a mid-

tone, it will help you determine the

different tonal values in your painting

as you apply them. Starting with a fairly

warm colour and then applying pastels

of a primarily cooler hue, you can create

some scintillating effects. This is also

true when you begin with a cool ground

and paint in a warmer range of colours.

I keep a selection of pastel papers in

various colours, stretched onto MDF

boards, ready to use. With both paper

and card, I rarely work at a size smaller

than half a sheet, which may get

cropped slightly back at the studio. I

often cut this down to create a format

that is marginally squarer than the

standard proportions.

I draw my image in pencil or Conté,

then apply watercolour washes over the

main shapes. This underlying ground

colour will still show through and help

to unify the whole painting. I don’t

attempt to match the colours of my

subject exactly in watercolour, in fact

it’s far better not to. The theory being

Soft pastels may not be the first choice of medium for artists when

painting outside, but they do have a degree of immediacy when speed

is an issue, says Kevin Scully



pastel and watercolour

Dumworth Farm, pastel

over watercolour on Canson

Mi-Teintes cream pastel

paper, 1316in (3341cm)

