A long time ago I was very interested in pastel painting and bought a large set of semi hard pastel sticks and a set of pastel pencils. I dabbled and played and did several paintings but somewhere along the way I lost interest and shoved them aside
I am truly self taught when it comes to pastels, it is a complex medium and I am only just beginning to learn through experimentation, books, and good ol’ You Tube videos
After back to back busy weekends, I am enjoying some down time at the beach this week, and decided to dabble with my pastels again
This is the perfect medium for painting on the porch because pastels are MESSY!
Lots of blue inspiration here…
If you can find a shady spot outside, you can breathe fresh air {pastel dust can be toxic} and let the dust blow away in the breeze
The oil painting I used as a model is Nasturtsiums in a Blue Ginger Jar by Jan Voerman, Sr. 1935
I have been watching pastel videos from Marla Baggetta and one of the first things I learned is that I need to try a different type paper or use a pastel board
See how the heavy texture of my paper prevents the pastel from going on evenly and adhering to the paper? This results in a lot of dust
Marla Baggetta says if you have quality paper and quality pastels your results will be noticeably obvious. She recommends a sanded paper or pastel board. I am anxious to try a different surface because I think the earlier frustration I had with pastels was related to the paper I was using
Then there is the great pastel controversy, to blend or not to blend
For this painting I blended the the first layers of color
blending dulls the pigment down and you will notice it changing tone significantly
Then I added fresh pastel over the blended areas to bring the vibrancy back
The thing I find exciting about pastel is how fast you can work and it’s so much fun to madly scribble and color
I am going to continue to read, watch and learn about this fascinating medium, and experiment with different paper
How do you feel about pastel?
Do you have any tips?
Do you like rough textured paper?
I can’t wait to try some smooth sanded paper or pastel board
“Pastel Pot of Posies” after Jan Voerman Sr., 10″ x 14″ pastel on paper
Try something new and Be Fearless!
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I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Dishing it & Digging it, Between Naps on the Porch,
Merry Monday Make it Pretty Monday Celebrate and Decorate,
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday