Pastel -- The Medium for all Times

When artists of centuries ago wanted to use pastels, they had to create them from the colorants, clays and minerals that were available at the time. Meticulous grinding and mixing, a truly laborious operation, was required to create the final stick of chalk-like, dry color. We are lucky today, as there are many manufacturers of high quality, economical and ready to use pastels. This material represents a very transportable, vibrant and forgiving medium that is as expressive as any other available. With the accessories, papers and equipment you can find at any art supply center, you will be ready to dive into the vivid to demure, the muted to bold, and the gently textured to velvet-smooth appearance of pastel works.

Some of the equipment used in creating pastel paintings is unique to that medium, while some of the materials bridge over several disciplines. The pastels themselves come in soft and hard sticks, full lengths and half sticks and in either boxed broad spectrum sets, color coordinated sets or individual sticks. Starting with a general color range set is a good idea. You can add other sets or pick up individual sticks as your experimentation increases and your expertise grows.

In painting, brushes are used in nearly all application techniques. With pastel work, brushes are used to soften, to blend and to feather one color into another. Brushes (usually sable, imitation sable or soft bristle) are a great aid in smoothing areas and removing excess particles from the surface. Sponge brushes (sponge head brushes - like those used in stenciling) can be used to burnish color onto paper and to vignette images by simply moving pigments with careful gradation of tone.

For hand application, pastels easily slip into a holder that keeps your fingers cleaner and helps lessen color crossover on the sticks. But when pastel sticks get discolored on the outside, do not despair. Simply drop them into a box or bowl full of white rice and gently shake the container. The slight abrasion of the rice will clean the sticks up quickly.

Careful manipulation of surface pigment is done with several different tools, and one such tool is called a stump. This is a tightly wound spiral roll of paper that comes to a point. The stump is used to smooth and blend large areas of pastel (or charcoal) and can be used to clean the surface for highlighting. Stumps come in several sizes and lengths. Chamois that are soft and pliable can be used to wet-blend areas of pastel when such blending is desired. They also act as a very effective removing device when clean, dry and lightly rubbed against the surface to be erased.

Sharp lines are possible, even if your pastels are worn to thick shapes. Simply use a sandpaper block to abrade the stick until the point is as acute as you need. The block is made of a narrow wooden paddle base with narrow strips of sandpaper attached. It can be used to sharpen any hard-to-sharpen art material: charcoal, pastel, and crayon. With care, the pastel dust you create during the sharpening can be saved and used to lay on undertones with a sponge brush before starting your pastel painting.

The creation of texture, albeit very low profile, comes automatically with pastel. There is a thin layer of texture that accompanies each stroke of color. But, if you would like to create a controlled and precise, repeatable texture, consider using texture plates. They offer a variety of textures that give instant patterns to any picture or design. Simply slide one of the plates under your pastel paper and rub a color across the page. Voila! You will find endless ways to use these textures to create new and exciting looks in your work. You might even be inspired to create a few of your own from found objects.

Pastel paintings can be created on any smooth, dry surface. Some of the best include the velvet and sanded-surface papers available through art material dealers. They have a certain degree of tooth that grabs and holds the pastel pigments. Other surfaces you might want to try are the archival textured panels that are designed for use with aqua and oil media. They offer a new experience for pastel artists and, when dampened with painting media, help create a completely new approach to pastel work. The high ridges of the textured surface will erode the color quickly and then brushwork and/or color moving rubber tools can be used to create a creamy and elegant look--very unusual.

Fixatives are a touchy subject for some pastel artists, who consider any coating a manipulation of their finished product. And the truth is that most fixatives do often alter the finish of a pastel. One way to lessen the change is to spray fixative from the back side of the paper. Allow it to soak gently through to the top layers, binding as it goes. This application method seems to create less surface change than any other.

Storage of your pastels becomes more of a challenge as you begin to collect different brands, sizes, lengths and shapes of pigment sticks. Some artists categorize their colors by family and then lay them into shallow, cotton lined shoebox lids. Others use small cups and jars to store similar colors together. However, there are several very nice storage chests made especially for pastels. These boxes contain shallow shelves with vertical dividers to keep the sticks organized and scooped depressions to hold each stick in place. Some of the storage boxes are portable enough to take into the field and some are designed for studio use.

Whether you select a starter set or a deluxe color combination, do try pastel. It is near-instant gratification when it comes to color interplay and is an exciting medium with which to experiment.