First Pastel

altheau · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 148

So I decided I would have a play with some pastels. I have never used them before and only read a few little pits and pieces about them. Never worked in colour before either so, big learning curve.

I actually think I might enjoy nutting this pastel thing out cause I have been a little blergh about the portraits I have been doing

So here it is start to finish, if you can guess what it is then that will be something . . hehehe.

I know does not look finished, but I seem to have run out of options, so this is it, will just have to improve =]

thecatsgrin · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 2181 Location: Gippsland

I dont think you have done badly!
I found pastels to be good, when I started using them on the paper you are using... but GREAT when I moved onto the sand paper, mi teintes or colour fix... are just fantastic.!
I like the colours you have used... I am sure once you get used to the differences compared with other mediums, you will shine!!
You make graphite images come to life... just wait till you get the hang of the pastels!! Very Happy

altheau · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 148

Thanks Wendy =]

It is hard when you start out to find all the right stuff to use. I will defiantly have a look around for the paper you mentioned.

I would assume that pastel brand is a big factor as well. I have these little stumbs and I found it hard to get any small details out of them, what brand or type do you like?

I know there are oil and the chalk ones, but I was just trying to chalky ones first, then I thought I might try some oil ones. Or do you use them together?

thecatsgrin · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 2181 Location: Gippsland

The oil and 'chalky'(soft) ones are really best kept separate unless you are experimenting...
I use art spectrum mainly, with some unisons, rembrandts and senellier's mixed in!!

Oil pastels are fun in their own right, I have had fun with them, but nothing I would frame!! Very Happy

*kayty* · Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Adelaide

Old thread sorry but I love my pastels Very Happy

I work primarily on animal portraits, and work on Canson Mi -Teintes (although desperate to try some velour!). The pastels I use are Rembrandt soft pastels (landscape selection) in a set of 60, Francheville soft pastels (which are more of a medium than soft, definitely harder than the Rembrandts though which are very soft, great for coverage!), Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils (hate them, have got Derwent pastel pencils on order so hopefully they'll be here in a day or two so I can comment on them Wink

) and I LOVE my Schminke white (you could describe it as 'butter' it just flows over the paper giving beautiful coverage. I've always struggled getting my whites white in pastel, but adding a little schminke white to a portrait works a treat Wink

)

Hope this helps you a little, it really depends what you want to draw. If you want to do human/animal portraits you'll want a combination of soft pastels and hard pastels (I've also got some hard pastels on order as I'm finding getting enough detail using soft pastels VERY challenging!) but if you are keen to go more towards landscapes then the soft pastels are fabulous.

pugwash · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 1380 Location: Perth

Kristy, bear in mind that you won't be able to get the same amount of detail in pastel as you do so successfully in graphite. HOWEVER! The trick is to work BIGGER!
I used to do highly detailed pen and ink drawings. It was so liberating to move to pastels and work on a larger scale. So work on an upright easel so that the loose bits fall off without marking the painting, and stand back regularly to see the results. Remember that pastels are meant to be viewed from a few feet away. Viewed up close, my pastels have been described as "beautifully organised scribble!"
If you really MUST work in tiny details you can use pastel pencils, but they're not as much fun.

*kayty* · Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Adelaide

Very true Clive, I often feel very depressed looking at my work after spending hours upon hours staring at it while working on it. Take a few steps back and suddenly you realise that it's not so bad after all! I adore pastels however coming from a graphite background and being a perfectionist, I'm still finding it hard to not get so much detail in my work, so heading in the direction of combining pencils with the sticks Wink

altheau · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 148

Thanks guys

You are very right Clive, and it is one thing that I am working on, both in sketching and with my pastels. It is very hard ;p

I have done a couple more since, nothing exciting but they are ok

This first one is not my own design, it was from a learning pastel book I have. It turned out not to bad, until I realised the car is completely out of proportion ;p. Was a good task in color as I had none of the colors they had listed on the worksheet =]

This next one took me my whole 2 hour pastel class, sure I was supposed to work on other stuff, but my teacher let me take my time and get it done

This last one is from my last class, and I was just trying to be completely free of detail

I am still finding them very clumsy, and color well that is incedibly hard to work out, I spend ages staring at my colours at times trying to work out which one to pick up ;p but it is getting easier

altheau · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 148

And this one I finished this morning. Not happy with it, but it is not to bad. Her hair was hard to capture as she is a blue heeler cross and her hair colour is not even