I teach group classes to adults on how to create landscapes using soft pastels. This blog will contain information to help my students or anyone else who is interested in exploring pastels.
Class Supply List
NuPastels - set of 48
Sennelier Soft Pastels - set of 40 or 80 half sticks in Plein Air Landscape set
A drawing board to tape down your paper is helpful but not essential.
Each of these art supply catalog websites has pastels but each also has different prices. I personally like Dick Blick and Dakota's customer service, but you should compare prices.
DickBlick.com
Jerrysartarama.com
Dakotapastels.com
For the first layer I use Nupastels. NuPastel is harder than most pastels and does not fill up the tooth of the paper too quickly.
A set of 48 is great but 24 will work fine also.
For next layers of color I use Sennelier and prefer the Landscape set as the colors are more closely aligned to the colors you will need in the landscape class. Senneliers come in a convenient half stick size assortment which will give you a large assortment of colors are a very reasonable price.
Papers
I prefer a sanded pastel paper and UArt is my favorite because it's so versatile. With UArt you can use watercolor or very thin oil washes for the underpainting. Also a thin layer of NuPastel and then paint on alcohol will create an underpainting. PastelMat is also a good sanded pastel paper. I'm always looking for a sanded paper to replace Wallis sanded paper which is no longer produced.
Getting Started
1) Start with a toned surface with a "tooth" texture
2) Lightly sketch in basic shapes - step back and consider the design. Make changes if needed
3) Block in the shapes. I like to use prussian blue to show the shadowed areas in the composition and orange to show where the sunlight will fall. This gives you a good look at the basic design of your piece.
4) Work using dark colors first and then for the next layers use lighter colors. Work in large shapes first before going to smaller more detailed areas. Block in using the side of the pastel not the tip.
5) Always keep your point of interest foremost in your design considerations. Do the shapes and color choices enhance or detract from the point of interest?
6) Color can be descriptive or expressive. Paint what your eyes see or paint what your heart feels. There are many approaches and color theories. I will talk more about color in another entry.
No comments:
Post a Comment