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by Louise Corke

Pressure

Pressure is everything. Most problems arise in pastel application due to using the wrong pressure at the wrong time. By pressure I am referring to how hard you engage the pastel to the surface.

A light pressure at first is best so you do not fill up the tooth of the surface too quickly. Hard pressure is used when you are absolutely sure as to where you want the marks to go. Light pressure enables you to add multiple colour layers with ease. Light pressure also allows you to glaze a final colour or tone over an area. The softer the pastel the more skill is required to use light pressure. Light pressure when used for hard pastels does not damage the integrity of the surface paper.

 Mark Making

The marks left on the surface from you pastel stroke are your brush strokes. These are delightful and give your work character and movement. Do not feel the need to be obsessive about smoothing areas by blending. The marks are fabulous. Let the viewers see where you applied the colour and the direction in which you took the pastel stick.

Surfaces

Each type and brand of surface will hold the pastel in a different way and yield a different result and a different experience as you work. Experiment as much as you can with a variety of surfaces and discover for yourself what works for you. Begin by working on the same colour surface each time until you become competent in what you are doing....a mid tone greyed colour is a good place to start...this means the paper colour is not too intense in colour and neither dark nor light.

Pastel brands

Pastel brands are many and varied. The most important property to consider is that what you use should be artist quality. Faber Castell start at the hard end of the range of pastels. Sennelier and Schmincke are at the very soft end. Rembrandt and Art Spectrum sit around the middle range area. A middle range brand is a good place to start when beginning your pastel collection. If you can purchase a basic set of say 90 colours and then add more colours as you find the need. Ultimately you end up with lots of pastels. It is all very addictive.

Safe Working Processes

Develop good working processes from the very start and then you have no bad habits to break. Never blow your excess pastel off your surface...this makes it airborne and easy to inhale...not a good idea for your lungs. Use a barrier cream to make hand washing easier and to protect your hands against drying out. Never use fixative indoors unless you have a filter. Make a newspaper envelope to catch pastel dust beneath your board at your easel..this stops dust falling to the floor and being walked throughout the house. Never mix food and drink with pastelling....you will be surprised how much dust can settle on the surface of your drink. If you work without excessive pressure with your pastels and minimal blending you will find very little pastel becomes airborne.

Needing more information, contact Louise Corke at www.louisecorke.com

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