Materials
• Terracotta Colourfix pastel paper.
• Schmincke, Art Spectrum and Rembrandt pastels.
STEP ONE
I had started another painting on this sheet of Terracotta Colourfix, and decided to abandon it. After tapping and brushing off most of the existing pastel, I washed the paper with a brush lightly loaded with water; and blended some of the remaining pastel. The main shapes were next placed in with hard and semi-soft pastels. After checking the composition, I decided that the buildings were too large – so I moved them further back into the painting, allowing for a better lead-in for the viewer.
Starting with the sky and moving down the paper, I blocked in the main features – placing the lightest tones where needed so they remained fresh. At this stage I used two mid blues, one light blue and a touch of pink for the sky; and blended lightly. For the buildings, tree foliage and ground, I used a variety of reds, oranges,Sienna and yellow along with a purple/red; mid, dark and light tone blues; a mauve; and two greens.
I tape my paper to the backing board so there is a reasonable border around the work. The framer thanks me for this! Always start at the top of the paper, as the pastel will fall down the sheet. Tap the back of the paper occasionally (preferably outside) to ensure you have the cleanest possible base to work on.
STEP TWO
Working lightly and staying with the same tones, I defined the buildings and placed the tree trunks in position. Using dark and mid tone purples, I added shadows and the grassed area behind the trees.
I remained light-handed and loose at this stage – so alterations, deletions or additions could still be handled easily. Heavy strokes or too much blending of the pastel at this stage will fill the tooth’ of the paper and will not allow further layers of pastel to adhere adequately. If not overloaded too early, the paper can hold as many as ten layers of pastel without it skidding over the surface.
STEP THREE
Here I aimed to start bringing the painting together using warm and cool tones in the foreground. Shadows were a mix of purples, blues and deep reds. The grass behind the tree was now extended slightly and the darks behind the main tree were deepened with a little more purple, deep red and green.
By not isolating one element, and remaining with the same palette, your painting is more likely to be pleasing to the eye.
STEP FOUR
The fence was now established to act as a lead-in, so hopefully the eye would travel through the painting in a pleasing way. Working all over the painting now, I brought the foreground to the bottom of the sheet, refined the main tree form and indicated the small bush along the fence line. A few well placed strokes indicated branches of the main tree. Although there were strong contrasts, unity was achieved here with all elements leading into one another … there was no one feature that didn’t meet another. A good combination of vertical and horizontal shapes also helped balance the painting.
Fixative can tend to dull your work and many purists scream and shout about using it. I have an open mind, and use it when I think it might be necessary. Anyone who has had pastel fall from their painting onto their mat board after framing (despite bashing the back of the finished painting) can surely sympathise with using a spray or two of fixative! I have, on occasion, found it necessary to take a painting out of the frame, clean the mat board and replace the whole thing: Very annoying and time consuming! Entering pastel paintings in art shows unfortunately is another occasion when pastel is likely to fall – many art show organisers either don’t know, or don’t care, that pastel paintings need to be handled very carefully. I find this amazing, as it can mean the loss of a sale if the painting is displayed with a ‘dirty’mat board. Before your final stage is the best time to spray with fixative – as final highlights can then be added if needed.
FINAL STEP
I refined the foreground tree with a very soft yellow pastel, giving it a velvety bloom. Using shadow and light, I worked up the foreground grass and autumn leaves – being careful not to detract from the main players (the buildings and the large tree). Flicking strokes indicated movement in the foreground grass. A little more definition was given to the red roof of the right-hand building and a few shadows were added to the front. The fence was darkened and the trunk of the large tree was refined. The darks were darkened to ensure good definition.
Although this is a predominantly ‘warm’ painting, I feel the coolness of the far background trees, the sky, and the luscious purple shadows managed to balance the work.
When I think a work is finished, I put it aside for a day or two (if time permits). Mistakes – or something that needs tweeking – will pop out immediately when viewed through fresh eyes.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Always keep your colour wheel in mind, and try to keep a good balance of warm and cool tones. And, if after all your efforts you feel it’s not working, just do as I did at the beginning of this work – brush it off, slap a little water around, and start again. After all it’s only a piece of paper; and just think of all the things you’ve learnt on the journey!
• An artist friend told me of this little process for making your own pastels – to make use of all your tiny pieces of pastel. Keep all your leftover pastel pieces in same-tone jars; crush them together, add enough water to bring the pastel together, roll them in foil and let them dry thoroughly. The result is a selection of unique and interesting colours!
• Photographs are my main source of reference, although I do sketch occasionally. I don’t enjoy painting ‘on location unless the weather is absolutely perfect, with no snakes, spiders, mosquitoes, or cars whizzing by; and no strange people galloping over the paddock to see what I am doing (and asking lots of questions). I find it difficult to keep my focus with the light changing continually. A dark cloud passing overhead can totally change the subject. I sometimes take numerous photographs from one area and integrate the most interesting elements from two or three of them into one painting. I call it artistic licence, and I really enjoy breaking the rules occasionally!
• Pastel artists are fortunate because they can select from a wonderful array of coloured papers. These provide an instant base or background for your work, and can be used to peep through – adding contrasting or complementary hints and ‘sparkle’ to your painting. Colourfix pastel paper is my favourite as it has a wonderful “tooth’ and can hold many layers of pastel. Sheets or large boards can now be coated/painted with different Colourfix tones if needed. Canson Mi-Teintes paper has a choice of two sides to use – one is pitted and holds pastel well, and the other side is smoother and needs a lighter application of pastel but can also produce good results.
