MATERIALS
• Schmincke pastels
– Titanium Yellow 007 – O – Scarlet 041 – D – Scarlet 041 -H – Reddish Violet 056 – B – Leaf Green Deep 070-B – Bohemian Green 083 – B – Bohemian Green 083 – H – Olive Green 1 085 – B
• Art Spectrum pastels
Titanium White P500 – Warm White P501 – Spectrum Yellow P504 – Spectrum Yellow V504 – Crimson V512 – Crimson X512 – Bordeaux N513 – Bordeaux P513 – Bordeaux V513 – Permanent Rose T514 – Flinders Red Violet D517 – Flinders Blue Violet D520 – Flinders Blue Violet N520 – Flinders Blue Violet P520 – Flinders Blue Violet T520 – Flinders Blue Violet V520 -Australian Leaf
• Green Light P580
-Australian Leaf
• Green Light T580
– Australian Leaf
• Green Light V580
– Australian Red Gold T549 – Caput Mortuum N554 – Caput Mortuum P554 – Raw Umber X550
• 1 sheet of Art Spectrum
Colourfix paper Leaf Green Dark
• 2B pencil
• Large sheet of tracing paper
• 1 sheet of graphite paper
• Low tack masking tape
• Drawing board
• Table or upright easel
• I dry cloth and one damp cloth (an old hand towel or Chux is fine)
STEP ONE
Scale up your drawing or image onto the tracing paper using a grid method you are comfortable with.Position the tracing over the pastel paper. Use the low tack tape at the top of the drawing to keep the tracing paper in the correct position. Insert the graphite paper between the pastel paper and the tracing paper and, using the 2B pencil, transfer your design.
STEP TWO
Using a combination of the mid green pastels, lightly block in the main leaf. Lightly scumble lime toned greens, lemons and Titanium White over the main colour to give some depth of colour and interest.
Use a light pressure to draw the centre vein in using the deepest green and place a line of Bordeaux N513 to the right of this line and finally a line of Titanium White on the left hand side of the vein.
STEP THREE
Begin to blend the leaf. Do not overblend; you are really aiming to just smudge the colours together. Make the blending directional, from the vein to the edge of the leaf. You may also add more white and soft yellow highlights at this stage. Slide your finger lightly down the centre vein to blend.
STEP FOUR
Block in the banana flower using a combination of the pink tones and Titanium White. Place the lightest colours on the right hand side of the flower as this is where the light is coming from.
STEP FIVE
Blend the banana flower. Add light touches of Bordeaux P513 to shadowed areas. When you are happy with the blended area, bring in some more highlights with Titanium White. Do not blend the highlights.
STEP SIX
Using a combination of Titanium White and the yellows in your palette, carefully draw in the yellow flower parts, again, placing the lightest colours on the right and darkest on the left and at the base of the flower. Place Australian Red Gold on the right hand side and finish with a touch of Caput Mortum P554. Drag your finger lightly down each to blend.
Block in and then blend the bottom petals of the banana flower which are on the right hand side using the pink toned pastels. Place Bordeaux P513 along the base of each petal. Lightly blend colours together. Add highlights in Titanium White.
At this stage do not block in the banana flower petal on the left hand side at the base of the flower as this is below the passion flower and will become dirty when you are as you work on the flower above.
STEP SEVEN
Block in the stem of the passion flower with mid greens. The darker lines in the stem are paced in after the colours have been lightly blended using Leaf Green Deep. Block in the leaf in the same manner as the first leaf.
STEP EIGHT
Blend the leaf, add highlights and adjust any tones at this stage, by adding more lights and darks.
STEP NINE
Begin to block in the passion flower. It is really important to not put down too much pastel here as you will find it very difficult to draw in the filaments.
The colours used for the passion flower are Bordeaux N513, Flinders Red Violet D517, Reddish Violet B, all of the Flinders Blue Violets, Australian Leaf Green Light V580, Raw Umber X550 and Warm White P501. The colours are darkest in the centre of the flower graduating out to green, umber and white towards the tip of the petals.
Gently begin to blend the colours together, working from the centre of the flower to the tip of the petals. Wipe your hands regularly here to keep the colours clean. Add white along one side of the petal tips to highlight a rolling edge.
STEP TEN
The following steps take a light touch and the sharpest edge of the pastel, which is usually the end or the side of the pastel stick.
Carefully draw in the centre of the flower using Australian Leaf Green Light V580. Highlight the tips and edges of the centre with Raw Umber X550, Spectrum Yellow V504 and Titanium White.
Place the filaments using a combination of Flinders Red Violet D517, Flinders Blue Violet N520 and Titanium White. Stagger the length of the filaments and finish by placing a light dot of Raw Umber on the tips.
Place tiny straight strokes in circles to create the flower centres using Titanium White.
STEP ELEVEN
Complete the banana flower. Place Leaf Green Deep between the yellow flower parts to complete this section.
STEP TWELVE
Using the Image as a guide, block in and blend remaining green areas.
STEP THIRTEEN
Using Scarlet 041D, Scarlet 041H, Caput Mortuum N554 and Australian Red Gold T549, block in the heleconia. Blend lightly.
STEP FOURTEEN
Beginning at the outer tip of each petal, place a fine line of Australian Leaf Green Light T580 to around halfway along the top of the petal. Complete this line using Bohemian Green 083 B. Draw a very fine line in white along the top of the petal. Add a touch of Spectrum Yellow V504. Blend slightly by sliding your finger along the lines.
FINAL STEP
Complete the second passion flower. Adjust any darks or highlights. Remember not to over blend the highlights.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Always use barrier cream to protect your hands – pastels really dry out your skin.
• Always use two towels or cloths when working with pastels. One dry for wiping excess pastel from your fingers when blending, and one damp cloth for cleaning your hands.
• Place your pastels in a dish of rice to keep them clean as you work.
• Break your new pastel into either half or thirds before using. This allows you to use the side of the pastel for broad strokes and it will also retain an edge at either end for fine lines.
• I use the edge of my little finger and a light backwards and forwards motion to blend. I also lift my finger off the paper often; this helps to keep the colours clean. I also use the pad of my ring finger to dab strokes together. You may use a blending stump if you prefer.
• I work almost vertically. When you work upright you will find residue pastel dust does not contaminate the work. I do not rest my hand on the paper as I work.
• I am left handed; I work from top right to left. If you are right handed and do find you are resting your hand on the paper resulting in smudged work, you may choose to work from left to right.
• Don’t press too hard when you are transferring a design as you do not want to leave an indent in your paper.
• Scumble really means to gently overlay colours so that you can still see the colours underneath.
• Don’t over blend. Your work will be much fresher and brighter if you really only smudge the colours together.
• Keep a chart of pastel colours you buy. When you purchase a pastel stick, mark on the chart with the pastel and record the name and brand of the pastel. If you run out of a pastel stick, you will able to replace it.
• Practice, practice, practice.
