How to paint with pastels

Pastels are the perfect medium for capturing movement. ThatÍs why the great 19th century artist Edgar Degas, famous for his stunning portraits of ballet dancers, used them so often. While we canÍt promise to turn you into a Degas, we can show you some basic techniques that will make you just as enthusiastic about this medium as he was.

Pastel Supplies

YouÍll need some specialized supplies to work with pastels. Heavy drawing paper: Part of the appeal of the medium is that the texture of the paper comes through. Hard charcoal in a dark color like brown or black for sketching. Soft pastels for laying down colors and feathering: Three favorite brands here are Rembrandt, Sennelier and NuPastel. A craft knife and a piece of medium grade sandpaper for sharpening your pastels. Some brushes for feathering. And a fixative of some sort

Starting Out With Pastels

The basic rule in working with pastels is: soft over hard. Start out with darker colors and harder chalks. Unlike some other drawing and painting media, such as watercolor and ink, you can apply lighter pastel over darker pastel, and while the surface color will be tempered by whatÍs beneath it, it wonÍt be obscured.

Use a sharpened dark charcoal to sketch your subject. DonÍt worry too much if the lines arenÍt perfect: You will cover them or tone them down later with your colored pastels.

Next, lay down patches of color within your sketch. Use the side of your pastel or a broken piece to cover larger areas. Use as light a touch as you can so you donÍt clog the paper weave too soon in the process. Blend this first layer with water or rubbing alcohol.

Building Your Pastel Drawing

Continue building layers of color. DonÍt lay them straight down on the paper: Hatch and cross hatch. As you lay down your pastel layers, continue to adjust your hues by laying down a color and laying another color on top of it. Smudge the colors very gently with your fingers for a richer look. Unify and soften the colors and vary your strokes, combining angular lines with stippling. Finally, apply your highlights as a softer pastel gradient.

Step back and look at your drawing. Pastels are a medium that benefit from a good teacher so if youÍve enjoyed this introduction, consider signing up for a pastels class.

The basic rule in working with pastels is: soft over hard