Work in progress.
These are the steps I take in putting together a studio work in pastel. I document this as much to help my own memory as to share my ideas.
1. Crop photo to proportions
2. Do a formal sketch to scale to correct design and verify proportions and placement of objects.
3. Transfer proportional drawing to Arches paper marked at the intersections of the register lines. for this I use an orange pastel pencil.
4. I rough in the sky. Then I add the deepest values with a dark purple NuPastel - #244 which I then wash in with denatured alcohol.
5. Design issues - I'm not liking the cedar tree on the right, and I'm having trouble getting the color and value to look "right." I've rubbed out what I had and I'm debating about putting it back in or leaving it out altogether. In the meantime, I will go on to the foreground and the water.
6. Most everything is in - just some details in the foreground to finish. At this point, I want to give it a rest and come back to it in a few hours.
I love the idea of documenting your work. I have some pastels given to me from my grandmother but have never used them as I always do oil painting. This gives me ibcentive to try. Thanks for posting your progress!
ReplyDeleteI say, "go for it." Pastels work a lot like oils except there is no pallet for mixing. Any color mixing or blending depends on the kind of paper or surface and the nature of he specific brand or relative softness of the pastel. It's fun to experiment. Good luck!
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