 |
|
The reference photo—lavender fields with a town in the background. I started with a good quality sanded pastel paper (white) and drew in my composition lines with a sepia-colored hard pastel stick. When I start my paintings, I like to establish my darkest darks, and my lightest lights at the very beginning. This also works in helping to establish a good composition.
After considering the composition, I then block in my colors and strengthen where my darks and lights will be. At this stage, you should be considering at least 3 values for each of your main colors—dark, medium, light and possibly two other values. I usually pick out the average color, then go one warmer and one cooler.
After reviewing this first layer of color, I used turpenoid or denatured alcohol to affix the colors to the paper with a good stiff brush—this is called an “underpainting.” This helps to establish your large blocks of color, after which you can then start painting with your pastel sticks. An underpainting can be done in a number of other mediums also: watercolor, acrylic, gouache.
After the underpainting is totally dry, I go back in to re-establish my darks and add light layers of color all over the painting. Working on the sky (which helps to establish the overall key of the painting), I chose a medium blue for the top of the sky, a cool light lemon yellow for the cool value at the horizon, and laid over the top of the two colors a warm salmon pink for the warm value.
At this point, you still can be working on areas that need to be re-worked or taken out of the painting by using a dry brush and pulling the pastel down and off the paper. I really see using this method a big plus because you can always go back to your original drawing to correct or start over without losing everything. For example, I was not happy with the shape of the tree on the left, so I brushed that out and re-worked that.
Near the end of the painting, I stand back and look hard at my painting for little faults that need to be corrected (composition, values, drawing) and work in little details by adding those extra, juicy lights that really dress up a painting. In this one, I added little details of flowers into the lavender rows.
So, try an underpainting for your next try at pastels – but, the main thing is to have fun! |
