Learning to draw or paint with pastels will offer you two of the most simple approaches to art techniques of drawing and painting. Applied as dry, they can be a unique tool to draw stunning pieces. While processing it, the result will appear as paint! Pastels commonly come in the two varieties of soft or oil, but their use can be very similar.
The following pastel drawing tips will indeed apply better to soft pastels, although they may also be suitable for oil ones.
1. KNOW YOUR SURFACE ACCORDING TO YOUR CHOSEN SUBJECT.
Please don’t underestimate the surface you choose to work on with pastels, as it will significantly affect your work. Pastel drawing papers are available in a wide range of colors and textures. We suggest starting working on a toned surface as it will allow you better to manage all the shades of darker or lighter colors. But this is totally up to your creativity!
The texture, or “tooth,” is what will determine the overall technique. A smooth surface will allow you to have more control over the shades and gradients but offers limited use of layers. Applying too many layers onto a smooth texture will indeed give a flat result. A coarser texture will provide you with more layer options, although it’s limited when it comes to managing smooth gradations and details.
We strongly suggest having in mind your chosen subject and result before the choice of paper.
Lastly, if you wish to bring more contrast to your art piece, choose a color that is opposite to the color temperature of your subject’s. Or if what you are looking for is harmony over contrast, then choose a paper color that will match the color temperature of your main subject.
2. LAYERING AND MIXING COLORS
As mentioned already, pastels are very similar to paint, so like with opaque painting mediums, colors can be layered over previous ones in many desired ways. Layering will make colors appear more natural, and all the color layers will then mix, either optically or through blending techniques.
We suggest adding multiple layers for a better finished natural result.
Differently to paint colors, mixing pastels doesn’t take place on a palette but directly onto the paper. You may combine colors by overlapping a layer to another or blending them with a finger, a piece of tissue, or a blending stump.
3. BUILDING DETAILS
With pastels, you won’t need to plan your details as you would do with other mediums, as you may address them later. It is still an excellent idea to sketch them before starting the artwork, although you won’t need to develop them fully. The details will be added easily over the top of your colored layers or base.
4. WORK QUICKLY BUT BE PATIENT
Pastel means a great choice to add color to large areas in a short period. So we suggest getting as much color on the surface as quickly as possible. Remember that you may refine details later. You need to be patient to building-up color complexity, although this might sound contradictory will what just said.
Differently to oil painting – where a simple brush may add a considerable detail – with pastel drawing here is where the tricky part hides. We indeed must allow all of those previously applied layers to do what we have in mind. It is through the process of developing a layer that we will finally see our desired result.
5. BE SURE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MEDIUM TO APPLY DETAILS
Pastel sticks are a common medium used to apply details, although they are quite tricky to use. We suggest starting managing details with a pastel pencil, which consists of a pastel point encased into a wooden pencil. It allows you to control and shape the feature required while it may still be blended, mixed, and used with traditional pastel sticks.
Another essential trick is to use a small white or black tone to add hints of details. Although it might appear flat and unnatural, we suggest mixing the black one with brown and blue hues and the white one with yellow or grey ones to add a little depth. Also, adding a small layer of color on top of the black area or in the mix will prevent it from looking too flat.
Ultimately, we shall mention that fixating your final artwork is possible but not mandatory. It can, indeed, alter the tone of colors by making it darker. We suggest protecting your work with a cover sheet to store it until ready for framing.
