Soft pastel sticks are used by layering them onto a surface, then optionally wetting them to create a different effect. Here's a breakdown of the process:
Basic Technique
The core technique involves layering soft pastel onto your chosen surface. This is followed by wetting the pastel, manipulating it, and allowing it to dry. You can then either continue with dry pastels or add another layer of wet pastel. The reference highlights that liquefying your soft pastels (and they must be soft pastels!) is part of the process.
Steps for Using Soft Pastels:
- Apply the initial layer: Gently lay down a layer of soft pastel directly onto your painting surface.
- Wet the pastel: This step is optional but can create interesting effects. Use water to wet the pastel layer you've applied.
- Work with the wet pastel: Once wet, you can blend the pastel and manipulate it as desired.
- Allow the layer to dry: Be sure to allow the wet pastel layer to dry thoroughly.
- Continue or repeat: After drying, you can either add more dry pastel layers or repeat the process with another wet layer.
Practical Insights:
- Layering: Building up layers of different colors is common practice to create depth and dimension.
- Blending: Use your finger, a tortillon, or a brush to blend colors.
- Surface choice: Soft pastels work best on surfaces with some tooth or texture, like pastel paper or sanded paper.
- Fixative: Since pastels can be fragile, using a fixative spray can help preserve your artwork once it's finished.
Wet Pastel Technique
The process described emphasizes the use of water with soft pastels, which adds a unique dimension to the medium.
- Creating washes: Water can turn pastels into a paint-like consistency, perfect for creating washes of color.
- Increased blending: When wet, pastels blend more smoothly and easily.
- Unique textures: Experiment with various amounts of water and application techniques to achieve different textures.
Example of Soft Pastel Usage
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apply a base layer | Lay down light colors for highlights or darker colors for shadows. |
| 2 | Wet the base layer | Use a wet brush to activate the pastel and start blending. |
| 3 | Let it dry | Ensure the layer is completely dry before adding additional layers. |
| 4 | Add detail and layers | Add final details using dry pastels or other layers of wet pastel. |
By using this technique, artists can explore a wide range of effects and produce rich, textured artwork.
