0Pastel Painting Techniques for Beginners
One of the benefits of working with pastel is that there are various ways to work with the medium. It is very expressive and can stand on its own, but it also works well with other mediums. Experiment with pastel on top of a picture, over an underpainting of watercolour, or charcoal, pencil or oil.
Blending: Try rubbing gently instead of dabbing over an area to soften too much detail.
Apply the Technique-
Blend for still water, particularly when developing reflections; sky at the horizon; corners and foreground of paintings to decrease detail. It’s also useful for areas where you wish your painting to be peaceful and quiet.
Working On Point: Hold the pastel-like pencil and work on the tip, formulating thin lines.
Apply the Technique:
Use for crosshatching or finished detail artwork such as tree branches, hair detailing to sharpen architectural forms, and final tones requiring a controlled hand.
On the Side:
Thicker strokes are made by holding the pastel on its side. Good for blocking in your drawing in the first steps.
Apply the Technique:
Build up areas where you wish the broad strokes to demonstrate information without getting into critical detail, such as painting foliage or clouds or bushes.
Hatching and Crosshatching:
Crosshatching is when strokes are positioned uniformly at angles to each other or use random hatching, where the marks are not so identical.
Apply the Technique-
Build up colour and form you don’t want to blend. This technique is also good for working on surfaces with a distinct pattern or a rough tooth you wish to downplay.
Layering:
Layer these wide strokes over each other with a light hand, so the colour underside is still visible and not blended.
Apply the Technique:
Use for moving clouds or choppy water. This is so effective it can be used to create an entire painting.
