Dawn Emerson - Pastel Innovations: 60+ Creative Techniques and Exercises for Painting with Pastels

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This book is dedicated to my amazing husband Bruce who knows me all too well but loves me anyway, to my generous friend Denali who kept us laughing, and to Lena, who snoozed peacefully through it all.

Dont feel like you need to have all of these products in order to start painting and creating. Begin with the techniques that require materials you already have or the basic necessities: Pastels, paper and ink. Then, as you progress through the book, add a few new tools and materials as they strike your fancy. Pretty soon you will know what suits you and where your passions lie, and youll have the tools and materials you need to follow your pastel painting dreams.

• Generals Jumbo Compressed Charcoal, 2B, 4B, 6B
• pastel sticks
• PanPastel
• pencils
• wax crayons
• sumi ink
• Akua blending medium
• Akua Intaglio ink
• water-miscible oil paint
• watercolors
• paintbrushes
• fan brush
• brayer
• palette knife
• kneaded eraser
• hard plastic eraser
• cosmetic wedge
• paper towels
• newsprint pad, 18" 24" (41CM 61CM)
• drawing paper
• Stonehenge paper
• Rives BFK paper
• freezer paper
• colored cardstock
• standing easel
• plastic plates, 9" 12" (23CM 30CM)
• digital camera
• photo editing software
• pin press
• glass surface
• timer
• masking tape
• scissors
• knitting needle
• comb
• textured objects
• cotton swabs
• baby wipes
• plastic card (like credit card)
• razor blade
• color wheel
• liquid dish soap
• spoon
• small bowl
• leaves
• reference photos

This book is about learning to experience art-making rather than reproducing images. My belief is that it doesnt matter what subject you paintor even what you paint withbut how you see what you paint and how you express it. Ive spent countless hours playing in the studio experimenting with tools and materials just for the joy of exploring. Honestly, if I had only one image to paint for the rest of my life, my goal would be to make it a new experience each time I painted it, and I would try to find as many ways as I could to make each one unique and beautiful.

This book is designed to present the language of artthe elements and principlesin a more inviting and poetic way that will encourage you to rethink everything you do with respect to painting with pastel and mixed media. Id like to challenge you to question what a drawing is or could be. Id like you to go back to using simple, inexpensive materials and tools and do a lot of everything rather that one precious piece. Each time you do so, youll find you can let go of expectations, relax and enjoy the process of making art.

The worst things you can do to yourself are:

• use a support that is very expensive and that you only have one of
• use your most precious colors and materials
• use a picture reference that is perfectly cropped
• keep noodling away at something that should have been thrown out an hour ago
• ask your significant other his or her opinion

The best things you can do for yourself are:

• use humble materials like newsprint and drawing paper so you can PLAY
• use all the materials youve been collecting for decades
• take photographs that give you lots of options for design
• do many, stop often, and stop early
• explore and judge for yourself

My approach to painting has dramatically changed over the years because of the influence printmaking has had on me over the last decade. I have reconsidered everything I thought I knew about drawing in order to free myself of negative judgement and expectations, and it has been a transformative experience. I now feel more excited to paint than ever, and I cant wait to see what will happen in the studio! I truly hope this book helps you feel the same way.

DAWN

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER / 22" 15" (56CM 38CM) / OIL PAINT, PASTEL, CHARCOAL, COLOR PENCIL ON MIXED-MEDIA PAPER

I use many different brands of pastels sticks, both hard and soft. Among my favorites are Great American, Diane Townsend Terrages and Blue Earth. Because I draw most often with the side of the pastel, I remove all wrapping, break them in half, and arrange them in a carrying box by color and value.

Sumi ink, water-based oil paints, watercolor, gouache and clear gesso are all media I use with pastel, because they dry with the same matte finish as pastel. Water-miscible oil can be rolled with a brayer for monotypes, trace monotypes and brayer drawing.

These highly pigmented pastels are wonderful for using in conjunction with stick pastels. I find them to be useful for adding transparent color over monotypes, for using with stencils, and for layering imagery and color. They are less powdery than most stick pastels, are erasable, and are easy to transport.

A personal collection of textures and stencils is essential for incorporating frottage, stamping, offsetting, stamping, rollography and printmaking into your work. Textures can become important signature elements in your work and can inspire your creativity in ways you never imagined.

Virtually any dry medium can be used with pastel. I use Generals Jumbo compressed charcoal for the bulk of my drawing and sketching because it comes in three hardnesses and isnt messy like other compressed charcoals. It has a wide surface for easy gripping, and flat, sharp edges for making calligraphic marks. Colored pencils and ink crayons both work with pastel.