Price - Painting Sunlight and Shadow with Pastels: Essential Techniques for Brilliant Effects

BRUSHES

-inch (6mm), -inch (12mm) and 1-inch (25mm) synthetic brushes; -inch (12mm) fine mop brush; nos. 4, 6 and 12 water-color brushes; no. 10 Filbert

PASTELS

Soft(a minimum of 510 values of each of the following): beige, black, blue, blue-green, blue-violet, blue-gray, cool brown, gray-green, green, orange, red, red-orange, red-violet, reddish gray, violet, violet-gray, warm brown, white, yellow, yellow-orange, yellow-green

Harder(35 values each of the following): black, blue, brown

Pastel pencils: black, brown, light yellow, white

SURFACES

Ampersand Pastelbord, Canson Mi-Teintes, Pastelmat, Richeson premium pastel surface, UArt sanded pastel paper, Wallis sanded pastel paper

WATERCOLORS

Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Yellow (light and medium), Cadmium Yellow-Orange, Cadmium Red-Orange, Carbazole Violet, Cobalt Blue, Dioxazine Violet, Payne's Gray, Raw Umber, Sap Green, Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Winsor Green, Yellow Ochre

OTHER

Barrier cream (such as Gloves in a Bottle) or tight-fitting gloves, drawing pencils, drawing paper, fixative, foam pipe insulation, kneaded eraser, paper towels, pencil sharpener, ruler, tape, Turpenoid (blue label), rubbing alcohol or other mineral spirits

The term soft pastel encompasses a range of pastel sticks from harder to softer. When people refer to hard pastels, they are actually referring to the harder form of the medium called soft pastel. In fact, many pastelists feel the medium should be called dry pastel to cover both the harder and softer versions, and to differentiate them from oil pastels. Soft pastels come in a variety of textures, from long, skinny, hard sticks to soft, buttery, rounded or squared chunks.

All pastels in the category of soft pastel are pure pigment (the same pigment used in oils and watercolors) mixed with just enough binder to hold the sticks together. They are applied dry by stroking the stick, held on its side or point down, upon a surface. Most often those surfaces are made especially for pastels and include textured paper and sanded surfaces designed to grab the pigment.

SOFT PASTELS AND SURFACES FOR PASTEL PAINTING
Surfaces vary in the amount of tooth, or surface texture, which holds the pastel pigment. Pastel sticks vary in shape and degree of softness. With a good toothy surface, you can use either hard or soft pastels, freeing you to make your choices based on color, value and temperature.

LAYING IN A BROAD STROKE
For a good portion of your painting, you'll lay in strokes of color with the pastel held on its side. This is the equivalent of the big brush in oil or other wet mediums. Beginning with large shapes of color will keep you from getting bogged down in details too early in the development of the painting. Holding the pastel on its side and stroking lightly is also the best way to layer color.