Friday, September 30, 2011

"Lookin' Out the Window" 6" X 12" Pastel

This pastel was worked on Pastelbord, one of my favorite surfaces. It was basically worked in three stages as follows.
The pears were sketched onto the Pastelboard with pastel pencil then basic shapes were "filled in" with Nupastels, a harder type of pastel stick. I'm not fussy at this stage with detail - basically, I'm concerned with values, getting the light correct and the basic colors down.
Next, using a brush and alcohol I paint the pastel in place. I'm creating a base of pastel that won't smear and goes into the roughness of the surface. All sorts of fun things can be done at this stage. Sometimes, it's fun to
paint the complement of each color and let it show through the soft pastel on top. 
In the last stage I use those gorgeous soft, buttery soft pastel sticks (Unison, Sennelier, Terry Ludwig) to add color and make refinements, and the finished painting is shown at the top.                                                                              
                                                                                     
                                                                          
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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2011 at 2:35 PM

    Very lovely, Carol.

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  2. Virginia FloydSeptember 30, 2011 at 5:01 PM

    Beautiful, Carol. I enjoyed reading about your process. I've never used pastels, so this was enlightening to me.

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  3. RH CarpenterOctober 1, 2011 at 7:53 AM

    The colors in this are delicious!!!

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  4. IowaladyOctober 1, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    I'm curious, I've not used pastels much, and NEVER tried the alcohol. What type of alcohol do you use, and what do you use to apply it (brush)? Which picture represents the "after" you've applied alcohol? Thanks, another Carol
    Carol Bender

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  5. Carol FlattOctober 1, 2011 at 2:06 PM

    Thank you, Virginia. Pastel is such a versatile medium. The way I described this project is just one way to use them. :)

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  6. Carol FlattOctober 1, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Thank you, Anonymous. I appreciate you looking!

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  7. Carol FlattOctober 1, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. Carol FlattOctober 1, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    Hi Rhonda,
    I thank you for your comment. Sometimes I worry that I've gone overboard with the color. There are such rich, yummy colors in pastel waiting to be tried.

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  9. Carol FlattOctober 1, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    Dear Iowalady, The alcohol I use is the kind for medicinal purposes found in the pharmacy. I use the 70% solution, but there is also a 90+% solution that will dry faster. It doesn't take long with either kind. I apply it with a small brush. The bottom photo is the pastel (only) lay-in, and the middle picture is the one that has been "alcoholed." The color is richer in that one. The top photo is the finished painting. Thank you!

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  10. carol morgan carmichaelOctober 2, 2011 at 4:55 AM

    This painting just jumped out of the thumbnail. I loved hearing of your procedure too. Thanks for sharing Carol!

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  11. Carol FlattOctober 3, 2011 at 12:42 PM

    Hi Carol,
    It's interesting to take photos during the process of painting. I think we often tend to forget the many little steps it takes. Thanks, Carol.

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