How To Paint With Pastels

The are a variety of mediums available for artists to use. Each artist tends to have his or her favorite medium. Some prefer to use oils or acrylics. Pastels are considered to be a great medium by many artists. If you’ve never used them, here are some of the basic “how to paint with pastels.”

One of the more common and popular pastel mediums is the soft pastel. These pastels cover a large area and blend well to create new colors.

When you are thinking about how to paint with pastels it is important to know that pastels can be used for a variety of techniques and look entirely different depending upon the amount of pressure you use with them and how many layers you apply.

When people think of pastels, they may be thinking of different mediums. Pastels can be found in crayon form, pencils, water soluble, and oil pastels. Each form has its own benefits. If you are wondering about how to paint with pastels you should know them.

1. Before you continue looking at how to paint with pastels keep the different ones in mind as well as what you can do with them:

Pastel crayons are durable, blend easily and yet allow you to create crisp, sharp lines.
Water soluble pastels, on the other hand, can be used either wet or dry. Use them to cover a wide area on your paper and then add water to get a colorful wash.
Oil pastels have a deeper, richer tone than other pastels. Use turpentine with oil pastels to thin them or extend them if you like.

2. Techniques:

One of the best techniques when using pastels is the ability to blend them. Rather than having to mix the paints on a palette, you can apply pastels directly to the paper and then blend other colors into them to create entirely new colors and shading techniques. Simply lay down a base color and then add another on top of it. Blend the two colors with your finger or another blending tool to achieve the desired result.
Dry washing is another basic technique for pastels. Start by crushing or scraping some of the pastel into a powder. With a soft cloth or brush, apply the powder to the paper and work it in. Combine the colors on a palette or overlay colors and blend them in.
Try hatching to create a sense of shading. To do this, simply make small regular strokes in the same direction over an area. Cross-hatching is similar except after you finish hatching in one direction, you go back and add hatching in another direction, thus called cross-hatching. This technique will give you texture and shading. Depending upon the look you desire, you may want to use two shades of pastel.
Scribbling is a great way to fill in space. Start at the top of your paper and work down to avoid undue smudging or work from one direction to the other across the paper depending upon which hand you use primarily. When you’re satisfied with the way one area looks, you may want to spray a pastel fixative to avoid smudging it and changing the way it looks.

So these are the basics of how to paint with pastels. Some artists prefer to lay down the darker tones first and then come back to highlight. You can use these techniques any way you want and it will greatly depend on your familiarity with the medium and your own artistic ability. Remember to have fun while using pastels; they’re a great artistic medium. With these basics about how to paint with pastes, I know you are going to have a lot of fun.

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Craft Ideas For Beginners | How To Paint With Pastels