Kath, Cynthia – Pastel Landscape

With fond memories of her time here, we include her thoughtfully prepared notes on pastel materials for your continued benefit.

Understanding Pastels

Pure pigment:
Good pastels are alive, and do not have binding agents.

Dangers:
Gloves, Artguard Barrier Cream, Mask Techniques of Masters

Techniques of Masters

  • Look at photos and copies of Master paintings.
  • Learn to see balance, unity, variety/interest and contrast.
    • See how Masters use limited tonal values
    • and how they simplify values by squinting
    • Learn what’s dynamic and what’s static. (The more you look at an area the more you will want to work on it.)
    • Notice contrast of scale, angles and shapes.
    • Learn to frequently get back from your work
    • LEARN TO SQUINT CONSTANTLY.
  • Only studying art history will not make you a good painter!
  • Only copy masters to learn medium and color.Key components in Master Techniques
    • Choices
    • In how artist moves the eye
    • Create excitement, moving eye through with line.
    • Cadence, in which eye moves through painting quickly, than slowly; the more changes, the more the eye engages.

Learn

  • Value relationships: creates form; creates difference of space. Reality is created by value. i.e., distance looses yellow, creates space. Create coolness by adding blue.
  • Keep subject in focus, everything else must relate to it, BUT KEEP SUBJECT IN ITS PLACE. (Focus on something and notice blur surrounding it.)
  • Composition: unity, variety, contrast, and balance.
    • Explain something, is it complicated? Simplify it.
    • Ask question, do I need it? Does it help out the painting?
  • Choices: We are always confronted with choices: emotional, design, theme, story, likeness, character.
  • Your Own Style: You can only convey what you feel. If painting could talk, what would it say? Explain motive. No one will care if I don’t care!
    • What Clicks!
    • Personal brush stroke/mark. Different angles. Your mark is your signature and opinion.
    • Have the courage to make a decision.
    • Trust yourself. The painting will tell you what it needs.
    • Making something look real does not make it worthy of being seen.
    • Learn what you have to say: “How do I feel about it?” “What is mine?” The more I feel about it, the better it becomes. Paint with love.
    • Corot:” It is better to do a poor version of self, than to copy someone else.”
    • Others have already cut the trail. You will never get out of it what they put into it.  Every decision made already. Finite/end. Its like getting the answers to the test.
    • AUTHENTICITY TRUMPS EVERYTHING!
    • Do not try to control your entire world in a painting, loosen up!
    • Put down your own pure idea; quickly, capture how light falls across things,
    • Hierarchy; you do not need to clarify everything!
  • Color, traditionally, intense color is closer and the less intense move into distance. (example: Distance looses yellow, creates space; create coolness by adding blue.)
    • Group values/color, keep it simple.
    • Clarify your “effect of light”; light is light and shadow is shadow.
    • That is, group lights and group darks. Squint!
  • Luminosity is created by the way value and color comes back to the eye.

Required:

Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John Carlson (available from Amazon)
Read Chapters 3, 4 and 5.
Visit Link in Amazon

Supply List

  • Bring three photos to first class that you would be interested in painting. Look for pictures with contrast. Photos with both dark shade and sunlight.
  • Note Book!
  • Pastel Paper:
    There are many types available. I prefer sanded papers like Uart #400 or #500 and Premier. I also prefer lighter colors. They may be ordered from Dakota Arts Supply in Seattle Washington www.dakotaartstores.com. These papers are popular and handle water well:

    • LaCarte is good for soft pastels only (hard pastels dent).
    • Some people like Canson paper but it does not handle many layers.
  • Artist tape or drafting tape
  • Workable matte fixative spray
  • Pastel ground: Liquitex Clear Gesso for pastels or sanded paper.
  • Glassine, Wax paper or Freezer paper for transporting art work
  • Gloves or Artguard Barrier Cream

Any pastels you have will be a good place to begin.

Hard Pastels

Nu pastels (Set of 96 colors is good!) This product is now made outside of the USA and the quantity has diminished. This is a great set for teaching and learning color. I’m also using some similar colored pastels by Rembrandt (Listed below.)

  • 2 239 Warm Gray
  • 2 279 Cold Medium Gray
  • 1 209 Dark Gray
  • 1 245 Light Turquoise
  • 1 228 Hookers Green (Upright sunshine)*
  • 1 278 Dark Green (Flat plane shade)*
  • 2 298 Bottle Green (Darkest Green, Upright shade)**
  • 1 208 Sap Green (Flat Plane Sunshine)*
  • 1 258 Viridian Green*
  • 1 408 Fern Green*
  • 1 248 Olive Green*
  • 1 308 Palm Green*
  • 1 408 Fern Green*
  • 1 204 Sandalwood*
  • 1 353 Cordovan
  • 1 286 Madder Pink
  • 1 266 Scarlet
  • 2 366 Shell **1 212 Orange
  • 1 207 Chrome Yellow
  • 1 247 Light Naples Yellow*
  • 1 267 Corn Yellow
  • 1 217 Lemon Yellow
  • 1 257 Cad Yellow Deep
  • 1 243 Light Ochre
  • 2 211 White*
  • 2 277 Ivory*
  • 1 233 Raw Siena
  • 1 345 Harbor Blue **
  • 2 244 Dark Purple (darkest dark) **
  • 2 235 Light Sky blue*
  • 2 265 Ultramarine Blue *
  • 1 275 Deep Blue

** needed colors
* Great Colors

OR!

Hard pastels, better
Rembrant

  • Ultramarine Light 505.5, 505.8 and 505.10
  • Ultramarine Deep 506.5, 506.7, 506.9
  • Madder Lake deep 506.7, 331.9
  • Perm red 372.10
  • Violet 536.9
  • Purple 548.3
  • Orange 235.5
  • light Orange 236.7, 236.3
  • Cinnabar Green Deep 627.5, 627.7
  • Phthalo green 675.3
  • Perm green light 618.3, 618.5
  • Perm green deep 619.3
  • Light yellow 205.3
  • Deep Yellow 202.3

Some super ‘Soft Pastels’ are great.

Soft Pastels: Schminke, Unison, Girault, Sennelier, Terry Ludwig

  • Natural colors (as found in nature)
  • Vibrant colors i.e. Hot Pink, Turquoise or whatever you like.
  • White and Off White

Required:

Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John Carlson (available from Amazon, Cheap). Carlson is considered the “bible” of landscape painting by most contemporary landscape painters. Read Chapters 3, 4 and 5