Pastel practice: Pastel paper Automatic translate

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Pastel paper

Pastel painting can be done on any surface, the main thing is that it has a roughness that can hold pigment. The most commonly used paper. The paper used when working with pastel colors must necessarily have a roughness, so such types of paper as glazed, coated or very smooth, are not suitable for working with pastel colors. But with a smooth surface, for example, like Bristol cardboard, you need to be very careful, the pigment fits perfectly on the paper, shades well, but applying a 2 coat is no longer possible, the grainy surface is already completely hidden by 1 coat. Pigments of 2 layers can not stay on paper and then crumble. Therefore, paper of this type should be used only for sketches or works that do not require the application of a thick layer of pigment. Most widelyin pastel painting, Kanson paper is used, it has medium thickness and moderate roughness, which makes it an excellent choice for most works.

Texture

Paper, the surface of which has a roughness, provides a large number of opportunities for pastel painting, with its application it becomes possible to apply several layers of pastel on top of each other: 1 layer of pigment does not completely smooth out all roughness, so the following layers are applied without problems. The rough paper used for watercolor painting is also great for pastel work, although the bright white color characteristic of this paper makes it difficult to harmonize tones naturally.

Rough paper for watercolor painting great for work

Medium-grained paper for watercolor painting (A) can be used to create pictures of vibrant color; handmade paper with an uneven surface (B), perfect for expressive painting, which is based on color spots; medium roughness paper - “Kanson” (C) is one of the most versatile for pastels; standard paper for pencil drawings (D), for complex work with pastel is not suitable; Thick paper with a smooth surface (E), used as the basis for very detailed works.

Colored paper

Renaissance pastel artists have discovered an interesting phenomenon, if you use tinted paper in your work, then the work becomes more expressive. The color base allows you to give the work a unity of colors, and the absence of colors in any place does not allow the work to take a sloppy appearance. In addition, the tone of the paper itself, thanks to chromatic contrast, emphasizes the differences in individual colors much more strongly, which allows for a more harmonious combination. The conclusion from the above is the following: when choosing a color paper, it sets the overall color of the work, that is, the artist is initially obliged to focus on the tone of the foundation to achieve harmony.

The Kanson company produces a large assortment of colored paper especially for pastel painting.

Favorite colors of paper by artists who cultivate pastel are ocher, brown and gray colors. These tones, both cold and warm, due to their softness, harmonize very well with any color schemes and themes. It turns out that the most used paper is paper of the following colors: bluish, greenish, gray (dark and light), ocher, sienna, ivory and umber of various intensities. On sale you can find paper in black, white, yellow, carmine, red, orange, green colors, as well as their various shades of different brightness and saturation.

We offer you to get acquainted with the samples of colored paper company "Kanson" from the series "Міteintes". This series includes a very large number of not only pure, but also intermediate tones.

The correct selection of the color of the foundation greatly facilitates the artist’s process of achieving harmony in the work being created. There are no strict rules for compatibility in nature, therefore, we will offer a generally accepted opinion: paper of warm colors is better to use when creating paintings of cold color, the opposite is also the case, it is recommended to choose a dark base for working with light colors. These are basic principles, but a true artist always strives to go beyond the general opinion, therefore it is best for an artist, and especially for a beginner, to experiment based on his own personality. We offer you to evaluate several magnificent works in which the color of the paper organically merges into the overall color of the picture as one of the full-fledged elements of its color structure.

Private collection. Joaquin Mir (1873-1940). Maspujols. Scenery. An excellent example of harmonious fusion of colors and the applied base (light brown tone of paper) with the classic colors of the landscape.

Private collection. Joan Rocket. Nudity Warm skin tones look especially radiant and kind of soft against a light gray (neutral) paper background.

Private collection. Ana Roca Sastre. Still life. Bright red base enlivens the picture, perfectly harmonizing with all other colors.

Private collection. Mercedes Brownstein. Sunset. The crimson color of the paper looks organically in the image of the twilight landscape.

Dark paper

Very dark paper is very rarely used in pastel painting, since its color prevents the harmonization of color: all the colors that lie on such a basis look too saturated. But, at the same time, the choice of dark paper is correct if you need to show a sharp black and white contrast. When using greenish, brown, blue or even black substrates, any bright spots look particularly expressive.

Private collection. Vicens Ballestar. A bouquet of daisies. Bright white spots of the alleged flowers immediately attract the viewer: the amazing expressiveness of the picture is obtained due to the use of olive-green color as the basis of dark paper.

Supporting materials

Although paper and pastel bars are the main tools in the work of the artist pastelist, but still they are not enough for the full organization of the artist. It is not without reason that in any profession there are auxiliary materials that significantly increase work comfort. Items such as an eraser (erases excess), a cotton rag (helps keep your hands clean or distribute pigment on paper), feathering (used for shading strokes), adhesive tape, buttons and clips (to fix a paper sheet to a board), stationery knife )necessary for paper cutting and pencil sharpening) and a bottle of fixative-aerosol must be at hand.