Pastel practice:
The choice of materials and tools

Table of contents

The choice of materials and tools

Although the pastel is quite problematic to correct, still at the initial stage of work or after its completion, the use of the eraser can remove some of the allowed flaws. At the initial stage of the work, the eraser, if the layer of the applied pastel is not too large, will be able to remove small single-layer spots. During the last stage, the eraser can again be claimed to brighten some parts of the picture. When working, it’s better to choose the softest eraser, since hard erasers leave behind a lot of spools that stain and damage the paper.

Paper board

Shops specializing in accessories for artists offer a large selection of boards for fixing paper. The boards have different sizes, but all have a flat surface and sharpened edges. Good boards are made of high quality wood and are very expensive. If financial opportunities are limited, it is worth looking at boards made of cheaper material - plywood or chipboard, but it should be noted that boards that have chipboard material cannot be stuck with the usual pushpin, so you will have to use adhesive tape or a special clip instead.

For the most part, pastelists work in a manner based on the use of energetic spots and strokes (the basis of the same type), without the use of an eraser, without the initial outline of forms, practically without shading and try not to mix colors. Other artists, on the contrary, attach great importance to the technique of execution, using all the techniques and means known to them in their work: meticulously choosing the texture and color of the paper, using pastel pencils make preliminary sketches and draw details, with the help of solid pastels make shading, and soft pastels saturate some parts of the picture with pure color, use a rag, shading and your own fingers for blending. These 2 poles, of course, are boundary, in fact, each author adheres to his individual style of work, which is inherent only to him.