Pastel Painting Techniques

The type of painting which uses a blend of powdered pigment and binder in the form of sticks is known as pastel painting. The binder used to prepare pastels has a neutral color, while the pigments are same as the ones used in other coloring media. Pastels are easy to use in a sense that one doesn't need to mix or blend them in a palette. They are just laid on paper without using water.

Techniques Used in Pastel Painting

Pastels can be a good medium of painting, provided that you learn the proper techniques of application. One can create all the different effects and shades in watercolor painting even with oil pastels. The problem however, with pastel colors is that the powder pigment once applied to the paper has to be protected from falling off (just like crumbs). The material used for oil pastels, in fact, lasts longer than watercolor; it is just about retaining the pastel color on the paper. It is generally done by protecting (not preserving) the pastel layers beneath glass.

Variation in Pressure
The application of varying amounts of pressure with pastels helps in bringing out different effects. The technique is similar to pencil shading. Here are some pastel painting ideas that can be used to create interesting patterns.

Creating Contours
The practice of creating contours by drawing lines is a common technique being used in pastel painting. The edges of pastel sticks are used to draw sharp lines. These lines are rubbed off to create contours. One can use pencil pastels instead of pastel sticks to make sharp lines. There is one more technique to create contours, i.e. to lay masking tapes on the paper leaving a gap to draw lines.

Scumbling
The technique of scumbling is commonly used to create the effect of smoke, fog, etc. The practice of scumbling is carried in such as manner that the paper is colored with two colors in layers (one above the other). The upper layer is light in shade. The upper (light shaded) layer is created by using the side (flat) portion of pastels. Apart from atmospheric effects like fog, the scumbling effect can also be used to draw shadows.

Hatching
The technique of hatching can be simply described as the practice of laying down a series of lines. The purpose of using this technique is either highlighting, shading or modeling. Cross-hatching is a variation of hatching technique where the lines are laid close to each other except that they are at different angles. Benefit of using hatching technique is that the painting attains depth and it becomes rich in terms of colors.

Stippling
The stippling technique is slightly different from hatching in the sense that dots are used instead of lines. The dots used for stippling could be of same or different colors. A transition from one phase to other is depicted through the stippling technique. Stippling is similar to an impressionistic technique called pointillism.

Oil Pastel Painting Techniques

Oil pastels are equally good for painting when compared to regular pastels. The oil pastel techniques provided below would help beginners in using this medium of painting.

Underpainting: It is the technique in which white papers are given a wash of oil pastel colors to remove white flecks. A rich color can be applied to the paper with this technique.

Blending: The blending technique is used for mixing different oil pastels on a palette. Creating smooth gradients is the objective of using this technique.

The activity of pastel painting or pastel art can be as interesting as that of painting with watercolors. The techniques provided in the article above would help in making the activity enjoyable and fun-filled.