Chalk Pastels – class notes
Introduction to Various Media
Bowen Adult Art
Instructor Lesley Lorenz
Pastel
There are two basic types of chalk pastels, soft and hard. You can use a mixture of both, or either variety, depending on your preference and the effect you wish to achieve. As in pencil, the softer the material, the easier it is to blend or smudge. Harder materials give a much crisper line. We will be using the soft pastels in this class. The paper we use is quite rough in texture. This allows for more ‘grip’ of the chalk media. Using a smooth paper will cause the art work to smear, and is not suggested.
When beginning your piece, first select a colour of paper; darker colours of paper will give a more dramatic contrast to your work. Rough in your composition in pastel, not pencil – as the grease of the pencil will repel the chalk. Be aware of your own hand/forearm smearing across the art work. Mounting the paper on a board and easel will help to avoid smearing. I usually begin with a colour close to the paper’s colour for the outline of my composition, then work through the mid tones, add the deep shadows and then the lightest colours last as I fill in details. Be aware of where your light source is as you add the lightest colours. In a situation where the light source saturates the subject very evenly (as with fluorescent lighting) you can use artistic license to create a more dramatic light source for your picture. You can also choose to leave the background simply the colour of the paper, or create a background.
Experiment with whether you like to smudge the colours together for a very soft look or prefer to lay colour down in layers for a different but equally pleasing effect. You can use your fingers to smudge, or a small sponge or q-tip. Try not to blow off the dust that accumulates on your paper, as the chemicals in the pigments should not be airborne. Instead, tap the excess off onto a newspaper or paper towel and discard.
Chalk pastels can be very cost effective to work with – a good set of 24 will cost $30-$40, – much cheaper than paint and will last for years. The pastel paper is also much less expensive than canvas to paint on. The only hitch is that pastel must be framed behind glass; there are fixatives that can be sprayed onto the work, but they will not protect the picture well enough to mount it without a glass cover. When your pastel is complete, cover it with wax paper until you are ready to frame.