Preserve the color and vibrancy of my pastel drawings?
And what is a good way to store and display them?
Thank you!
I do not recommend fixative, as it almost always darkens and dulls the color. And never never never hairspray. . . .
I work in pastels almost exclusively right now, and if I am not framing my work, I store it between sheets of glassine paper (not waxed paper) in an archival storage box or portfolio. If you like you can tape the work to a piece of acid-free museum board, foam-core or mat board first, and tape the glassine over that.
I tend to frame my work almost as soon as it is completed, however. I usually mat it using acid-free archival mat, using spacers to prevent the pastel surface from touching anything that is not archival. I frame using either glass or plexi-glass, although plexi is known to generate static which can lift the pastel dust right off your work! If you are not into doing your own framing, a good frame shop will know the proper way to frame pastel under glass.
As far as keeping them vibrant and colorful, if the artist used good quality materials they should last a long, long time! As with any artwork, avoid bright direct light, especially avoid sunlight, and avoid moisture.
Pastellist Richard McKinley has a blog in which he discusses framing pastels; check it out: http://pastelpointersblog.artistsnetwork.com/How+Do+You+Frame+Your+Work.aspx
Check out other entries in his blog, as I know he has discussed colorfastness and other matters of interest to pastel artists.
You could also contact your regional pastel society to see if they have any resources of local artists regarding care and storage of pastel artwork.
Sanded Paper for the pastel artist and sanded primer to prepare any surface for use with artist pastels.
by ART SPECTRUM
from Victoria, Australia
Duration : 0:4:12
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I recently returned to some old unfinished oil paintings that were incomplete but very dry. I decided to try using a little oil pastel on them. Is this going to create adherence problems or anything? Any artists out there with experience or advice about this?
The cardinal rule in oils is fat over lean.
Oil pastels do have an oil content to be sure. But are the pastels sunflower oil, linseed oil,safflower oil? There is no real problem with adherence as long as you add some oil to the pastels drawn on the old oil, and as to drawing onto the gesso there is no problem that I am aware of.
When I have used oil pastels in my oil painting it was to lay a base work on the canvas then brush the oil paint on top of that. The other reason I’ve ever used pastels was to highlight some spots on the oil painting.
I hope this is a help in your decision on your work.
What oil pastel brand would you say is the best…comparing smoothness when applied, not crumbling under pressure, range of colors, price, etc?
For Oil pastels, there are only 2 brands on the market that are truly artist quality, those are extremely buttery – Sennellier and Holbein. Oil pastels never dry and must be framed behind glass with an air space.
(or they smudge)
In this short video, artist Sari Gaby completes a demonstration using a variety of pastel papers. She compares how the different papers measure up to each other using the same pastel color and blending techniques. It is an interesting and informative video that should interest all pastel artists.
To purchase pastel papers and boards, please visit our website. http://www.fineartstore.com
Video Info: This has been a production from FineArtStore.com. The video was filmed and edited by Jennifer Lesczinski. The demonstration and narration is by artist, Sari Gaby.
Duration : 0:7:13
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Is there a medium that need goes down in between each application? How does one varnish this piece? Aren’t there dif varnishes for oil and acrylic paints…? And for use with things like graphite/chalk do you need to spray that immediately when working… and with what? Will that spray effect the oil that will be applied or any other medium applied to the piece? And when a piece is defined as "mixed media" using "acrylic and oil", do there just mean they used oil on the top, or that they used a water based oil in general and weren’t concerned about what order it was applied? Lastly, when adding other things to the work, like newspaper, paper, anything really, at what point is best to add these sorts of material so they’ll stick best? Maybe that’s just a guessing game.
Intermingling layers of acrylic and oil are a recipe for possible structural failure. Acrylic paints dry quickly, sometimes within minutes, or at most, hours of being applied. Oils can take weeks or months to dry sufficiently. Acrylics applied over oils are most likely to fail. Layering one after thee other, over and over, or attempting to get acrylic to adhere sufficiently to oil pastels . . . questionable. And the mediums you use with oil and acrylics are totally different and can not be intermingled. There is no universal medium that would bind them together and guarantee that they would remain on the canvas.
Mixed media means any painting that is not done with only one media. Examples are pastels over watercolor, watercolor/charcoal/pastels, charcoal/oil, watercolor and colored pencil, etc.
A collage is created by including non-paint materials, such as paper, fabric, wire, string, sand, glass, rocks, and other objects. These objects can be "glazed over" with acrylic gloss medium when using acrylics, or varnish when using oils.
Charcoal and pastel do not have to be sprayed with fixative to be completed. Fixing pastels is basically fusing them with acrylic sprayed on in very fine droplets. . .and this has the effect of fusing the individual particles of pastel that give it its luminous glow! When using pastel in mixed media, it would be best used as part of the last layer of color added.
I am not sure what kinds of mixed media work you have seen, but if you proceed as in the same haphazard manner you described, you are going to have a mess. I would suggest you practice, or do small studies to see how the various materials work together before you commit to doing a larger piece.
Good luck . . .
Photogenec Design LLC is proud to present the popular and talented pastel artist Mary Jean O’Connor. Ms. O’Connor is a member of the United States Pastel Association and shows her work in the Laguna Beach area of Southern California. Included in this moving photoshow are the worlds most interesting artist quotes. Grab a glass of Chardonnay, a plate of Brie and berries, turn on the video and relax.
Duration : 0:4:46
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My friend really wants a nice set of really good and buttery soft french pastels. I do not know enough about pastels to know what brand to get her so i was wondering what a good brand would be..
The best pastels are made in Amsterdam Holland and the brand name is Rembrandt. The best in the world.
I found an original pastel piece of artwork, signed and dated by Adolf Zutz but can’t find any information on this artist.
I can find no mention of this artist in the usual data-bases of known/recognised artists.
You could photograph the painting (and a close-up of the signature) and send them to;
http://www.allexperts.com
("arts and humanities" then "painting")
They are very good (and free).
Inspired by a Rosemarie Fiore lesson I did with my kiddos at school, I teach you a little tutorial on the basics of pastels! Watch as I blend, erase, and layer to create a dreamy abstract drawing..I show you a perfect technique to create juicy backgrounds in your Art Journal. For more fun and color visit http://www.DirtyFootprints-Studio.com
Duration : 0:4:32
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