Pastel painting is the most original of all painting techniques with its brilliant colours. It combines the immediacy of a drawing with the brilliant effects of painting. The dry pigment is usually applied with the fingertips to the working surface without any particular preparation and then blended. Pastel painting is ideal for depicting many motifs whether landscapes, portraits or nudes.
Pastels consist of medium fine, almost pure pigment and contain very small quantities of binder. There are many different softness grades for pastel sticks. The harder qualities are more suitable for sketches or drawings. Softer pastel sticks are more suitable for pastel painting. To remove paint use a malleable eraser or a soft cloth. To protect the drawing there are numerous fixatives available but their use is somewhat controversial as they alter the colours.
The pastel technique can be used to apply very soft, delicate colour as well as bold colour strokes. A combination of bold strokes with well-designed shadows gives a more vivid picture. Very attractive effects can be achieved using textured paper. The toothiness of the paper creates weaker and stronger “islands” of colour that enhance the depth and intensity of the painting.
Recommended Paper
Charcoal, red ochre and pastels require softer, more velvety surfaces with good colour adherence.
Hahnemühle Mould-made Ingres and Bugra papers, with their lightly ribbed surface have been specially designed for these techniques. They are available in a variety of colours. The interesting longitudinal character of the paper creates distinctive paintings.
A further speciality and ideal for soft pastels is the Hahnemühle Velour paper. This surface is produced using inert synthetic fibres on an acid-free backing sheet. This creates a soft, very velvety surface. This paper holds a lot of pastel well producing bold colours. Vivid effects are easily achieved by smudging.
A further quality available for pastels is the Hahnemühle Young Line Pastel. The interesting structure of the paper and the felt finish enable strong colour adherence and even bold colours.
The new Hahnemühle FineArt PastelSelection Pad offers 10 different qualities that demonstrate the variety of surfaces, colours and grammages available in the Hahnemühle range. This pad is also ideal for trying out your skills.
The Hahnemühle pastel papers are neutrally sized and therefore extremely resistant to ageing in compliance with DIN 6738 and ISO 9706.
