PASTEL QUESTION

[Judy-Ann Konopka]

I have been dying to work with pastels. I bought a fairly inexpensive
set of 48 (Alphacolor). I used them on white mat board and was quickly
disappointed since they seemed to "rub" right off. The pigment didn't
seem to be absorbed in the paper???

So, my questions are:

1. What are the best papers to use pastels on? Did I just experiement
on the wrong type?
2. Obviously, you get what you pay for, but is there a huge difference
in pastel quality. In other words, did mine rub off because they're
cheap? What differences can I expect from a higher quality pastel?
3. Mine are square and don't seem to drop their pigment until I get
through the hard coating. Is there a method to "peeling" (for lack of a
better word) the pastels?

Thanks,

Judy-Ann

[Suzanne Marsden]

Hi there,
Just a question about the pastel problem...were they oil
pastels, or coloured chalks (sometimes sold in the same fashion
as oil pastel sets..)
Chalks will sit on paper and can be blended, but unlike
oil pastels tend to more easily come OFF the paper (alot like
charcoal, actually..)
Oil pastels adhere a little better to paper (and in some
cases mylar, if that's what you're working on), but after awhile
of working I generally find that there is quite a build up of
material on the paper. I haven't come across a particular paper
that refuses the oil pastels (although as you pointed out, price
can be a factor for value..).
Anyway, I don't know if this helped at all. As for
"peeling" the pastels...best thing I can suggest is doing it by
hand with maybe a large sharpener or X-acto blade...I tend to
have more problems with the paper wrapping on the pastel getting
in the way.

Good luck!!

Suzanne

--
|S.Marsden The |
|Box 618, Stittsville Sun isn't Yellow |
|ON, K2S 1A7 it's Chicken |
|bn...@freenet.carleton.ca -Dylan |

[GeoffG603]

Yes, there is a difference in the quality of pastsels, but it is more in
the quality of the color, and how it feels as it is put down ont he paper.

Some paper will hold pastels better, and while none will do what you want,
you will find that paper with more tooth does have abit more "depth" to
how the pastel sits on it.

As to papers, I'd recommend Arches or Rives, but you should probably play
around a bunch.

Once done,a clear coat of spray fixative does the trick to stabilize the
suface. Of course, nothing really turns a pastel into a really stable
medium - anything rubbing on it will smear it, including other works
stored on top of the art piece. Make sure there is a cover sheet of
glacene, or trace, or something, hinged to yourpiece, but protecting it in
storage. Otherwise, it won't look anything like what you remembered.

Hope this helps.

[JaXaS]

In article <3jcvfc$j...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, geof...@aol.com (GeoffG603) says:
>
>Yes, there is a difference in the quality of pastsels, but it is more in
>the quality of the color, and how it feels as it is put down ont he paper.

One problem with cheaper pastels is their lack of light fastness. Many
of the cheaper pastels are simply dyes that have been precipitated on
the chalk base. High grade pastels will contain pigments that are light
fast.

>Some paper will hold pastels better, and while none will do what you want,
>you will find that paper with more tooth does have abit more "depth" to
>how the pastel sits on it.

There are pastel papers that are very similar to fine grit sandpaper.
The key is certainly to use a paper that has good "tooth" and
also an open face--that is, not heavily sized.

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[Kenny Kar Kin Chan]

Judy-Ann Konopka (judy...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: I have been dying to work with pastels. I bought a fairly inexpensive

: set of 48 (Alphacolor). I used them on white mat board and was quickly
: disappointed since they seemed to "rub" right off. The pigment didn't
: seem to be absorbed in the paper???

: So, my questions are:

: 1. What are the best papers to use pastels on? Did I just experiement
: on the wrong type?

paper with a lot of tooth works the best.
althought from my experience, any sort of paper should work as long as it
isn't ultra smooth. try using chemical sprays to fix the pigment to the paper.
they're called fixatives and come in spray cans. there's a 'workable fixative'
and it allows you to fix a layer and continue to work on top of it.

: 2. Obviously, you get what you pay for, but is there a huge difference

: in pastel quality. In other words, did mine rub off because they're
: cheap? What differences can I expect from a higher quality pastel?
: 3. Mine are square and don't seem to drop their pigment until I get
: through the hard coating. Is there a method to "peeling" (for lack of a
: better word) the pastels?

rub it on a spare piece of paper until you get past the hard coating.
or use one of them apple skin peeler knives. hehehe

: Thanks,

: Judy-Ann

bye-bye,
kenny