Transcript Pastels & color

Pastels
&
color
COLOR
Color
• The element of art that is derived from
reflected light
• Symbolic, stands for ideas and feelings
Color Spectrum
• When light passes through a prism, the beam of white light is
bent and separated into bands of color, called Color Spectrum
• The Color Spectrum is always in the same order: red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, and violet
Can you think of a natural color spectrum?
A RAINBOW is a
natural Color Spectrum
Contrasting Colors
• A combination of colors that stands out when
placed side by side
– Warm color – cool color
– Bright color – dull color
• Road signs use contrasting colors
– Can you think of some examples?
Hue
• Primary Hue (or color):
– Red
– Yellow
– Blue
Almost any color can be made with these primary
colors and black and white!
Complementary Colors
• Complementary colors are colors that are
opposite each other on the color wheel
– Red & Green
– Blue & Orange
– Violet & Yellow
• These colors, when combined, are vibrant and
demand attention
Red & Green
Blue & Orange
Yellow & Violet
Warm & Cool Colors
• Warm Colors: usually associated with warm things (sun, fire) and tend to
move toward viewer
– Red
– Orange
– Yellow
• Cool Colors: Usually associated with cool things (ice, snow, water, grass)
and tend to move away from viewer
– Blue
– Green
– Violet
Cool Colors
Cool Colors
Warm Colors
Pastels
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a
stick, consisting of pure powdered
pigment and a binder. The pigments used
in pastels are the same as those used to
produce all colored art media, including
oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue
and low saturation.
Dry pastel media can be subdivided as
follows:
• Soft pastels — This is the most widely used form of pastel.
The sticks have a higher portion of pigment and less
binder, resulting in brighter colors. The drawing can be
readily smudged and blended, but it results in a higher
proportion of dust. Drawings made with soft pastels
require a fixative to prevent smudging.
• Hard pastels — These have a higher portion of binder and
less pigment, producing a sharp drawing material that is
useful for fine details. These can be used with other
pastels for drawing outlines and adding accents. However
the colors are less brilliant than with, say, soft pastels.
• Pastel pencils — These are pencils with a pastel lead. They
are useful for adding fine details.
Pastel art in art history
• The pastel medium was first mentioned by Leonardo
da Vinci in 1495.
• During the 18th century the medium became
fashionable for portrait painting, used in a mixed
technique with gouache.
• In the United States, initially pastels only had
occasional use in portraiture. However in the late
nineteenth century, pastel (like watercolor) became
more popular]. The Society of Painters in Pastel was
founded in 1885.
• Pastels have become popular in modern art because of
the medium's broad range of bright colors.
Fixatives
Some artists protect their finished pieces by spraying
them with a fixative. Abrasive supports avoid or
minimize the need to apply fixative. A pastel fixative is
an aerosol varnish which can be used to help stabilize
the small charcoal or pastel particles on a painting or
drawing. However, fixative will dull and darken pastel's
beautiful colors. It is also toxic, therefore it requires
careful use. It cannot prevent smearing entirely
without dulling and darkening the beautiful colors of
pastels. For this reason, some avoid its use except in
cases where the pastel has been overworked so much
that the surface will no longer hold any more pastel.
The fixative will restore the "tooth" and more pastel
can be applied on top. It is the tooth of the painting
surface that holds the pastels, not a fixative. Pastels
must be framed under glass to prevent damage.
How to Use:
pastel is made by letting the sticks move over
an abrasive ground, leaving color on the grain
of the paper, sandboard, canvas etc. When
fully covered with pastel, the work is called a
pastel painting; when not, a pastel sketch or
drawing. Pastel paintings, being made with a
medium that has the highest pigment
concentration of all, reflect light without
darkening refraction, allowing for very
saturated colors.
The simplest way to use a pastel is to draw with the end, holding it as you
would a pencil or pen. The resultant line has great expression, conveying a
sense of the gesture you made.
Drawing
With the
End of a
Pastel
Alter the thickness of the line by varying the pressure you’re applying to the pastel.
The harder you press, the more pastel you’ll be putting down on the sheet. For
thinner lines, press more gently or use the edge.
Tip: Use your whole arm, not just your wrist, as this encourages broader, looser
drawing.
If you want to work quickly, creating large blocks of color, use the side of a
pastel stick. For optimal results break (yes, I said break) a stick in half and use
that -- remember, even the smallest fragment of pastel is still usable.
Using the
Edge of
a Pastel
Altering the pressure will create different degrees of texture on the pastel
paper. When the side of the pastel has worn down, giving two sharp edges, it
can also be used to create fine lines.
Tip: This is best done with semi-soft or soft pastels.
If you've done any drawing then this technique will be familiar -- in fact it is best
suited to pastel pencils or hard pastel sticks. Hatching is simply a set of parallel
lines, preferably fine lines (hence the pencil) drawn closely together. Crosshatching is just the next step, drawing a second set of lines at an angle (most
often at right angles to the first set)
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This method is especially useful in pastel painting for the initial blocking in of a
painting -- it allows you to experiment with color and tone in a loose, flexible
way without fully committing to a final composition.
Tip: You can use this method to create a sense of form and shape by varying the
direction of the cross-hatching.
Unlike other mediums, pastels are not mixed before putting them on the paper. There are two
ways to create color and tonal variations -- optical blending, which is achieved by having
colors in close proximity, and blending, where the pastel is mixed on the paper.
You have a wide choice of tools to use for blending, although the traditional one is the finger
Also available are: the side of the hand - useful for large areas of blending, but not good for
precise results; paper tools such as the tortillon, and paper stump, cloths, and cotton balls.
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Tip 1: If using your finger (or hand) remember to clean it regularly to avoid contamination of
the painting with colors previously blended. I keep a box of wet-wipes handy at all times.
Tip 2: Paper stumps and tortillons can be cleaned up for further use by unwinding a layer at
the end or by removing the end surface with a pencil sharpener.
One of the great advantages of pastels over other mediums is the
vibrancy you can achieve with color. Possibly the best method for
getting this is by scumbling –
Scumbling
Pastels
- after a layer of pastel has been applied, and fixed, lightly drag a
soft pastel on its side across the top. This creates a broken covering
of the new color over the top.
The result is visually stimulating and very textural, and careful
choice of colors will produce amazing results.
Tip: This method works best with the softest soft pastels.
Feathering is a fine-tuned form of hatching using short strokes. The result is rather
like scumbling -- it can give a vibrancy to a painting.
Feathering
with
Pastels
Feathering will also work for optical mixing of color (like with pointillist paintings)
where the eye mixes the colors together rather than blending them on the paper.
Tip: This method is especially good for giving the appearance of iridescence of
fabric, feathers, and scales, or for creating atmospheric effects with light.
Steps to Pastel art work
step1
• Begin with a sheet of paper suited to working with pastels. Tape it to the drawing surface on all four
sides so the tape covers the edges of the paper, making a natural frame of white paper that will be
revealed when you remove the tape. (If using Boarder you do NOT need)
Step2
• Sketch the picture you want to create using a hard pencil and light pressure. The pencil marks
should be completed covered by the pastels. You may need to use a kneaded eraser to pick up the
pencil marks as you work.
Step3
• Create a "wash" of background color by shaving the pastels to create powders and then rubbing the
powders into the paper.
Step4
• Layer the foreground colors on top of the background, using the pencil sketch as a guide. Use your
fingers, a tissue or a cloth to work the pigment into the paper, and use a kneaded eraser to pick up
any pigment that is in the wrong place. For smaller areas of pigment, use a paper stump to work in
the color.
Step5
• Use a black pencil, conte crayon or charcoal stick to create crisp outlines and dark shadows to finish
your picture.
Step6
• Set your picture using a workable fixative spray so the color doesn't smudge or wear off