Robert Kirk: A Pastel Demonstration.


Final Painting


Stage 1.


Stage 2.

A preliminary sketch.

The demonstration traces the development of a pastel painting from initial preparation of the ground to finished picture. The painting was made on prepared acid free mountboard and measures 500mm x 400mm (20in x 16in approx.) This is my preferred size for a fairly complex subject. It has the advantage that ready made frames are available for these dimensions.

All of the thumbnail images are links which will open a larger picture in a new window. Just move the mouse pointer over the image and click.

Stage 1.   Preparation of the pumice ground.

Many pastelists are content to use one of the many papers formulated for pastel use but Christopher Assheton Stones PS, who ran some excellent pastel workshops, claimed that the colour of pastel papers changed over time, particularly the darker ones. This motivated me to begin preparing my own grounds for serious work.

Preparing the ground gives control over the initial colour and texture of the painting surface. The surface is primed with powdered pumice (a fine grade as used for polishing dentures!) mixed with acrylic gel medium as a binder. The American manufacturer Golden markets an arists' fine pumice gell which is an ideal pastel primer.

The pumice gel mix is brushed onto the support - create subtle textures by varying the direction of the brush strokes. Once dry the degree of 'tooth' can be adjusted by sanding lightly with a fine sandpaper. The ground can then be toned - in this painting I've used an acrylic wash of Burnt Sienna.

Stage 1 shows part of the initial drawing with the first exploratory pastel marks. It's a good idea in the early stages to establish the strength of the darkest tones to set them off against the lightest. The enlarged image shows that already the effect of the textured ground is beginning to show.

Stage 2 Development with marks and blends

The larger picture will reveal the painting being built up with more precisely placed marks. The soft edges of the pastel strokes applied to the horse's neck and rider were created by rubbing into the ground - a process known as blending. Blending has also been used in the darker tones of the water to define the water level at the base of the fountain. Blending different colour marks with the finger or soft chamois leather can produce beautiful subtly gradated colours but it will also destroy texture and produce a uniformly bland surface.

The beauty of direct mark making which creates surface variety and clean colour is a quality valued by artists who use pastel. Direct drawing is starting to be used to define the head of the sea monster - a feature that is eventually resolved in the final painting.

Preliminary Studies

The fountain was a complex subject which required several preliminary studies of detail to supplement the sketch of the full group. Photographic references help but there is no substitute for direct observation to convincingly resolve detail in a drawing. The sketch on the left is typical of the preparatory sketchbook studies I made.