Soft Pastels: Rendering Light in the Spring Landscape

The vivid colors and broader spectrum of light in spring inspire painting directly from nature in the Garden. Learn more about color temperature as a tool in mixing color using soft pastels. Class will work outside in various gardens at BBG when weather permits or use plants from the greenhouse and other provided subjects for still life work in the classroom.

Materials List:

Soft pastels are composed only of pigment and binder in stick form. The proportion of binder or filler to the amount and grade of the pigments determines quality and price. While harder pastels are less messy, softer pastels are more versatile and allow more layering of color. My recommendations are biased towards the softest possible. New students or those on a budget could start with a basic set of pastels (24 colors would be a minimum) that could be filled out over time by purchasing individual sticks from any manufacturer. Half-stick sets are a good value for beginners. The following list begins with student grade up to professional. If you shop in-store feel free to compare the texture and color of the various manufacturers.

My preference is for two top quality lines, which are more expensive. Check online for specials and half-stick sets, which can give you a bigger palette at more reasonable prices.

• Schmincke

• Unison

Other good pastel lines, at varying lesser cost:

• Sennelier
• Goldfaber Faber-Castell (blue line)
• Art Spectrum
• Rowney
• Blockx,
• Girault
• Mount Vision
• Diane Townsend

Paper: A general drawing paper will be provided for the first class, but those students who have watercolor paper pads or blocks (cold press), may wish to bring them as one of the suggested papersfor pastel, as well. A huge variety can be used, the key factor being a “tooth” to hold the pastel. A detailed discussion about paper will be presented in the first class, to give guidance about howto shop for other papers for subsequent sessions.

Workable Spray Fixative: Will be provided, though students should be prepared to purchase for extended use.