Archives For texture

“Paper from the Past”

marylizingramart —  August 12, 2011 — Leave a comment

At an art show last spring I met a fellow pastel artist and, after some discussions about techniques, we did a paper swap. I gave him a piece of Sennelier La Carte pastel card, and he generously gave me a large sample of a pastel cloth. I like to call this one “paper from the past,” because a) he bought it a very long time ago and can’t remember the brand, b) after research, it is very hard to find information about pastel cloth, and c) it doesn’t seem to be made much anymore, if at all.

I discovered two possible sources for pastel cloth, which comes in a roll and is a synthetic, unwoven fabric, with a coating similar to sanded papers, that will hold layers of pastel. NY Central Art Supply and Sennelier both make/have made a pastel cloth.

The cloth can be cut to the desired size, but needs to be mounted or secured in some way to keep it from curling. It can also be stretched like a canvas. Since I was experimenting, I just taped all four sides down with masking tape.

I cut several pieces and taped them down to a board and decided to try a few things. First I layered some pastels, browns, oranges and ochres, and painted with a brush and water. Then I added details of a lily in my yard. The result pleased me well enough: the paper held the layers well, the water did not affect the paper adversely, all brands of pastels that I tried worked fine (Sennelier, Rembrandt, Gallery, Derwent pastel pencils). 

5×7 Soft Pastel on Pastel Cloth

For the second “test” I tried a simple picture with my usual techniques. Again, the results were satisfactory, but I felt that the texture wasn’t as deep as I usually get by layering on Ampersand Pastelbord or Sennelier La Carte pastel card; the colors blended just a bit more.  

While I enjoyed trying and learning about a different surface, the benefits of pastel cloth, mainly the texture, are overshadowed, in my opinion, by the downside of it being a cloth. My “verdict” is biased because of my preference for a hard board or card on which to work, and it seems like an unnecessary step to mount the pastel cloth on a hard surface when I could just buy another surface with a similar texture that is already sturdy.

With pastel cloth being hard to find, and made somewhat irrelevant by the numerous types of sanded papers that can also be used with wet or dry mediums (such as Wallis Paper), it may be more convenient and less frustrating to try another surface.

But to those who already have pastel cloth, or like the ability to stretch or mount it onto the size and surface you want, you can create some beautiful pieces of art!

Check out the art by my friend Daniel Curry, who has done several pieces on pastel cloth and so kindly shared some with me!

View his work at www.dcurrycreations.com

In Alabama, Ampersand, Art, artist, Birmingham, Ingram, Liz, Mary, Paper, Pastel Cloth, pastel pencils, Pastelbord, pastels, review, Sennelier, soft pastel, texture
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Stipple Paper by Bee Paper

marylizingramart —  May 27, 2011 — Leave a comment

Smooth, sandy, rough, scratchy, thick, thin…and stippled! As I’ve said many times before, there is a plethora of pastel surfaces and textures upon which great art can be made. The newest paper sample I’ve tried is from Bee Paper Company and is called “Stipple Paper,” thanks to my friends at Forstall Art Center. The paper feels smooth and slick to the touch, with a finely pebbled surface. I decided to try a small portrait with several types of pastels to get a good feel for this new texture.

Here is my result:

5×51/2 Soft Pastel on Stipple Paper

I used five types of pastels: my usual favorite, the very soft Sennelier Pastels; the slightly harder soft pastels by Rembrandt; a variety of soft pastel pencils; a black Conte pastel; and an inexpensive set of square soft pastels.

To compare the application, on the image below I used all five: starting from the top left, the black is the square pastel, then the Sennelier in the top center, bottom right is Rembrandt, bottom left is the Conte. I sketched out the mage in a brown pastel pencil. All pastels adhered well with minimal excess dust.

I rubbed some blues in with my finger to begin the sidewalk, and filled in the black.

I finished up the piece by using Sennelier to finish the background, pastel pencils and Rembrandts for the face, Rembrandts with Sennelier highlights for the hair, and Sennelier for the shirt and clover. I was pleased with the result of the Stipple Paper and appreciate that all the types of pastel worked so well. I also enjoyed the sleek yet pebbled texture, and prefer it over the spotty texture you get from a traditional piece of pastel paper, such as Canson or Mi Tientes. From a sillier place in my mind, I like the paper because of its name…”Stipple Paper”…its just fun to say!

In Alabama, Art, artist, bee, Bee Paper, Birmingham, Conte, Forstall, Ingram, Liz, Mary, Paper, pastel pencils, pastels, portrait, Rembrandt, Sennelier, soft pastel, Stipple Paper, texture
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Colourfix Suede

marylizingramart —  May 6, 2011 — 1 Comment

Recently my friends at Forstall Art Supply gave me a sample of the very new pastel paper Colourfix Suede to try out. At first touch, it feels like a smooth suede, as the name suggests, very different from the rough sanded textures I usually choose. 

My first experience with the paper showed me that certain pastels and techniques work better than others. Using very soft Sennelier pastels, I found that the softer, creamier pastels adhere better than harder pastels; a lighter touch yields better results than my usual heavy-handed layering.

4 1/2 x 7 soft pastel on Colourfix Suede

While it did hold layers well, more blending occurred than on sanded papers, maybe less blending than basic pastel papers (paper sans coatings). 

I had trouble getting my beloved Sennelier black pastel to adhere.

Unsatisfied with my first attempt, I did a bit of research and found that Colourfix Suede is great for the delicate Pan Pastels and fans of pastel application via soft tools and fingers (toothier surfaces can irritate fingers and damage applicators). Pastel pencils are also supposed to work well on the fine surface. Because the suede surface is applied to a watercolor paper, an underpainting (using paint to create a colored base for the pastel piece) is said to work well on this paper. 

With this new information, I tried a second piece, using several techniques and types of pastels.

4×4 Soft Pastel on Colourfix Suede

For the sky I applied the pastel with my fingers, rubbing the Sennelier pastel color onto the paper. This is as close as I could get to a Pan Pastel application. Again, the creamier pastels transferred more color. I used pastel pencils and Rembrandt pastels for the landscape. The pencils went on the paper well, and I was very surprised at how much color adhered with the Rembrandts, which are a harder pastel and usually not my favorite. The black went on darkly like I wanted, even over layers of pastel. On this paper, I would definitely reach for my Rembrandts!

As usual, I will say that all surfaces, pastels and combinations of the two yield different results. If you want a paper that will hold layers and result in a creamy, smooth painting, this paper is for you! If I use this paper in the future, I will draw with Rembrandt pastels and save my Senneliers for my sanded papers and boards.

Colourfix Suede is available in 6 colors, and black and white.

In Alabama, Art, artist, Birmingham, blending, Colourfix, Forstall, Ingram, landscape, Liz, Mary, painting, Pan Pastels, Paper, pastels, Rembrandt, Sennelier, soft pastel, suede, texture
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A Re-Do with Bob Ross and Michelangelo

marylizingramart —  April 17, 2011 — Leave a comment

When teaching art classes, especially to children, I like to encourage them not to use an eraser. As Bob Ross said so often, “happy accidents” happen a lot in art and “mistakes” can be turned into something else, often improving a picture beyond the original conception. We could talk about the beauty of unplanned discoveries, the surprises found in the creative process…

But sometimes, you just want to start over. Sometimes you need some major changes.

When you spend so much on a high-quality, archival surface, it hurts to waste it, but you can’t make a whole new picture on top of an old one in pastel, right? I mean, of course you can paint over a painting in acrylic or oil, but surely not pastel…it would smear and blend! Or would it? My answer: it depends upon your surface and the thickness of the pastel already applied.

On paper, if the pastel has been applied lightly, you can have a “re-do” without too much trouble, depending on how well the new subject meshes with the old. On papers, the pastel blends and smears a bit more and new layers to not adhere as easily, which can be frustrating. Since paper is more inexpensive than other textured surfaces, it may be your best bet just to start a new piece.

If you use a sanded paper, such as Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card, the textured surface allows you to add a heavier amount of pastel on top of pastel due to the gritty surface that grips the color and prevents as much unwanted smearing/blending. Wallis Paper allows you to gently wash off some of the pastel, and also has a sandy surface to hold more pastel, but you have to be gentle and let it dry thoroughly since it is a type of paper/card.

If you use a sturdy, textured Ampersand Pastelbord, you have several options. You can a) wash it off in the sink and let it dry, b)use a kneaded eraser and pull up a lot of the pastel (a good technique for any of the above surfaces), or c) just draw right on top of it, which is what I did with the picture below. I was drawing some sheep on a gray Pastelbord, and just wasn’t “feeling it.” I didn’t want to draw sheep on it anymore, so I “buried” them under a Celtic stone. I had already applied several layers of mostly white and black for the sheep, and had even redrawn the sheep in some different positions, before I began the cross. But, as you can see by the detail picture below, it did not hurt the texture or amount of pastel I applied later.

Celtic Stone, 8×10 Soft Pastel on board

Detail of Celtic Stone

The other night, my husband and I were watching a PBS show “Secrets of the Dead: Michelangelo Revealed.” In the show, they showed how Michelangelo made great alterations to finished marble sculptures, such as the Moses found at the tomb of Pope Julius II. Michelangelo recarved Moses to turn his head in a whole different direction. In stone! If Michelangelo can have a re-do with stone, surely we can in pastel!

In Alabama, Ampersand, Art, Birmingham, Bob Ross, Celtic, Correction, Ingram, Liz, Mary, Michelangelo, mistake, Paper, Pastelbord, pastels, Sennelier, soft pastel, Stone, texture, Wallis
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Au Naturel

marylizingramart —  March 17, 2011 — 1 Comment


Au Naturel, 5×7 Pastel on Board

My favorite first sign of Spring is when the Daffodils appear; we have some that pop up around a tree in the front yard. I especially love the simple, small yellow version…the kind without the frills and elaborate coloring. Just a little yellow flower, with its six delicate petals, its fragile trumpet, and its softly colored green stem. Simple, basic, au naturel.

In this small piece, I tried to work quickly, getting down the basic shapes and colors without overworking, to capture the warm simplicity of the image…two little flowers in an old honey jar. I used a board painted with pastel ground in varying textures.

In Alabama, Ampersand, Birmingham, daffodil, flower, Ingram, Liz, Mary, Pastel Ground, pastels, Sennelier, soft pastel, Southern, still life, texture
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The Spanish Steps

marylizingramart —  March 11, 2011 — 1 Comment

After a few weeks, the Spanish Steps are finally complete!


Since the piece is so large and bulky (30×30″), I moved my workspace from my art desk to my kitchen table, propping it up on a makeshift platform of a pastel box and French box easel. I used the grid method to make sure I got this technical subject correct, checking angles and being careful to keep my lines straight. I use a grid, dividing the space into quarters first and then lightly into 16 spaces, only occasionally when enlarging to such a great extent. I sketch first with pencil, making only a few corrections by pressing with a kneaded eraser (never rubbing as it damages texture); I just draw over “mistakes” rather than spend time erasing, since the pastel will cover any marks-gone-awry. Over the correct pencil marks, I redraw with a charcoal pencil to give it more substance and to ensure no parts get “lost” in the vibrant pastel.


After the Spanish Steps were drawn and my area prepared, I began layering the pastel. Working on my self-prepared Pastel Ground surface proved different than I first expected. To the touch, the texture felt fine and grainy like a Pastelbord, but when I began applying the pastel for my sky, I found it more bumpy than sandy. At first I was frustrated working with such a rough texture that showed every pastel stroke. As I moved on to the rust-colored buildings, I embraced the difference of surface and adjusted my application to a more Impressionist-like, unfinished stroke, and with perseverance, am finally satisfied with the result.

I like the roughness I see when I look closely at the fountain, and it reminds me of some of Degas’ gritty looking pastel drawings. In the future, I will choose my surface based on the result I seek, adding Pastel Ground into the mix when I am looking for a deeper texture. This project was a learning experience and I am pleased to have been able to “experiment” a bit more than usual.

In Alabama, Ampersand, Art, Birmingham, commission, fountain, Golden, Ingram, Italy, Liz, Mary, Pastel Ground, Pastelbord, pastels, Rome, Sennelier, soft pastel, Spanish Steps, texture
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