Using Iridescent and Metallic Pastels

'Golden Memories'      5x7     pastel    ©Karen Margulis  $45 available here

If you don't have any iridescent  or metallic pastels in your collection it's time to add a few!  They can add just the right touch to a painting.  I consider them to be like spices.  When you want to give a painting a little punch, a little sparkle can go a long way.  But like spices, I find that too much of a good thing can be overpowering.

I seem to forget about my iridescents because I keep them in a separate box. Some of them tend to be more fragile and prone to crumbling. Perhaps it is the metallic pigments?  I happened to have a nice green iridescent pastel piece that got mixed in with one of my travel boxes.  I used it on a meadow painting by accident and it was a wonderful accident!  I need to do that more often.

Last week when experimenting with pastel and water I decided to see what would happen if I wet down some metallic pastel.  I used some Diane Townsend metallics. I sprayed water on the gold passages and also shaved some gold pastel into the wet puddles on the paper. The result is today's painting....an interpretation of a beach scene.

Several pastel makers have iridescent or metallic pastels in their collection. I have some Great American Artworks pearlescent pastels and Diane Townsend Metallics.  I think I will try some other the next time I place a pastel order!  I will plan on doing a review so stay tuned!