The Magic of a Dry Underpainting for Pastels

'Kindred Souls' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

available for purchase $145

Sometimes I just don't feel like making a mess. Sometimes I want to do an underpainting but I don't want to take out my paints and brushes and I don't want to clean up. Sometimes I am using paper that can't get wet so doing a wet underpainting isn't an option. Yet I still would like to have the benefits of an underpainting. I like having some colors, values and interesting things happening on my paper to respond to. I have found the answer.... I use a DRY WASH.

• A dry wash is when you put down a layer of pastel and you blend it into the paper creating a toned surface.
• I choose my colors the same way I would for a wet underpainting...it all depends on my subject. For today's poppies I chose cool grayed colors in the background to set up the feeling of space or aerial perspective. I chose darker warmer greens in the foreground and a darker red for the poppies. I could have chosen all bold colors or maybe complementary colors. See my posts on underpaintings for more information. I used soft pastels and blended them with my favorite blending tool....PIPE INSULATION!

My Favorite Blending Tool....Foam Pipe Insulation

I credit Terry Ludwig for this art tip. He shared it with us at a workshop. I like to say it is the least expensive art supply I buy! You can get a pack of 4 long pieces for about a dollar. I cut them into smaller pieces. They are perfect for the dry wash because they move the pastel around without removing too much pastel as some other blending tools do. I can cut them or tear them to make little brushes and actually 'paint' the dry pigment. I can make marks like foliage or grass for example. The best part is that they don't crumble or disintegrate even when used on sanded papers. So next time you want to set up your painting with a dry wash, save your fingers and use pipe insulation. You will get a very soft and magical underpainting with no mess!

Aspen Tree Painting Demo...4 Seasons of Aspens

'Winter Aspens' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

available for purchase $125

Underpaintings are wonderful for pastels but I don't always do them. Today's mini demo is a pastel painting done with no underpainting. I am working on Canson Mi-Tientes Moonstone color paper. I don't do an underpainting on this surface because I love the warm gray tone of the paper and don't mind it peeking through. I have a working method that I always follow when doing a landscape without an underpainting. Sometimes I will blend in the first layer but for this painting I did not blend. Read on:

1. (from top left) After a light sketch I start by massing in the darkest values. I use three colors that are the same value. I am using my softer pastels..Ludwigs,Great Americans and Townsends.
2. Next I usually block in the lightest values which in the landscape is most often the sky. In this painting it will be the sunlit snow so I block in the shadows in the snow which are influenced by the blue sky. My shadows are warmer blue closest to the foreground then get pale purple then pale cool blue.
3. Now I paint the blue sky with a mix of warm and cool blues.I make skyholes in the fir trees with the darkest blue from my sky colors.
   
4. Next I refine the distant fir trees using some cooler, greyer and lighter value greens in the distant trees. After that I start building up the color in the Aspen tree trunks. I start with a mid value purple, green, gold and peach. I will layer several colors in a middle value before I add the dark scar marks and the lightest colors. Aspen trunks being 'white' reflect the colors in the surroundings so I don't paint them white. I now add the light values to the snow. I use pale values of yellow and pink...no white! The distant snow is a dull rosy pink.
   
5. Making sure I have the shadow side of the tree trunks in place, I start adding the darker marks with a dark purple. I don't use black.
6. The last thing I do is put in some thin branches with a dark purple Nupastel and I put in the light 'sunlit' areas on the Aspen trunks. I use the same pastels that I used for the snow.Finished!

Scroll down to see my Aspen paintings from Spring, Summer and Fall.

'Spring Aspens' 8x10 pastel

'Summer Aspens' 8x10 pastel

'Autumn Aspens' 11x14 pastel

If you would like to read more about working on Canson Mi-Tientes read my post HERE

Here's an Easy Way to Create a Portable Portfolio

'Wildflower Tango' 11x21 pastel ©Karen Margulis sold

There are so many ways to share artwork these days. There are many online options for free or low cost galleries and websites. If you want to share work away from home, it is so easy to have a digital portfolio of artwork on a smartphone, a tablet or ipad. When it comes to sharing my work, I like a combination of high tech and low tech portfolios. When I had a critique session last summer with Jamie Markle at the IAPS convention, I brought my ipad with my portfolio photo gallery. I also brought along a small paperback book of my work that I designed with Blurb. The book was also a great way to show my work to the new pastel friends I met at the convention. I love technology but there is nothing like holding a book in your hands. And now it is very easy to make your own high quality books. Here is a preview of my first book:

Painting My World
The Pastel Paintings of Karen Margulis | Make Your Own Book

It was very easy to create a bookstore quality book with Blurb. Most importantly I was very pleased with the color reproduction of my paintings. The colors were very accurate to the originals! You can design a simple book online or download the free software for more creative control. I made mine on my laptop while on vacation last May! You can order as many copies as you want and promote and sell your book too. I am using mine ( a small 7x7 paperback) as a portable portfolio. I can stick it in my art bag or purse when I know I will be meeting people who might enjoy looking at my work. I can use the books for gifts too. By request I am now also offering the book for sale.
Whether you are an artist looking for a way to show your work or you just want a nice way to present your photos, don't hesitate to make your own book!
Today's painting is in my book and is available for purchase. Email me for details

Plein Air Tips ...An Easy Way to Mount Pastel Paper

'The Peaceful Place' 9x12 pastel plein air study

purchase painting $145

I am getting excited for the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention in April. I am looking forward to learning from the world's top artists and have the opportunity to paint the Southwest again. I love to paint en plein air but don't get out as often as I would like. I have been out enough to go through several different set-ups for my equipment. I'm not sure I have the final answer for the best plein air set-up but I do have some tips that I have learned and I will be sharing in a series of plein air tips blog posts.
Today's post I will share a tip for mounting pastel paper. The painting above was done at a workshop with Richard McKinley in Hope Valley California. I had my Uart paper professionally dry mounted to rag museum board. It was a wonderful surface to take out into the field but was very expensive. I needed a way to have a rigid painting surface that wouldn't cost so much for my quick field studies. I found it with Crescent Perfect Mount Self-Adhesive Mounting Board.

'Hope Valley Autumn Study' 8x10 pastel
paper is mounted to Crescent perfect Mount Self-Adhesive board

When painting plein air with pastels it is nice to have a rigid painting surface instead of flimsy pastel papers. You could use ready made boards such as Pastelbord and several papers come pre-mounted. These are all convenient but can be pricey. I wanted a way to mount my own favorite papers but didn't want to deal with adhesives and sprays.
The Crescent Self-Adhesive Mounting board is perfect.

• It is acid free and comes in 3 thicknesses. I like the 1/16" thickness.
• It comes in several sizes. I like to get a big sheet and cut it to the sizes I need. It cuts easily with a utility knife.
  
• All you do is peel the backing, place your paper on the sticky side and burnish to form the bond. There is a review on Blick's website that details how to get a perfect mount Read HERE. Now you have a nice firm painting surface for a bargain price!
  
• Please note that this board is acid free and the adhesive is PH neutral but they have a disclaimer that it shouldn't be used for valuable art. I am not an expert on archival methods so I am not sure how archival it is. However it works great for field studies and they are light weight which is important for plein air.

I will be posting a plein air tip each week so be sure to sign up for email updates!

A Great Surface for Animal Paintings ...My Review of Sennelier La Carte

Four Cats Mini Pastel Paintings each one is 2.5 x 3.5 "

paintings are available by auction at Daily Paintworks HERE

I love to paint cats. Every once in awhile I like to take a break from landscapes and paint some cats. When I want to paint cats I turn to my favorite surface for animals...Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card. It has just the right feel and tooth that allows me to get a soft painterly look in my animals. I can get fine detail if I want or soft dreamy edges. La Carte paper does have pros and cons but it is definitely worth trying.

La Carte is a sanded surface made by hand application of vegetable flake and cork to a 200lb card stock. It comes in 14 colors. The surface is very uniform and is able to accept many layers of pastel. I got 50 layers on my test. I would never even come close to applying that many layers.

The paper does have some drawbacks but for me the benefits outweigh these issues. It is important to know that the binder will dissolve in water so this paper cannot get wet. That means no wet underpaintings and you even need to be careful not to blow or even sneeze on the paper. Make sure your hands are dry! The vegetable sanded surface can be rubbed off if you brush it or rub too hard so I prefer not to hand blend and let my pastels do the blending. It can also be easily dented so if you press too hard with your drawing tool then you may have indented lines. I use a Nupastel for my drawing and I use a light touch. I find that I prefer to use my softest pastels for this paper and I never do an underpainting.

I don't want to scare anyone away from this paper because I actually really love it. Give it a try and see what you think! Read on below to see how I paint a cat.

'Naptime Again' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

'Siamese at Rest' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

'Siamese Beauty' 2.5 x3.5 pastel

'Purring in the Sun' 2.5 x 3.5 pastels

For these little painting I can't get a lot of detail so I am thinking about big simple shapes and implied detail. I start on brown La Carte card with my softest pastels...an assortment of Terry Ludwigs and Great Americans. I block in the dark shapes first with a few layers of dark values. Then I block in the lightest areas. The rest should be middle value. I continue to work all over the painting adding the brightest lights and whiskers at the end. I will plan to do a more detailed animal demo soon.
To see another painting on LaCarte along with a step by step demo see my Butterfly post HERE

How to Paint a Monarch Butterfly ...Pastel Demo

'Beauty Among Us' 11x14 pastel ©Karen Margulis

available for purchase $175 paypal or check

Not only are butterflies beautiful they are often powerful symbols. Many cultures associate the butterfly with life, hope, change. They can also symbolize celebration and journeys. I have heard many stories of Monarch butterflies appear after the death of a loved one. I have had the privilege of painting this beautiful butterfly and would like to share some tips in how I bring them to life.

Diane Townsend Soft form Pastels 'Hot' Colors

I use several intense reds, oranges and yellows for the Monarch. For this painting I used Diane Townsend Soft Form pastels in the 'Hot' collection. Buy them HERE. These are wonderful pastels with rich, vibrant color. I will be reviewing them in a future post. Read on for my step by step demo:

A Monarch Butterfly Emerges

1. (from top left) My reference photo and pre-selected pastels. I took this photo in the gardens outside of The Art Institute of Chicago. I like to choose the pastels before I start the painting to help me have color harmony. In this photo I haven't yet added my greens.
2. My initial sketch. I am using LaCarte Pastel card. I love using LaCarte when I want to get more precise detail aling with softer last edges. I just find it to work well for me for animals. I don't really like to use it for landscapes. When I use LaCarte, I never do an underpainting. I just start right away with my softest pastels. The sketch is done lightly with a Nupastel. If you press too hard you will dent the paper. Also, LaCarte can't get wet!
3. I begin by laying in all of my darkest values. I use about three layers of darks that are all the same value and lightly layer them. I used a dark burgundy, dark blue and Terry Ludwig Eggplant. I also used some dark purples in the flowers.
4. Next I want to develop the background. I don't want to wait until the end or my butterfly night look like he was pasted on. I Put down several greens in big broad strokes.
5. I continue with the background adding some dull oranges and brighter warmer greens. I add the orange because I wanted the background to relate to my butterfly.
6. Time to add the oranges. I am building up to the brightest and most intense yellows and oranges. I start with a darker and duller red and red-orange.
7. I need to tone down the oranges even more so I add some dull yellow green. I need these more neutral less exciting colors so my final oranges will really pop.
8. Now it is time to start turning on the lights. I am using a warmer more intense yellow-orange rather than a lighter orange. I am also working on refining the background. At one point I had too much detail and spottiness in the background so I simplified it by scumbling a very light layer of green which helped to unify the busyness.
9. Last thing I add is the white dots on the butterfly. I don't use white though. I use pale blue, lavender and yellow. Finished!

If you would like to learn more about LaCarte Pastel paper look for a review in my next post!

Harley Brown's Law For Color

'Knee Deep in Wildflowers' 11x14 pastel ©Karen Margulis

sold

Do you need a good reason to use an Analogous Color Wheel? How about Harley's Law for Color? If you are familiar with Harley Brown 's work and books then you may have read about his 'Law for Color' in his book 'Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist'. The entire book belongs on every artist's book shelf and the chapter on color is a must-read. Harley's color wheel is based on the Munsell theory of Color. Using an Analogous Color Wheel will help you follow Harley's Law. Read more about the Analogous Color Wheel in my post HERE.

What is Harley's Law for Color? Here it is taken from page 73 in his book:

1. A painting should have a dominant color that is evident.
2. Complimentary color may be introduced,occupying much smaller space at full intensity, or greater if greyed.
3. Discord colors which add spice to the visual stew, may be added, sparingly,in approximate equal amounts.

The painting above was the demo for my weekly pastel class. I used the Analogous Color Wheel and Harley's Law for Color to help me plan the colors in the painting. The flowers in my reference were really that red-orange. They were in a meadow in Maine so if anyone knows what they are I'd love to know!

Studio Tip: Using an Analogous Color Wheel

'Once By The Ocean' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

purchase painting here $145

Do you have an Analogous Color Wheel? It is one of my favorite tools for creating a pleasing and harmonious color scheme. I find that I am drawn to analogous color palettes. They are often serene and can make the viewer feel comfortable, but since there isn't much contrast they can benefit from a little spicing up. That's where my Analogous Color Wheel comes in handy.

Analogous Color Wheel by Art Video Productions

This great studio tool is made of heavy duty cardboard with a wheel that rotates so that you can easily see your dominant hue and related complements and discords. It is based on the Munsell color wheel which uses five primary colors instead of the usual three (red,yellow and blue) of the traditional color wheel. Read more about the Munsell Color System Here. I like the way the complements shift slightly with this system creating more pleasing color palettes (for my taste)
This color wheel is very helpful when you are planning your colors or when you feel your painting lacks some color punch. Read blow to see how the Analogous Color Wheel helped me choose the colors for my wave painting.

Close-up showing the use of the complement and discords of my dominant hue

• I began by choosing an analogous color scheme of Green, Blue-Green and Yellow-Green all neighbors on the color wheel.
• I used various tints and shades of these colors with the greens being a bit more dominant than the others.
• If I only used these three colors my painting would lack something so I looked at my color wheel for help. You use a small amount of the complement..a larger amount if it isn't full strength. You can also use a tiny bit of the discords in equal amounts.
• On the Analogous Color Wheel the complement of my dominant color is Red-Purple. So I introduced a lighter red-purple into the surf.
• Discords are like spices. A little goes a long way. They are usually used in equal amounts near the center of interest. In my painting the discords are orange and blue-purple.
• I used a pale orange in the light part of the wave and a spot of blue purple in the shadow area.

You can find the Analogous Color Wheel at Dakota Art Pastels.

How to Ship an Unframed Pastel Painting

'Windswept Meadow' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

$125 Purchase with paypal or check HERE

I've got my shipping down to a science. Since I have been a member of Daily Painters.com for 6 years and now Daily Paintworks, I have shipped many pastel paintings to their new homes. And the method I use has not failed me. My paintings arrive safe and sound. I only ship unframed paintings. If I ship a framed piece to a show I use an airfloat box. So what is my shipping method? I make a foamcore sandwich! Here's how I do it:

A painting all ready to ship safely wrapped in it's foamcore sandwich

1. Cut the foamcore so that it is a few inches larger than the painting. I use a utility knife. I cut a double wide piece, score it in the middle so that it can fold shut.
2. Tape painting inside the foamcore using white artist tape. I hinge the tape. See my post on hinging tape here.
3. Cut a piece of glassine paper slightly larger than the painting and tape it down to cover the painting. I usually only tape two sides so the glassine can be lifted to view the painting. I get my glassine on rolls and cut it to fit. A roll lasts me a long time.
4. Close the cover of the foamcore sandwich and tape shut. I have printed a label with instructions that I put on the foamcore (see below)
5. I slip my foamcore sandwich into a clearbag that has a self adhesive strip. I include some business cards, a bio, pastel care information and a thank you card.
6. I have just started to wrap the whole package in nice gift wrap with a handmade card.
   

The finished package with my information and business cards

The painting is all wrapped and ready to ship

The painting is now ready to be slipped into a padded envelope or Priority Mail box depending on it's size. If it is over 8x10 then I have to make my own box from a couple of Priority Mail boxes. I save my Dakota and Blick paper order boxes for shipping large paintings. I use USPS for all of my shipping and after shipping hundreds of paintings I have never had a problem (knocking on wood here!)

I hope that if you are an artist or a buyer you have found this post useful. I'd love for you to join this site or sign up for email updates (sign-up on the right)

Here's a Quick Way to Plan Your Next Painting

'The Spirit Calls' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

purchase painting with paypal or check $125

Take time to plan your painting! If you are an artist I'm sure you have heard this before. Not everyone agrees with it. Some artists like to be more spontaneous and feel that planning ahead of time takes away from the inspiration and excitement for the subject. I like to be spontaneous and play at times but I also appreciate how having a plan can help me avoid a lot of the problems that can crop up as I paint. Spending time doing some planning before picking up a pastel allows me to get the thinking part of painting out of the way so I can respond more intuitively when I am painting. Having a direction for your painting helps you make good decisions and makes it easier to solve any problems. As Richard McKinley said at a lecture I attended "If you don't know WHY then you won't know WHAT". So how can we make it quick and easy to put in some planning time?

Some of My Painting Plan Worksheets ©Karen Margulis

I like worksheets. I like things to be simple and clear. And I found I would forget everything I should think about when making a painting plan. So I developed a worksheet to do before I start a studio painting. It takes me less than 20 minutes to do the worksheet and when I am finished I have plans for 5 potential paintings. Here is what I include in my worksheet

• A place for you to verbalize your concept for the painting. Why you want to paint this scene
• Working title
• Thumbnail possibility sketches...landscape, portrait, square, long and narrow.
• Value maps (notans)
• Evaluation questions such as focal area and design.
• An area for a small color study
• A place for extra notes.
  

Paintings completed from a Planning Worksheet

One of the great things that comes from doing the planning worksheet is that you can avoid the problem of having too much going on in one painting. You have plans for several paintings and you can easily do a series based upon your thumbnail sketches. In the above photo you can see that I came up with three variations of this Taos desert scene. I tried different papers, formats, compositions and underpaintings to give each painting a different feel.

Answers to Your Underpainting Questions

'If Daisies Could Smile' 8x10 Plein air Pastel ©Karen Margulis

click here to purchase this painting with paypal or check $125

To Underpaint or not to Underpaint? That is one of the questions I am often asked about underpaintings for pastels. A related question I am asked is if I always do an underpainting. The answer is no. I don't do an undepainting for every painting but I estimate that I choose to do an underpainting for 95% of my work. It wasn't always that way. I am finding that the more underpaintings I do, the more I am discovering how they can help my paintings. At first the underpainting choices were overwhelming....watercolor, oil, alcohol wash, dry wash....which one to choose and when? What colors to use? But the more I played with the different kinds of underpaintings the more confident I became and the more my choices became intuitive. I am now realizing the full potential of an underpainting. I am continuing to learn and experiment and to me that's the fun of painting.

How can you become more comfortable with underpaintings and be able to make more intuitive choices? I suggest trying an exercise recommended by Richard McKinley in his book 'Pastel Pointers'.

The Results of my First Exercise in Underpainting done in 2009

For this exercise you choose a painting you've done that has strong contrasts. I chose one with big simple shapes. The idea is to paint the same thing on 8 different toned surfaces so that you can see how your paintings work with different underpainting choices. I did this exercise last year and it was a great learning experience. I recommend it to all of my students who want to explore underpaintings. I plan on doing it again with a different subject. If you don't have Richard's book I highly recommend it. If you don't want to wait for your copy you can also find the exercise on his Pastel Pointer's Blog.

Ready to try the Richard McKinley Underpainting Exercises Again

I love this exercise and I can't wait to try it again! To make it easy I precut all my paper. I am doing 5x7's. On the back of each I wrote down which exercise it was so I could easily refer back to my results. I taped them all to one backboard. I am now ready to go.
Today's painting is a plein air piece that was painted in last Spring's Plein Air event at Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw, Georgia. I did a watercolor underpainting on mounted Uart.

My Biggest Pastel Pet Peeve and How I Fixed it

'Marsh Music' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

purchase painting with paypal or check $95

I admit it I am usually a messy painter. But there is one thing that really bothers me and that is having loose paper on my backboard. It drives me crazy when my paper is not securely attached. I don't like corners that curl or paper that isn't perfectly flat. I don't want ot have to fight with my paper and easel when trying to paint. I've tried several ways to attach my papers and boards to my backing board with no luck...bulldog clips, bankers clips, pins are fine but all get in the way of my painting. I've used tape on the corners and all around the paper but that leaves blank spots to fill in. I have found a way that finally makes me happy...Making hinges with my white artist tape.

Hinges Made with White Artist Tape

Hinges are made by simply placing one piece of tape on the back of your paper at all four corners. Place the tape so the sticky side faces towards the front of the paper. Now place your paper on the backing board (I use foamcore) and place another piece of tape over the sticky part of the first pieces of tape you applied. (see photo) I sometimes add a hinge on the sides especially if I will be doing a wet underpainting.

• Hinges are great because they don't cover any of your paper so the tape doesn't interfere with your painting.
• Hinges work well when you have a wet underpainting and you want to stretch the wet paper so it dries flatter.
• Hinges are more cost effective than taping down all the edges...less tape used.
• Hinged tape can be reused. If you pull your finished painting off the hinges carefully there is usually enough 'stick' left in the tape to reuse them for another painting or two.

This is a great method of keeping your paper secure. Give it a try! If you want to know more about white artist tape read my post HERE
Today's painting 'Marsh Music' was a class demo on complementary color underpainting. It inspired a larger marsh painting. You can see a step by step demo HERE

The Remaking of a Painting ...Marsh Demo

'It's a Beautiful Day' 18 x 24 pastel ©Karen Margulis

painting available with Paypal or check $450

Some paintings take awhile to be born. This one has been waiting for a couple of years! It started out as a commission. The client wanted a large marsh painting with several very specific details. There was to be a jon boat and a tree with fishing nets in the foreground. The sky had to be a particular shade of blue. I got as far as blocking it in and doing the sky when the commission was cancelled due to family circumstances of the client. So I filed the painting away in a stack of foamcore pieces and forgot all about it. I discovered it a few weeks ago and not wanting to waste a big piece of paper (18x24) I starting thinking about how I could remake this painting. See the demo below for my remake.

Step by Step Remaking of a Marsh Painting

1. (from top left) The initial block in for the commission. The empty places were for the boat and tree with nets. This painting is on Wallis Belgian Mist with no underpainting.
2. I began by redoing the sky. I liked the intense blue but I toned it down a bit and I changed the cloud type from wispy to fluffy. I added warmth to the lower clouds and near the horizon.
3. I no longer had the original reference photo so I used these photos and this little marsh painting that I did for a recent class for inspiration. I like the bright greens in the marshes.
4. Next I tackled the distant island. I softened the trees and added some lighter,cooler greens. I worked in some more sky holes. I felt that the trees were too dark and sharp in the original. This is a close-up photo of the island.
5. In my next step I covered up the empty spaces in the foreground with some dark burgundy Terry Ludwig pastels. I cover up some of the water because I will eventually change the course of the water.
6. I want the foreground to be dark so I spray the whole marsh area with workable fixative. I use Blair which does darken the pastel but I want that here. I actually do this process a few times in the build up of the marsh colors. I like the texture I get from the fixative.
   
7. Next I use a few different peach / orange / golden pastels on the marsh grass area. I keep my strokes horizontal in the distance. This isn't the final color of the grass but I want to make the greens more interesting. I am holding back from putting in the bright greens until the end. Patience!!
8. Now I add the water in big bold strokes....lighter in the distance and darker in the foreground. I also start to add the green in the grasses. I use lighter cooler greens in the distance at first. I do go in with some bright greens at the end. Warmer darker greens in the foreground...some cool dark greens in the shadows.
9. I add the finishing touches with a few...just a few pieces of grass and some sparkle on the water. I have now remade a marsh to something more my liking!
   

It was fun to revisit this painting and with fresh eyes and more experience decide how to resolve it. Do you have any unfinished paintings that could use some love?

Double the Liveliness of a Painting with this Color Scheme

'Paint the Desert with Purple' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis

purchase painting with Paypal or check

Yes this cactus really does exist. It is a Purple Prickly Pear Cactus and I saw them in Albuquerque, New Mexico last summer. I have been wanting to paint them and needed a way to do them justice. So I consulted my color wheel and decided to focus on the contrast of the complementary colors.

All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites. Marc Chagall

A common color scheme to use in a painting is the Complementary Scheme. It is known that using complementary colors next to one another makes them appear more intense. It is also psychologically satisfying for the viewer to see the complementary pairs together. But often we only think of the Primary color pairs of Red & Green, Blue & Orange and Yellow & Purple.

Consulting my Color Wheel

Don't limit yourself to just these common complementary pairs. Look at their neighbors on the color wheel. How about a red-violet and yellow-green pair or blue-violet and yellow-orange pair? I knew the red-violet/yellow-green pair would be perfect for my cactus. I decided to do an underpainting with watercolor using the complements of the final colors. To simplify, I painted anything that would be in the purple family yellow-green and anything that would be yellow was red-violet in the underpainting.

Using a Complementary Underpainting of Red-Violet and Yellow-Green

For the pastel application I decided to kick it up a notch and use a Double Complementary Color Scheme. Using two color neighbors Violet and Red-Violet and their complements yellow and yellow-green adds more variety and even more balance, liveliness and satisfaction than if I only used one complementary pair. So if you like to use compliments in your work think about inviting the neighbors!
Read more about using complementary colors in an underpainting HERE

The Secret to Making Fine Lines with Pastels

'Chasing the Desert Sun' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis  sold

Sometimes less is more. Sometimes you need to take something away rather than add some more. And so it is when painting things that have fine lines such as grasses and branches. One of the first things a beginning pastel artist usually wants to know is how to make the fat pastel sticks make delicate fine lines. It actually is possible with the right touch and technique and I will share that in another post. There is another technique for creating fine lines and it involves an aluminum push pin!

The Secret is a Moore's Aluminum Push Pin

I was introduced to this technique by Stan Sperlak, a wonderful artist and instructor. The sharp point of the aluminum pin can be used to scrape away thin areas of pastel. (see photo) The trick is to build up several layers of pastel before you use the pin. It is very much like doing scratch art.

• You can get dark lines or light lines depending on your color layers.
• Softer pastels work best.
• Vary the pressure of the pin to get the most natural look.
• Use the pin to remove pastel to make sky holes
• Use the pin to straighten horizons by removing tiny bits of pastel at a time.

Just remember that less is more. Just as drawing too many lines for grasses can make them look overdone, using the 'pin' technique everywhere in a painting can be too much. But it is a nice subtle way to make fine lines when they are needed.
To read more about Stan and my workshop review see my post HERE. You can visit Stan's website HERE.
The Moore's Aluminum Push pins are available at Blick's I get the longest ones.

What Van Gogh Had to Say about Complementary Colors

'Share the Love' 8x8 pastel

purchase painting with paypal or check $75

I have rediscovered the power of complementary colors. In pastel class this week we are revisiting basic color theory and working with complements. I came across this wonderful quote by Vincent Van Gogh on Complementary Colors.

There are colors which cause others to shine brilliantly, which form a couple which complete each other like man and woman.
Vincent Van Gogh

Underpainting in complementary colors done in gouache

What is it about complementary colors that Vincent found so intriguing?

• For one thing compliments do just that....they make one other look better...more vibrant and more exciting. When compliments are placed next to one another in a painting, they seem to vibrate. They excite the eye and please us.
  
• Compliments provide contrast in a painting which is a good thing. Not only a contrast in color but also in temperature. Colors that are opposite of one another on the color wheel are also opposite in temperature.
  
• The trick is learning how to balance this contrast...you want to avoid having equal amounts. One color/temperature should be dominate.
• When you mix compliments you get grey and sometimes you need these nice grey mixtures. Be careful in pastel that you don't blend compliments or you will get grey muddy color (unless that is what you want) Have a lighter touch and layer the compliments to let the colors peek through and vibrate.

For today's poppy painting I did an underpainting in the compliment of my final colors. I also used gouache for a bright vibrant underpainting. I will be doing a gouache demo in a future post.

To read more about using complimentary colors in an underpainting you might like this post.

An Exciting Choice for Underpainting Colors

'Winter Solitude" 11x14 ©Karen Margulis

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I love playing with Complementary colors. When deciding on what colors to use in an underpainting I often turn to using complimentary pairs. In yesterday's post I talked about using local colors to set up aerial perspective in a painting. Using complements in the underpainting can lead to a more exciting and interesting painting.

"An artist finds his happiest combination in the play of complimentary colors. They are direct contrasts yet do not jar; they awaken the beholder,but do not disturb him." Charles Burchfield

watercolor underpainting in complimentary colors on Diane Townsend paper

Tips for Using Compliments in an Underpainting

• Use a color wheel to find the compliments if needed. Complimentary colors are colors that are direct opposites on the color wheel. They enhance one another when placed next to each other and neutralize each other or make grey when mixed together.
• Simplify your reference and look at the big masses of color. Choose the opposite color to paint the mass. In my example, I wanted my sky to be lavender so I used yellow (the compliment) in the underpainting. I wanted the cliffs to be golden yellow so I used purples for the underpainting.
  
• For a pastel painting you can underpaint with any medium including pastel. I am using watercolor in this demo.
• In your underpainting you can use different values of your color. I used 2 values of yellow for the sky.
  

Watercolor underpainting with my first pastel marks...blocking in the darks and the sky.

Are you intrigued with the possibilities of using compliments? I will be sharing more ideas for complimentary pairs later this week. Join me in playing with compliments this week!

Today's painting is from a reference photo I took one winter in the Book Cliffs area outside of Moab, Utah. I loved the warm yellows of the cliffs and dried chamisa against the cold snow.

Taking the Mystery Out of Underpainting Colors

'Peaceful Journey' 16x20 pastel ©Karen Margulis

purchase painting with Paypal or check $320

How do you decide what colors to use in an underpainting? This is a question I hear a lot. Unfortunately there is no quick answer. There is no real formula for choosing the right colors. Your goal should be to do enough underpaintings using different approaches so that your decisions will become intuitive. There are a few different ways to approach color choices and in today's post I will share one method...Using color to set up your painting for aerial perspective.

Watercolor Underpainting on UArt paper. Click on picture to see the drips.

• Using colors to set up a feeling of depth or aerial perspective is especially useful for landscapes.
• I decided to use the local colors for the watercolor underpainting...meaning the sky is blue, the bushes are green and the rocks are orange.
• To get a head start on aerial perspective I used lighter,cooler, bluer color on the distant cliffs and warmer oranges on the mid to foreground cliffs and sand. I also made sure the distant land masses were softer and less detailed than the foreground.
• I used local color for the sky (blue) but I used a darker cooler blue for the sky at the top and let it get warmer blue as it came towards the horizon.
• I used local color for the bushes (green) but I kept the distant greens cooler and put the warmer yellow greens in the foreground bushes.

Using local colors that reflect a feeling of aerial perspective is just one approach to color choice in an underpainting. I will be sharing more approaches in future posts. By the way, I also chose to do watercolor for this painting because I thought that the loose quality and drips and blooms would give me a head start on the look of the desert cliffs and shrubs. I tried not to cover all of the watercolor with pastel in the painting.

If you would like to learn more about watercolor underpaintings you may wish to see my post regarding tips for a watercolor underpainting HERE and a finished watercolor demo HERE.