Visit my Patreon Page for more painting instruction and Paint Along Videos!

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Sennelier Iridescent Pastel Review...The Fine Jewelry of Pastels

'Desert Beauty'           8x10        pastel        ©Karen Margulis
click HERE to purchase $100
                      


We all need to spice it up sometimes! As beautiful as pastels are it is nice to be able to make them even more luminous.  Iridescent pastels do just that.  They are like putting some fine jewelry on your painting. A little sparkle and pizzazz.  They aren't a necessity but they are a nice luxury to add to your pastel collection.

Sennelier Soft Pastels  Iridescent Colors
 I picked up this set of Sennelier Iridescent pastels at the recent IAPS convention. It was an impulse purchase. I couldn't resist. They were so pretty and sparkly (and on sale) So I bought them.  I wasn't sure when or how I would use them though.

The other day I took out this cactus bloom painting. I started it in Bill Creevy's workshop at IAPS convention. It needed something. Something to spice it up. Then I remembered my box of sparkly pastels!  I took them out and had fun adding some sparkle to my cactus painting.

I love these pastels!  They are soft and buttery just as Sennelier pastels are known for but don't seem overly crumbly. I took the wrapper off one and it stayed in one piece.  I don't think I will take the wrappers off though. I want to use these pastels sparingly....like a sprinkle of a spice. Too much might be overkill. In this painting I used linear marks and small dots of pastel rather than applying pastel on it's side. I will also keep them in their original box. They will be reserved for a painting that needs a special piece of jewelry.

You can purchase these pastels at several online art stores but I found the best price on Amazon.
Sennelier Iridescent pastels through Amazon.com click here 


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I bet this is gorgeous in real life, where the iridescent factor can be seen and appreciated. Thanks for the link, I added them to my Wish List.

Shaper of Little Souls said...

I see in most of your framed paintings you do not have matte in the frame. Does the painting touch the glass? Does it leave a chalk mark on the glass? My teacher (many years ago)taught that we needed a double matte or spacers to keep it from touching the glass.

I see some of your work also looks like it is on canvas or is completely unframed. Can you explain how you do that?

Karen said...

The photos of my paintings on the blog are for illustration only. I do use museum glass when I frame. I also use spacers but no mats.