'A Moment of Tranquility' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis click here to purchase $145 |
When I am in the mood to be surprised I will choose a wet underpainting. Also certain subjects like marsh grasses and water lend themselves to a wet underpainting. It gives you a head start!
You have many choices for a wet underpainting from using wet media to simply wetting down your pastel layer. One of my favorite and easy techniques is a Turpenoid Wash Underpainting. Sure you can use water or rubbing alcohol but there is something really cool about the way the turpenoid washes dry that makes them my favorite.
I have just finished my 3rd digital demo download and this one is a full demo of the painting in this post from the turpenoid wash through the various steps in building the painting. This demo has 19 pages and 33 color photos. The demo is in PDF format and can be read on your computer or printed and stapled into a booklet. It is available in my Etsy shop for $6. Click here to see more.
Here is a preview page from the demo:
close up of the drips and spider webs of the turpenoid wash |
- Look at the photo above for an example of drips and webs. After the painting is wet down you can go back and dab on some more turpenoid in areas you want to drip....just not too much at once!)
- Wet the pastel with the brush as if you were painting with the brush. You are making liquid paint so take advantage of this. Move the pastel around and try to describe the object with your brushstrokes. Don’t just brush straight across or up and down...PAINT!
- Take your time! Enjoy this process. Slow down and watch what happens as the turpenoid liquifies the pastel. You are working towards creating and interesting underpainting to respond to with pastels. Don’t rush through it! The more time you spend developing this underpainting the more interesting it will be!
If you would like to try a turpenoid wash underpainting or just work on your technique consider my digital download!
Available demos:
How to Paint an Animal in Pastel
Painting a Very Green Landscape
Underpaintings for Pastels: Turpenoid Wash Underpainting
2 comments:
Karen - I love your tutorials! Just purchased your pdf of the Turp Wash pastel in your Etsy shop! Thank you for your great tutorials! - Mary Susan Vaughn
Thank you for purchasing the demo! I'm glad to hear you like it and I hope you find it helpful!
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