Pastel FAQ: Choosing Paper Color for a Painting

'Timeless'            8x10       pastel      ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $125

 I LOVE paper. Maybe that's one of the reasons I love pastel is because of the many papers to choose from.  I am always trying a new paper or paper color. I don't ever want to get into a paper rut.  I know artists who have a favorite paper and stick to it exclusively and it works for them.  I would be bored.

But sometimes the choice of paper is overwhelming especially when it comes to colored papers.  Many brands of pastel paper come in assorted colors. We can tone white or light papers to any color we want as well. So how do you decide what color to paint on?

It is important to realize that the color of the paper can make a big difference in the overall look of the finished painting.  It is never a good idea to go to your stack of paper and pick the one on top without regard to it's color. Here are some thoughts:

'Nantucket Greens'  You can see the orange tone of the paper peeking through
click here to purchase $125

underpainting on an orange canson  paper

• White paper is the hardest color to paint on. It is hard to judge values and everything will look extra bright. It is also challenging because the specks of white will show through in a finished painting which can be distracting and make your colors less intense.  Solution: do an underpainting or tone it.

• Black paper is challenging for similar reasons but the black can make the colors really pop and can add interest when it peeks through. I like black paper!

• Middle value papers are the easiest to work with. A medium gray paper is nice because the gray unifies a painting and it is easy to judge color and value. I like Wallis Belgian Mist with NO underpainting. I love Canson Moonstone which is a nice warm gray that works well in landscapes.

• The color of the paper does effect the mood and look of the painting.  A warm color such as reds and oranges can create a warmer sunnier feeling. A cool color can help give the painting a cooler moodier look. In today's post, the top painting was done on a dusty purple paper and the bottom painting was done on an orange  paper all with the same pastels. The paper color changed the overall mood of each painting.

So treat the choice of paper color as part of your overall plan for the painting. Experiment with different colors so you know what they can do. Have fun with paper!

I buy my paper in full sheets and cut it down to smaller sizes. Most online stores allow you to mix and match papers so try a few different papers and keep a stash on hand!

Painting with the Terry Ludwig Southeastern Pastels...the Marsha Savage Set

'Duke's Hideaway'       8x10         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $145

Of all of the treasures in my recent pastel acquisition this set was a special treat ... The Marsha Savage Southeast Landscape set.  My journey with pastels began when I starting taking classes from Marsha.  I remember when she was working with Terry Ludwig to have him create the perfect colors for our Southeast Landscape. And I was one of the first to purchase the set.  

It's been several years and the set was long since incorporated into my studio box and used up.  What a wonderful treat to have the set again. It even has Marsha's signature on the box!  I was thrilled to use them and to reminisce about the days when Marsha would demo her wonderful landscapes for the class. I would sit and soak it all in. She is a fantastic artist and teacher and studying with her has been the best thing I could have ever done to further my art!

For this painting I decided to go back in time and paint the way I learned from Marsha....back when she painted on burgundy Canson paper.  I went through the steps of starting with a 305 NuPastel.  Enjoy this mini demo and then read on for my review of this set.

I began the painting with a layer of NuPastels. I blocked in all of the dark shapes first with a Blue Spruce #305 Nupastel. (that's the only pastel number I know!)  Then I blocked in the light shapes which in this painting was the sky. I went on to block in the area of intense color which is the bright green grasses.  I made sure I had pastel on the entire painting.

Next I move onto the softer pastels....the Terry Ludwigs.  I reestablish the darks with a few dark values. Then I finish the sky before moving to the distant trees. I use a cooler green and some blues for the distant trees.  I also put in some lights in the creek. At this point the painting just needs refining. I like to start at the back and work my way forward.

I am keeping things soft at this point and at the end I will sharpen up the edges in my focal area. I add some rocks and refine the water. I add some greens for the grasses. Then I finish by adding a few 'punctuation marks' near the back trees.  See the top photo for the finish.

Terry Ludwig Pastels....Marsha Savage's Southeast Landscape set

I Love this set!  It is perfect for painting a very green landscape. There is a wide selection of warm to cool greens as well as the reds and purples to balance all of the greens.  There are intense pure colors and some nice grayed colors as well. Marsha knows the Southeastern Landscape and this set shows it.

 As far as the pastels themselves....Terry Ludwig pastels are wonderful. They are the perfect size for a painterly mark yet have sharp edges to make fine marks. They are soft but not greasy and don't crumble. And of course the colors can't be beat.  Love these pastels!

If you'd like to see more of Marsha Savage's work you can visit her website www.marshasavage.com

Painting the Greens of the Southeast

'Down by the Marsh'        11x14        pastel      ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $145

'Down in the Meadow'         11x14          pastel
click here to purchase $145

Today I tackled the box of Albert Handell's landscape pastel set by Unison.  I am devoting this week to organizing the sets of pastels I purchased from an artist who was downsizing.  It was not an easy task to break up this beautiful set of pastels.

But if I was going to use them it needed to be done. I found a cigar box and lined it with foam. Then I  removed the wrappers and broke each pastel in half.  I just snapped them in half but if you want to be more precise you can score them with a blade first.  An hour later I was ready to paint!

I was excited to get this set for a couple of reasons. I had attended one of Albert's workshops 6 years ago as a beginner and lusted over his set then but chose to get a Heilman box instead. (I believe at the time the set was Schminke)  I also knew that this set would be perfect for our VERY  GREEN Southeastern landscape.

I took out my notes from the workshop. I use a new notebook for every workshop and keep them all together on a shelf.  I had written down several of Albert's pearls of wisdom and this set of pastels will really be helpful for painting the greens. Here are a couple of 'pearls'

•  The trick to greens is balancing them with Mauves (purples)
• Modify your greens with mauves
• If you want to soften a green and make it go away....then use a mauve.
• "Whenever I think Green...I think Mauve"

See a pattern here?  If you have a look at the set you can see there is a great selection of greens and purples. I had just the paintings to try out the green/mauve idea.  They were unfinished demos of Southeastern Landscapes. Both were very green.  They needed more mauve! I enjoyed working with this set although the Unisons are a bit harder than I usually like.  I will work with them some more and will do a more thorough review.

Here is a link to Albert Handell's website with information about purchasing this set 

Why I Threw Away My Pastel Color Charts

'Beauty by the Sea'           18x24         pastel      ©Karen Margulis

Keeping track of all of those pastel colors is a challenge. In the past, when I would get a new pastel set,  I would painstakingly make a color chart of each pastel in the box.  I would write down the color number and make a color swatch and file the chart away.

I was also told I should take the wrappers off but I was a bit reluctant. What if I ran out of the color and I didn't know what it was called? 

 Only after my making my careful charts would I tentatively take off the wrappers. Even then if I could break the pastel in half I would save the piece with the wrapper.  A backup of my chart!

You know what happened?  I NEVER consulted a chart to replace a color. Oh sure, in the beginning I had a few favorite colors. I used them all of the time and I panicked when they got down to tiny nubs.  I  remember having a favorite dusty mauve pastel. I used it in EVERY painting. It got so small that I didn't even remember what brand it was.  Right around the same time I attended a workshop and got some advice that changed the way I looked at replacing pastel colors. NO MORE CHARTS!

'South Carolina Dreaming'       8x10       pastel
All blue skies don't have to be the same!
click here to purchase on Etsy $75

Evidently all of my paintings looked the same....after all I was using all of my favorite colors in each one. The instructor advised me to be careful of this tendency.  It is good to have a style but not so good if every painting had the exact same colors. That is boring!  I learned to experiment with other colors and to explore changing my color palettes from time to time.

A collection of Blue pastels. These are all warm blues of a similar value. The blues at the top are a bit cooler but not by much in real life.  I could easily substitute one for another in a painting and it would work. 

No longer do I worry about running out of a favorite color. Instead I try to find a similar replacement color.  This allows me to make slight changes to my palette and keep my work fresh. Here is what I do:

• When low on a color I look to replace it with something of a similar value and temperature. I don't worry about brands but I do try to find a pastel of a similar softness.  Example: I am low on my favorite blue for skies. Instead of stressing about what the number or brand of the color, I ask myself if is warm or cool, how dark it is and how soft it is.....then I shop for something to fit those criteria.

Throwing out the charts and not making them for new pastel sets had been very Liberating! I don't worry about what color number that little nub is.  I am free to explore new colors and brands which makes painting more fun!

3 Easy Steps to Organized Pastels

'Southern Sanctuary'           18x24        pastel    ©Karen Margulis

You just got a new box of pastels. They are drool worthy. It is enough to just look at them and admire the colors and neatness of the fresh pastels. But they are meant to be used. To help you create even more beautiful things.  What you do with the new box depends on how many pastels you already have. If you are new to the medium I will suggest one way in a post later this week.

If you already have a good size pastel collection what do you do with a new box?  I have two approaches.  

• If I have purchased new open stock (single) pastels I will always put them in my big studio box. I want them available for painting and I don't want to hunt them down when I need one. If it is a new box of general pastels such as a landscape set or a dark set....I will also integrate these pastels into my big box.

• If the new set is a special set....such as a set of pastels chosen by a particular artist...I keep this set separate. I may leave them in the original box or may put them into a smaller cigar box and label it.  For example I keep my Richard McKinley and Stan Sperlak sets in their own boxes. I take them out when I feel like challenging my self to use a limited palette.

No matter what option I choose I always take off the wrappers and sometimes break them in half (depends on brand) 

 This is sooooooo hard to do but I have a three step approach.  I will address why I do this in tomorrow's post.

My new set of Diane Townsends 120 pure colors

STEP 1  Admire the new box of pastels. Take a picture. Show your pastels friends. We all like to see pristine pastels!  Leave them out and enjoy them in the box for as long as you need but try to limit it to no more than a week!  It is time to get dusty.

Pastels in the small Dakota Traveler pastel Box

STEP 2  Remove the pastels from their original box.  I find it too difficult to paint efficiently when I have to take pastels in and out of their little foam nests. I also can't organize them as well by color and value which is important for the way I like to paint.   I usually use a cigar box I fit with foam and label the box with the name of the set. But for the DT set I knew I would need a larger box.

I have a small Heilman box that I use for plein air so this time I decided to try Dakota Pastel's small Traveler box. I'll review this in another post.

I arrange the pastels in the Traveler box as best I can by color and value. I have darks at the top and gradually shift to the lightest pastels on the bottom. I have some Terrage pastels that I put in the last section. Looking good but still not finished!

Pastels arranged in box and ready to use!

Step 3   Now the messy part. It is time to remove the wrappers (gasp!)  I will address in detail why I do this in tomorrow's post.  But it is necessary for my painting style.  If the pastels are large such as Mount Visions, I will break them in half or even in thirds. I like the size of the DT pastels the way they are so I never break them. And in this set of 120 only 2 pastels came broken in half! Thank you Blick for the careful packaging!

I am now ready to paint with this set. And as much as I like to admire a nice clean set of pastels, I like to paint with them even more!

Confessions of a Pastel Connoisseur

'Eye Candy'       12x12          pastel            ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase on Etsy $125

Is there a 12 step program for pastels?  You know the inevitable affliction that happens when you discover the pastel medium. That urge to add more pastels to your collection.  The difficulty to resist buying yet another new set. 

 If there is a cure for it I don't really want it! I am a Pastel Collector and connoisseur and proud of it!  It really isn't a problem if you want to add to your pastel collection. The problems come when they aren't set up for painting.  I know I am guilty of not wanting to break up a pristine new set of beautiful pastels. But they do us no good looking pretty in their original boxes. They are eye candy but they also have a job to do!

We have to be brutal, take them out of their nests, take off the wrappers, break them into pieces! 

I haven't purchased new pastels in two years so it was time for replacements. I had saved some money and decided to splurge on a set of 120 pure colors by Diane Townsend. Right after I pressed the purchase button I received an email from a local artist/facebook friend who was downsizing and wanted to liquidate some of her pastels. Once I saw what she had It was futile to resist.  Have a look!

Diane Townsend soft form and Terrages

Terry Ludwig pastels including the Marsha Savage set

Eye candy

Diane Townsend soft form set of 120 pure colors purchased from Blicks

Unison pastels including the Albert Handell landscape set

My studio box 

So now I have the Diane Townsend set and the liquidated pastel sets I purchased not to mention the pastels I already have in my studio!  I love being a Pastel Collector or Connoisseur (sounds better than junkie)  but I am also a Pastel Painter so I need to get brutal and make sure I set them up so I can use them.

I thought it would be insightful for you to follow along and see how I integrate pastels into my collection so that I will be able to actually use them rather than admire them!  I'll start tomorrow with the set of Diane Townsends. Stay tuned!

The Best Tool Ever for Blending Pastels

'Nature's Glory'        6x6       pastel      ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase at Daily Painters.com $55

I am not a big blender.  I will occasionally blend a sky or an area that I want soft usually to contrast with a busy passage in a painting. If I do blend an area I usually go back and add a fresh layer of pastel just to bring back some of the lost luminosity.

I also love to do Dry Underpaintings by rubbing in my first layer of pastel. This gives me a soft 'ghost image' to work on and a head start on my color, values and composition. But I don't want to use my fingers to rub all of this pastel into the paper. Especially sanded paper! So when I discovered this blending tool I was thrilled!

Dry Underpainting using foam pipe insulation

FOAM PIPE INSULATION!  I learned about this tip from Terry Ludwig at his workshop several years ago. Cut into pieces this stuff makes wonderful blending tools.  It is cheap, readily available at any hardware store and can even be washed and reused!
 In my opinion it is the least expensive art supply you will ever buy!

I did a You Tube video to share this more about this wonderful blending tool and how I use it. I'd love for you to take a look and share it with your pastel friends!

Developing a Painting Style

'A Gentle Reminder of Spring'          11x14       pastel      ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $165

Quick. Before you read any further grab a piece of paper and write down three words or phrases that describe how you speak.

'Tiny Eggs'       2.5 x 3.5     pastel

What does this have to do with painting style?  Many artists struggle with the idea of a painting style. Perhaps they want to change their style or they are new to painting and don't know how to describe their style or if it has even developed.

 I believe that a painting style develops over time and changes as the artists grows and learn .....but also that everyone possesses natural tendencies that can be very hard to completely get away from. I like to encourage my students to embrace their natural tendencies and refine them and make them work for them....rather than fighting what comes natural. How do we know what our tendencies are?

• Take out 5 of your recent paintings and line them up. Study them. How are they similar? What is the common thread? Is it color choice? The way you make your marks? The way you compose?

• Take out the paper that you wrote on. Look at those three words/phrases. How do they correlate to your paintings?

I read a quote from Robert Genn that intrigued me.

"Your style is the way you talk in Paint"

Perhaps this is true for you and can give you insight into your painting style. And if it is true it can also give you insight into how you can tweak your style to use what comes natural to you and make it even better.  Just think about how you can change the way you speak to achieve a different result. Now apply this same idea to your paintings.

By the way, the phrases I wrote down were shy and quiet but loud and strong when needed. I think this  accurately describes my painting style. 

In my classes this week we all painted from the same photo so we could compare and see our unique painting styles.  It is always fun to see how each person interprets the same scene in their own unique way. And in many cases their paintings matched their personalities!

Collage of student nest paintings....evening class

Pastel Mini Demo BIRD NEST and What Inspired it!

'Gathering Eggs'      6x6         pastel        ©Karen Margulis
sold

Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. We are painting bird nests in class this week and after my third nest demo I was wondering how I would paint yet another one for the evening class. I was out of ideas. I went upstairs to make lunch and realized I had my painting apron still on. Looking at it got my attention. Wow! my apron has the best color palette for a nest. It even has little turquoise birds on it. So I quickly ate lunch and ran back downstairs to paint a little nest for me!  

Moral of the story: Always be open to inspiration. It can come at the oddest times and from the strangest places. Enjoy today's mini demo and be sure to come back tomorrow to see why we are painting nests.

I start with a quick drawing on dark brown Canson paper, smooth side      size  6x6

I block in the dark masses. Building the nest from big simple shapes before any details.

Putting in the eggs. They will be refined later in the painting.

Continuing to build the nest with darkest colors to lightest. Mixing thick and thin lines.

Putting in the background color...spring greens. Adding some violets in the nest.

Continuing to weave the nest with thin and thick strokes and mixing browns and violets.

Putting in the finishing touches...brighter straw and touches of turquoise. Refining the eggs.

The finished painting along side my very inspiring painting apron!

Why an Artist Needs a Froggy Butt

'Signs of Spring'          8x8       pastel       ©Karen Margulis
click here to purchase $145

You might have a Froggy Butt and not even know it. It would be a good thing to have in your studio though. I didn't even know I had one until one of my workshop students told me about hers.  OK you must be curious about Froggy Butts!  And what on earth does it have to do with being an artist?

Picture this ... a golf club cover shaped like the bottom of a frog with his legs sticking up out of the golf bag. You can't help but laugh when you see it. My student has one and calls it her Froggy Butt.  It reminds her to laugh and have fun and not take her golf game too seriously. 

This got me thinking that artists can benefit from the same kind of reminder as the frog cover does for my friend's golf game.  What if we had something silly on our easel that would remind us to enjoy the painting process. Sometimes we get too serious, frustrated and down on ourselves especially when a painting isn't going the way we want it to.

Say hello to Mike Wazowski!

I have a large plush 'Mike Wazowski,  a character form the movie Monter's Inc (one of my favorites). I have him sitting up on a shelf in my studio. He is my Froggy Butt.  I can't look at him without smiling. He is a good reminder to laugh and have fun when I am in the studio.  Sure I get frustrated sometimes and often a painting isn't going my way. But I have to member not to take myself too seriously. It's only paper.  It is supposed to be about the process and enjoying the act of creating something.  If I get a successful painting than that is the bonus.

Today's class was such a good example of the benefit of a sense of humor and fun in the studio. We were painting bird nests and there was a collective groan about it. But in the end everyone had fun with the subject and did some great paintings. We laughed and enjoyed our struggles and successes. The frog was in the room with us today!

This student chose another way to paint eggs in a nest!  Great fun!

Do you have your own Froggy Butt?  I'd love to hear about it.  Be sure to visit the blog this week for more on painting bird nests!

When Should You Stop Taking Art Workshops?

'Living the Good Life'        18x24        pastel        ©Karen Margulis

Are you ever too experienced to take a Painting workshop? Is there a certain point in your art journey that you no longer need them?  I have heard a few different thoughts on the subject and have given it a lot of thought as well.  In yesterday's blog post I shared some thoughts on taking workshops when you are new to painting or starting a new medium. You can read the post here.

Since I am in the midst of making travel arrangements for the workshops I will be attending this year, this question is heavy on my mind.  Some experienced artists try to limit the number of workshops they take in a given period. Some feel as though they would rather spend their time painting more....allowing them to put together all they they have learned over the years. And this is valid. It does take putting in those miles of canvas and spending quality studio time to take your work to the next level. 

I have been painting now for 7 years. I have taken many workshops with some wonderful instructors. I teach my own classes and workshops. Should I take more workshops or should I just paint?  My answer is ....paint and take more workshops! Here's why.

close-up of 'Living the Good Life'

• PRUNING TIME No matter how experienced we are we can always learn something new. I was listening to an art podcast and the artist who was very successful and respected talked about how he likes to take workshops form other artists he admires because it helps "prune off the dead wood" What a great thought.  We are always growing as painters and sometimes we grow branches that we don't need or that are weighing us down. It sometimes takes some new thinking or another experienced eye to see what we need.

• Fresh eyes.  When you are a new painter taking too many workshops can often be confusing because everything is so new.  Experienced painters can benefit from workshops because new information or something put in a new way will be more obvious.  You may hear something you already knew explained in a different way. All of the sudden a lightbulb may light. It could make all the difference in something you are struggling with.

• Workshops give us time to paint. Sometimes experienced artists get caught up or bogged down with things other than studio time.....marketing, business, art associations, galleries,teaching.  Attending a workshop is a way to give you some dedicated painting time. And the bonus is that you might learn something new.

• Networking and the camaraderie of other artists. One of the benefits of attending a workshop for artists of any level is the opportunity to spend time with like minded people. There is something special about meeting other artists and immersing yourself in all things art for a few days.  Learning from other artists is often just as valuable as learning from the instructor.

• An excuse to travel. This is one of my favorite reasons. A workshop is a great excuse for a road trip with my art friends!

Another close-up

I am excited to take workshops this year for all of the reasons above. In case you are interested,  here is who I will be studying with this year:
Doug Dawson in Florida
Elizabeth Mowry in Georgia (our SPS judge)
Bill Creevy at IAPS
Stan Sperlak in NJ

How Often Should You Take an Art Workshop

'Friday Afternoon Bouquet'          8x10         pastel        ©Karen Margulis
sold

Is there such a thing as taking too many art workshops? 
 I have had this discussion often with my artists friends. And I have given it much thought especially this year as I am scheduled to attend 3 workshops plus the IAPS convention. That is a lot of workshops in one year and more than I usually take but they just fit so nicely into my travel plans that I couldn't resist.  But I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing.  It all depends on your mindset and where you are in your art journey.

New to painting or to a medium?  Workshops can jumpstart your knowledge base and introduce you to new techniques. Here are some thoughts on how to make them helpful:

• Choose workshops taught by artists whose work you admire. If you don't ever want to paint in the instructors style it is counter productive to learn the style when you are in the early stages of learning how to paint. 
• Try to limit the number of workshops you take in a year to one or two. At the very least be sure to leave time in between them so you have a chance to digest the information and put it into practice. If you take too many too soon you risk getting confused. Time in between to just paint on your own helps you gain confidence.
• Don't hesitate about taking a workshop because you don't feel ready or 'good enough' . I believe that no matter what your level is you can always learn something that you are ready for.....even if it is basic advice and information on things like supplies. AND the bonus is that as you paint more and grow in skill and knowledge you will look back and some of the things you learned will finally make sense.

My Heilman Box....Souvenir of an Early Workshop

Allow me to share a personal story.  Seven years ago I began painting with pastels. I had been painting for about 5 months when I found out that Albert Handell would be teaching a 5 day workshop in my area. I admired his work. I had studied his book. But was I ready to be in a workshop with 20 other much more experienced artists? Would I be overwhelmed and out of my league? Would it be too advanced?  

I am not easily intimidated though so I went to the workshop. And yes, it was too advanced and I was surrounded by artists with more experience than I had. But I wasn't overwhelmed because I took in only what I was ready to learn at the time. A lot of what Albert talked about was way over my head but I dutifully took notes and pictures and paid attention.  And over the last 7 years bits and pieces of his teaching and advice have come back and given me AHA moments.....when I was ready for them. 

I find now that with 100's of paintings  under my belt and more study and reading and other workshops I am now able to *get* what he was talking about. In fact even this week I had another AHA moment and something from that workshop now makes better sense.  But at the time I only processed what I needed then....like how to organize my pastels (I bought my Heilman box at the workshop and it was one of the best investments I have made) I learned what colors I needed (though I didn't understand why at the time) I met artists who have now become good friends. All good things!

Tomorrow I will share my thoughts on experienced artists and workshops. 

Links of interest:

Organizing your pastels blog post

Albert Handell

Heilman Box