Painting Makeover Made Simple

'Country Roads'          9x12         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $165

It was quite simple to give a very old and very bad painting a makeover. All I needed was an old brush and a cup of water. I found a couple of old paintings in a pile. They would have been good candidates for the circular file if they weren't done on Ampersand Pastelbord. If you aren't familiar with Pastelbord you should  give it a try. It is a sanded surface on a masonite board so it is very rigid and durable. I love using them but since I paint so much it isn't really cost effective for me to use them exclusively.

It is very easy to make corrections on Pastelbord or even paint over an old painting. The sanded surface takes many layers and there is no chance for the board to ripple or buckle like paper can. I decided that my old paintings needed to be completely covered up. I wanted to keep it quick and simple so I took some water and a stiff old brush and just wet the pastel down. My 9x12 board turned into a mellow gray tone. It would be the perfect color and value to start a new painting. The 8x10 board had more orange so I got an interesting fiery toned board that I can't wait to paint. 

OLD paintings on Pasteboard ready for a makeover

Just wet the old painting with water and you have a new toned surface

I didn't bother to brush off the old painting before using the water but if your pastel is on too thick you may want to take it outside and brush off some of the pastel. You can also use rubbing alcohol or turpenoid to liquify the pastel. I just wanted to keep it quick and simple with water.

painting notes: I have been wanting to paint this scene. I shot the photo out the bus window last fall while on my way to Salida Colorado. There was a controlled burn in the area adding to the colors in the atmosphere.