Working on a Thickly Textured Surface with Pastel

'Beyond Serenity'                   8x10               pastel              ©Karen Margulis
Available $165

One of the things I enjoy about oil paint is the texture. It is easy to apply the paint thickly to get deep and interesting textures. It isn't as easy to get this result with pastel. If you apply the pastel too thickly there is a chance that some of it will fall off since it is a dry medium.

We can get an illusion of which texture with pastel by creating a textured surface to work on. There are several products that are available as pastel grounds that can be applied to a board or paper to give that surface ground for pastel application. Some of these grounds can be applied thickly. When it is dry it provides a textured surface to work on.

I applied a pastel ground of gesso and pumice to an Ampersand Pastelbord. I applied it thickly. But it was almost too thick! I had trouble adding pastel and the surface used up my pastels quickly! It was a frustrating experience. But I did find a solution!

TIP: When the grooves are deep on a textured surface try to add several layers of pastel and push these layers into the grooves. After several layers the application gets easier and you still have a feeling of texture without the rough surface eating your pastels!

close up of texture

I will be sharing this painting as a step by step demo on my Patreon Page in April! Consider joining us! www.patreon.com/karenmargulis