Using Iridescent Pastels ...Winter Landscape 5x7

'Gently Falling Snow' 5x7 pastel ©2011 Karen Margulis

I always forget to use my iridescent pastels. I have some from a few pastel brands and I keep them in a separate little box. I need to remember to use them more often. They can add a special touch in the right place. In this painting, I used a opalescent white pastel from Sennelier. The painting was done on a toned piece of Uart paper. I toned it turquoise with a Nupastel rubbed into the paper with a piece of foam. I finished the painting but felt it need some winter magic....some sparkly snow! So I used a palette knife to shave some of the white pastel over the painting creating a sparkly dust. I pressed some of the shaved pastel into the paper with the knife where I wanted my 'snow' to stick and there was my snow! (One of my readers posted about doing a pastel with a palette knife and I am intrigued to learn more about her technique) If you want to add some more sparkle to your paintings consider adding some iridescent pastes to your box. Is it too late to ask Santa for a Set of Iridescent Pastels by Sennelier? Blicks is having a 10% off sale until the 26th!

Purchase this painting on paypal $75