How Many Green Pastels Do You Need?

'Fairyland'         8x10        pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $125

You know you want them. More Green pastels! And if you are a fan of Terry Ludwig pastels you surely covet his 90 piece set of greens. But do we really need to have 90 green pastels to paint a landscape or anything else green? Before I answer I'd like to share my 'green pastel' story.

Terry Ludwig 90 piece set of greens

I was fortunate to discover Terry Ludwig pastels soon after taking my first pastel class. I quickly bought a small set to replace my Rembrandts. One small set was soon followed by another. Every opportunity I could I added to my collection. (sound familiar?) For some reason though I avoided the set of green pastels that Terry is famous for. Even the smaller sets of green seemed overwhelming. And the set of 90.....sensory overload! I couldn't imagine ever needing so many greens!

Looking back now I realize that I just wasn't ready for all of those greens. I wouldn't have known what to do with them. I didn't understand warm and cool and neutrals. Green was green. I was happy with just a few. I have learned so much in the last 11 years of painting. A few years ago I treated myself to the 90 piece set and I haven't regretted it for a minute!(and wish I had gotten them sooner)

Instead of being overwhelmed by all of the green choices....I have actually learned more about using greens. By comparing one green to another and using them in a painting I started to see the difference. Not all greens were the same and I could see the subtleties. Having the 90 piece set and keeping them separate from my other pastels has taught me how to use green more effectively. I didn't know how much I really needed them!

Reusing a failed painting for today's green forest painting

So how many green pastels do we really need? As many as we can afford. I suggest making sure you have a variety of both warm (yellow greens) and cool (blue greens) and neutral (grayed down greens). You also need a variety of values.....light, dark and mid value greens. Finally you need a few 'spicy' greens...pure intense greens for spice. Don't skimp on your greens and your landscapes will be richer.

Convinced?  Now is the time to add some Terry Ludwig greens to your collection. They are 20% off this week! See the website for details and the extra goodies included in the sale. Click here.

Where to Find a Treasure of Pastel Tips

'Nantucket Moors'               8x10             pastel             ©Karen Margulis
purchase this painting here $145

I am always on the hunt for tips to help me create better paintings. When I come across a good idea I usually give it a try and share it on my blog. For the last few years my blog has been devoted to sharing the art tips that have helped me. This blog has become a treasure trove of pastel and general art tips.

It is all here...posts that date back to 2006! But I recently discovered that many of my blog readers don't realize they can search the blog for the topic they are interested in.  Many of you receive the blog by email. It is convenient to read each day's post in an email but then you are missing out on the other features of the actual blog.

On the actual blog page I have links to classes and workshops. I have a studio tour and links to my You-Tube videos and pdf demos.  You can also scroll through all of the recent posts. But my favorite feature is the search box located at the top of the sidebar on the right. Simply put in a search word and you will be shown all of the posts in my blog that include that word. I did a search for the word 'Green' and uncovered several posts on painting with green. Here are the results. Lots of good information! Give the search box a try!

If you are reading this post via email click on this link to go directly to the blog to see what you are missing.  www.karenmargulis.com

Terry Ludwig's set of 90 greens

Reading all of those posts on green inspired me to paint something using only green.  I used only my set of Terry Ludwig 90 greens plus a pale TL green/yellow that was not in the set. I also used a piece of dark green Canson Mi-Teintes paper. Lots of green!  It was a fun challenge!

today's reference photo

Friday Art Challenge: The Many Moods of Green

'I'll Take the Path on the Right'           8x10            pastel          ©Karen Margulis
sold

Green. You either love it or hate it. Sometimes painting with green can be a challenge. With pastels it seems we never have the right green. No matter how many greens I have collected I am always searching for the right one. And even though I have a lot of green pastels how do I know which ones to use?......Which ones are warm? Cool? Neutral? And how about all of those vivid artificial or acid greens?

It's green overload! What is the solution?

Terry Ludwig Pastel 90 piece Green Set.....this should do it!

The solution isn't to keep buying greens. The solution is to get to know the greens you have! Take them all out of all of their individual boxes. Play with them. 

• Group them by value....put the dark ones together, the light ones and middle values ones in their own piles.
• Try to group them by temperature....which ones seem cool (more blue) Which ones seem warm (more yellow) Which ones are hard to tell (probably neutral) 
• Group the artificial greens together....these are the vivid, intense artificial looking greens (spices)
• Make some marks with the greens to see how they look on paper. Remember that they will appear different depending on the paper color and what they are next to. (simultaneous contrast)

Make notes about which greens you seem to lack. Now you won't just buy random green pastels you will buy green with a purpose. 

CHALLENGE: 

After you experiment and play with the greens in your collection, paint a very green landscape. Remember that in a typical landscape the cooler greens (and lighter) will be in the distance and they will gradually transition to warmer greens in the foreground. There are always exceptions but this is a good general truth.

Take the challenge to the next level and paint the same scene but vary the greens to create a different mood. Perhaps turn a sunny day into a gray moody day.

If you'd like some tips on using green in the landscape have a look at my pdf demo available for $6

click here for details