Take easy steps with pastel as you work with the limited colours from a starter set on white paper, with Mike Rollins
The starter set. We’ve all received one and it can be a useful addition to a plein-air painting kit, and a chance to try something new and exciting, or a present to pass on to someone else. Whenever I run a workshop and students bring their own supplies, I try to tailor the painting palette to the colours found in a typical starter set. I want to show them how they can produce wonderful art by mixing the limited colours they have to hand. If they don’t like the medium after trying it, then they haven’t invested too much on materials. If they do like it, they can finish off what they have and add further colours as they gain experience.
Of all media, soft pastels tend to be the least understood by students. They are messy, dirty, imprecise, hard to carry and store, and very expensive – those little literally, with the painting process.
So, if you have a starter set of soft pastels and you are wondering what to do with them, the following demonstration is for you. I must emphasise that this is the way I like to paint with pastels; it is quite loose and impressionistic. There are plenty of artists around who have different styles and can reach great precision with their pastel sticks and crayons. I urge you to go online and check them out for inspiration. However, in this demonstration, all you need is your pastel set and a sheet of white watercolour paper.
I hope you enjoy following this view of the lighthouse at Beachy Head on white paper. Next month, I will demonstrate how to use a limited pastel palette on black paper. LP
Demonstration The Lighthouse at Beachy Head
Usually pastel artists paint on a tinted paper that equates to the mid-tone colour in a subject, which gives a clearer appreciation of light and dark colours. Here I demonstrate that using whatever paper you have to hand is enough to getyou started.
Having fixed your watercolour paper to
