Learn to draw by Tissa Hewavitarane:

Working with pastels

Pastels are a vastly underrated medium and I wish they were given more credit. They have a lot to offer in terms of freshness of colour and work well with other media. The origin of the pastel technique go back in time. It can be traced back to the caveman.

This is obtained from red earth which was ground into powder and then mixed with water to produce a paste which was then shaped into sticks and dried in the sun.

The real birth of drawing with pastels came at the end of the Middle Ages when people began to prepare sticks of different colours to use in finishing or touching up frescoes.

The most popular surface on which to work with pastels is slightly rough drawing paper, since it holds the colour better than smooth paper.

White or coloured papers may be used. If coloured paper is used, the background helps to blend the colours and to produce certain effects quickly and easily. Dark coloured papers may also be used, in which case lighter values of pastels are employed to bring out the form and the highlights.

Pastels are the simplest and most direct way of painting because you do not need a palette or brushes. It is difficult to obtain precise blends of colour. It is best to have a large number of pastels available to get any colour you need to finish your drawing. Some artists use the fingers to blend the colours.

If you do not want to use your fingers, you will need to keep handy little strips of white paper or cloth as well as clean rags. These can be used delicately to obtain blending of colours which would otherwise be impossible. Always remember that shading should be used sparingly, that is only when and where the subject really calls for it. One way to get good results more easily is to work on a larger scale than the subject.

Always keep a selection of hard pastels at hand. These can be sharpened and will help you to define the finest details better. This is of particular benefit when you need to do a portrait or figure work.

With pastels it is usually possible to rub out what you have done and start again. This can be done at any stage of the work, simply by rubbing the drawing with a dry sheet of paper or soft rag.

Almost all the colours will be removed in this way. Pastel sticks are well worth to do a portrait particularly those where you want details rather than broad effects.