1. Portfolio
case 20 x 26 inches, Cachet by Daler-Rowney,
which easily doubles as your drawing board. The portfolio holds both your paper and
finished drawings in a neat packet. Once you tuck
away your pastel drawing the portfolio will
protected from getting smudged or damaged.
2.
Sennelier Latour Fixative for soft pastels.
This is expensive but it is non-negotiable, because
most of the other fixatives (and hair spray)
saturate the pastel powder, which darkens it, pretty
much destroying the shimmering light you worked so
hard to achieve. The Sennelier fixative is awesome.
3. Four
metal clips. Big enough to clasp the portfolio
with its storage of paper, and the sheet you are
working on.
4. Drafting
tape and kneaded eraser. Drafting tape is
indispensible as an eraser for pastel, it delicately
lifts off your mistakes.
5.
Dark colored Canson, Fabriano, or Strathmore paper
approximately 19 x 26 inches. Black, brown, dark
gray, dark blue, purple, or dark red. The bright
colors are fun to experiment with, but to get this
technique down the muted darks work best.
One side of the paper is toothy, the other slightly
smoother. You will want to draw on the toothy side,
but it's not tragic if you mix it up.
6. Glassine
paper. This is the slightly transparent white
paper that protects your pastel drawing. The
glassine repels the pastel powder, giving your
drawing protection from smears and swipes. It comes
in rolls or sheets. In either case, its hard to find
it exactly 19 x 26 inches, so you will have to cut
or tear sheets to fit your paper. Its important
because it really protects your work. If you take
care of any preparation this is the one thing to do.
7. Scissors or
metal straight edge to cut the glassine paper to
size.
8. Rembrandt Soft Pastels.
For this technique the Rembrandt pastels work best.
There are portrait, landscape, and general sets of
30 to 225 available; any of them will do.
Warning: Do not buy the 1/2
stick sets; the stumpy
sticks make drawing with a light touch almost
impossible.
The Rembrandt
sets come in sturdy cardboard boxes, and wood boxes
of the
bigger sets
(excellent for carrying). For the cardboard keep
masking tape on hand so that you can tape the lid
shut tight, when you pack it for transportation to
and from your drawing site.
Sennelier and
Schmincke are wonderful colors with a creamy
consistency, which work fine for later stages of the
pastel drawing but don't build as easily as the
Rembrandts.
Now your all
set with the right materials to make pastel drawing
a great experience.
Next up, the
first stage in this unique layering technique.
Cheers,
Michael
Newberry
Santa Monica, October 2011
Other related art tutorials you might enjoy.
