MATERIALS
• Terracotta Colourfix pastel paper.
• Schmincke, Art Spectrum and Rembrandt pastels.
Fixative can tend to dull your work and many purists scream and shout about using it. I have an open mind, and use it when I think it might be necessary. Anyone who has had pastel fall from their painting onto their mat board after framing (despite bashing the back of the finished painting) can surely sympathise with using a spray or two of fixative! I have, on occasion, found it necessary to take a painting out of the frame, clean the mat board and replace the whole thing: Very annoying and time consuming! Entering pastel paintings in art shows unfortunately is another occasion when pastel is likely to fall – many art show organisers either don’t know, or don’t care, that pastel paintings need to be handled very carefully. I find this amazing, as it can mean the loss of a sale if the painting is displayed with a ‘dirty’ mat board. Before your final stage is the best time to spray with fixative – as final highlights can then be added if needed.
FINAL STEP
I refined the foreground tree with a very soft yellow pastel, giving it a velvety bloom. Using shadow and light, I worked up the foreground grass and autumn leaves – being careful not to detract from the main players (the buildings and the large tree). Flicking strokes indicated movement in the foreground grass. A little more definition was given to the red roof of the right-hand building and a few shadows were added to the front. The fence was darkened and the trunk of the large tree was refined. The darks were darkened to ensure good definition.
Although this is a predominantly ‘warm’ painting, I feel the coolness of the far background trees, the sky, and the luscious purple shadows managed to balance the work.
When I think a work is finished, I put it aside for a day or two (if time permits). Mistakes – or something that needs tweeking – will pop out immediately when viewed through fresh eyes.