Brachina Gorge (WIP) six

I concentrated on the foreground tree today. I am posting a close up of the foliage to give you some idea of what it really looks like and to talk about how I go about applying the pastel.



Have a look at the ends of some of you pastel sticks if you own any. Some are rough and some smooth from use. The lighter values I actually “bang” the end of the pastel firmly over the top of the darker values. The texture on the rougher ends of pastel sticks make their own marks forming spots or little dashes over the layers of dark pastel.

Some of the colours will mix creating shifts in values as well as colour. Even the smooth end of a pastel stick will create interesting marks of there own as do the rough ends. I have used medium soft pastels to hit the paper firmly that my shoulder actually aches on larger works. The very soft pastels; a softer strike on the paper. Can’t have those beautiful expensive pastels shattering everywhere.

Striking the paper with a pastel stick doesn’t allow you to be exact with the placement of pastel, which for me is good as it stops me fiddling with the foliage. There can be some very happy accidents when belting your paper with a stick. ;-)

All going well there will be another update tomorrow.