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Packaged Pastel Sets

Pastels are one of the most remarkable art materials available to artists today. Although they resemble chalk, they are actually very finely ground powdered pigments held together with tiny amounts of kaolin (clay). What they resemble most is a stick of straight pigment, pressed together with only enough binder to hold a form. Colorants used can be minerals and compounds from nature, materials much like those used by early painters, or manmade chemicals that offer a wider spectrum of color. Iron-rich clays are one source of oranges, browns and yellows. Dry pigments used for fabric and paper dying can also be added to talc to achieve the bright contemporary tones so popular with landscape and portrait artists.

It is possible to make and use your own handmade pastels. And while there are many recipes for experimentation, the following one yields some great results:

Start by boiling 1/4 cup of oatmeal in a quart of water for about five minutes. Strain the oats well and use the oat water to make "dough" from powdered tempera and talc-only baby powder. A good starting point is « cup of talc, 2 tablespoons of pigment and 1 teaspoon of oat water. Divide this color into two or three parts and add different amounts of white tempera to create pastels. Roll into coils about the thickness of pencils and allow to dry. Note: There is a somewhat fine line in the amount of oat "binder" needed to create a good pastel. Too little oat "glue" and the pastel will crumble, but too much and the pastel will be too rigid to create a soft, powdery line.

Pastels can be purchased as individual sticks, either round or square, and in sets. Packaged sets offer an artist a start-up opportunity for less expense than purchasing individual pieces. But another reason the purchase of a set makes good sense is the alignment of colors given. Landscape tones and portrait tones are often grouped together in hues and values that work very well together. This teaming of colors saves the artist time and frustration by offering related and complementary colors. Master sets can also include a wide color collection for more basic and general applications. Variety sets can include 12, 48, 60, or 96 and even as many as 185 different colors.

A landscape set would usually include a variety of natural tones, i.e., those found in most woodland or outdoor scenes. These tones include rich browns, golds and neutrals along with some highlight hues such as soft green and perhaps an accent tone like red, yellow or orange. The sets are designed to mimic the gentle gradations of tones found in nature, so there are fewer bright or vivid tones. Sets include from 12 to 50 sticks, with the larger sets offering the widest range of related tones.

Portrait pastel sets include a range of tones that are used to capture lifelike skin tones, natural hair color and complementary accent tones. Since the tone of skin varies with every individual, the flesh, beige and "tanned" tones are all included along with soft golds, greens and even violets to use as naturalizing tones to replicate the subject's actual coloration. Sets vary widely in tones from manufacturer to manufacturer and are available in 12 to 50 tones per box.

As an artist begins to collect more and more sets of colors and adds a few individual tones to that collection, storage becomes a challenge. The packaging of the sets usually includes a divided tray with a lid. But as one accumulates more and more sticks in an ever-enlarging spectrum of colors, it might be good to consider the purchase of a storage box or chest. Without such a box or chest, migration of color will occur because the sticks share dust as they touch. Several are available and each offers the benefit of removable trays for quick access during your work and neat, nesting of the trays for long-term storage. Wooden storage units have pullout drawers that can be laid out by tone and hue in a rainbow effect.

The quality of pastels varies. Student grade sets are very inexpensive but lack the permanence and lightfastness of professional grade material. If you are doing quick studies, student grade pastels will help you learn to handle the media and become proficient at blending, highlighting and all other aspects of landscape, portrait or general study works. But if you are able to purchase professional grade materials, the work you do will be richer and more vibrant for years to come.

Keep it Clean Tip: As the artist uses pastels, very often with smudgy fingertips, sticks pick up the residue of other colors. Clean sticks insure neat, precise color application. One quick and easy way to clean pastel sticks is to rub gently with a small scrap of chamois. Another way is to store loose sticks in dry, white rice. The slight abrasion of the rice against the sticks keeps them clean. Many portrait artists use this method to keep their broken or small pieces of pastel clean and ready for use. They also store their most often used sticks this way to insure a clean, unadulterated line.

So, whether round or square, individual sticks or packaged set, pastels offer an expedient way to let your expressive nature blossom. Browse the shelves at your local art material supplier and check out the offerings. And be sure to get a pad of pastel papers, now available in several tones.

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