Pastel

Pastel painting is a technique in which pigments on a painting surface (paper, cardboard, canvas) can be applied. The pastel painting, the possibilities of drawing mix with those of painting. It can be used pure pigments that round or square chalks or pastels are more commonly used.

With Pastel both the material and the image thus prepared is called. The term pastel derives from the Italian pasta " dough " from.

Pastel Painting

The adhesion of the pigments on the paper is weak, so pastels are very sensitive. The colors are applied in dusty layers and blurs with your fingers or special brushes. To create a liability at all, the painting surface must be rough. Frequently specially developed for this technique handmade papers, Canson Ingres and, Sansfix pastel or matboard, handmade natural paper or papers are used with velor surface. The papers are available in various colors, as the color of the background in pastel painting influenced the effect of the image.

Pastel colors can be mixed together very well on paper. It is possible to apply gentle color transitions and even mixed shades. If the pigment application to strong, the adhesion of the subsequent color jobs decreases. Multiple color jobs are therefore just tender superposed.

In order to ensure the adhesion of the pigments to the painting surface, which are treated with a fixative pastels, can be prepared themselves. Fixing takes place after completion of a pastel image or even after individual steps with schichtweisem paint. Despite the use of fixatives the images are very sensitive and are therefore often glazed in order to avoid touching the surface.

The most important working tool for painting with pastels are the fingers or a paper stump, the so-called Torchon. Using your finger, the colors are blurred and mixed together. In addition to generating smooth ramps with the pastel technique also possible impasto ( impasto ) and the sputtering using a spatula.

Pastel painting is often used together with other colors and techniques, such as tempera, gouache or acrylic paints.

Known representatives

The use of pastels goes back to the late 15th century. At the beginning there were only the colors black, white and red available. Michelangelo and Raphael sat pastels for their sketches a ( line drawings ). The heyday of pastel painting was in the 17th and 18th centuries. At this time the pastel painting was mainly used in portraiture, since the velvety matte surface of the images are portraits of a very special luminosity. Two of the main proponents of the genre were the Venetian Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757) and the French Élisabeth Vigée -Lebrun (1755-1842), whose portraits were highly sought after and popular throughout Europe. Other important representatives of the pastel painting were Joseph Vivien, Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Jean- Étienne Liotard, Jean Siméon Chardin, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Odilon Redon and Picasso as well as in more recent times about Alfred Hrdlicka.

Pastels

In the preparation of pastels is the pigments added binder, so you can press them in a stick form. As a binder among other kaolin, resins and other substances are used. The exact composition of the binders give today's manufacturer is not known. At least in earlier times also gruel, glue, gelatin, gum arabic, gum tragacanth, emulsions, soapy water or skimmed milk, honey and sugar candy were added to the pins.

In addition to pastels normally bound by organic components (see above), there are also pastel chalks silicate, which allow for a permanent fixation with water glass pastel drawings and outdoors.

Depending on the binder used pastels are more or less soft. Thus, the chalks can be used for various purposes, such as harder chalks with rectangular cross section (Faber -Castell pastels Polychromos, Cretacolor, Conté, Sakura ) for more graphical work. Some chalk Manufacturer ( Sennelier, Schmincke ) give in so little binder that chalks just hold together, in contact with the paper, the chalk then decays immediately into the dusty pigments.

Meanwhile, soft pastels are with wooden mantle also available in stick form ( Stabilo CarbOthello, Cretacolor, Faber -Castell Pitt Pastel ). These can be used like other pencils for drawing, the ink application can then also smear with your finger.

Oil pastels

With oil pastels pigments with mineral waxes, beeswax, poppy seed oil and other binders are added. This results in a solid consistency, the order can the color be creamy. The colors are not water soluble and poorly miscible. Oil pastels are also liable on smooth paper.