Morena (practice in Soft Pastels)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008My second attempt at soft pastels, this time, no reference was used:
Tools used:
- MUNGYO Soft Pastels
- CANSON Ingres Paper
- My fingers for blending
- A tortillon and kneaded eraser for corrections
- VAN GOGH charcoal lead
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the back of the Canson Ingres paper handled pastels well. It’s a bit smoother than it’s front but I found that I could easily put one layer on top of the other and blend the colors with no problem.
This was put together rather quickly. I was totally “in the zone” making this. Full concentration and total silence and all that, save for a few cuss words when 3 pastels fell to the floor and broke. Sadness. I see alot of things here that need alot of fixing (the eye on the left is wonky and so is her shoulder, certain elements lack detail, etc.) but I’ll call it a night. I’m tired. *dies*
Still going to look for pastel pencils for them tiny itty bitty details and a bunch of nice sand paper for pastels.
Working with soft pastels is hella fun but it’s also hella messy and dusty! My shirt is filthy! Note to self: Buy an apron! And a gas mask or something. The dust makes me cough and sneeze.
Previous Comments
Photoshop yan! LOL! Joke! Ganda! 
@Marv: Thanks dah-lin’ *mwah!*
@Kei: Heller, Painter yan! *eye roll* hihi thanks!
Posted by sh3lly at October 7, 2008, 3:35 pmIn regards to the paper usage, if the surface is too slick just use some extra fine grit sand paper to lightly rough the surface, that will make it more receptive. Myungyo are good as well as Conte’s for sharp line work….keep at it. Also look at different brands of pastels. Some are dustier than others. Surprizing I found that Lew Cornell chalk pastels to behave just as good as some higher end pastels and smooth also! A dust mask is good but workable fixative judiciously used will keep the dust in check……no fix, use white rain hair spray…….LOL
Posted by Timothy Terry at October 7, 2008, 11:56 pm@Timothy: Thank you for the tips! Yes, I’ve heard about using hair spray on pastels works quite well but I’m scared to try it out for fear of ruining my work. But no pain, no gain! I will test it out someday 
Thank you once again!
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Wow you’re getting beter and better sweetie!
Posted by Marv at October 7, 2008, 10:23 am