More on Pastels

ME brought up a good point after she read yesterday's entry.  She said that she was surprised that I had switched to this medium because I'm not known for pastel colors.  It hadn't occurred to me that people would make that logical connection.  Tonight I looked the word up in the dictionary and checked the etymology also.  The first meaning given for "pastel" is "subdued colors", and the second definition is "chalk made from pigments, chalk, and gum arabic or other binder".  The etymology was of no help at all so I have no idea how the different uses came about.  Maybe I should check my OED and add what it says tomorrow.

Today I continued working on my pastel project with a twist.  Since I hadn't been happy with the way the honeycomb paper and the pastels looked (the white showed in a far too regular manner), I decided to try something I had heard about - pastels and watercolor.  While I think one is supposed to use watercolor first and highlight with pastels, mine is the other way around. Watercolors on top of pastels - but of course, I have the option of finishing with either one!

At the moment I don't know what to think of my work.  I'm too close to it.  BUT, I think the method is a keeper for me - no matter which is used first - pastel or watercolor.  However, when I use the method again, I will be able to plan for it which, obviously, I didn't this time. Tomorrow Sharon will look at it with fresh eyes (and with distance) and tell me if it's worth continuing and what to do to finish.  Or start over.

Fortunately, I have been taking pictures of each day's work to show when the painting has been delivered.  Then, no matter how many iterations I have to paint, I will have a record of what worked and what didn't.  I'll have a better notion of what to do the next time I think about picking up pastels.

Experience is one of the best teacher.