#pastel techniques

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Pastel Techniques: Blending, Scumbling and Glazing

Pastelists have had to learn other techniques to facilitate their artistic needs due to the nature of pastel as a dry medium and applied in a stick form. 

  These other techniques included blending, scumbling, glazing, hatching, cross-hatching and feathering. These techniques fall under a broad category called “layering” which is when one pastel is applied into or over another. 

  There are lots of factors to play in the outcome, including workable fixative, wetting t techniques, surface tooth and the relative hardness/softness of the pastel. Anyone who is serious about painting in pastel should be familiar with these basic techniques.

    Blending is exactly as you know it – uniting to pastels by gently rubbing them together. Various colour and value shifts can be achieved with this technique. This is one of the most common methods used by pastelists to produce the subtle nuances easily provided to the wet media painter.

    It asks for more skill, as a painter can mix various pigments together wet on a palette to a desired effect in advance of the application, the pastelist must be able to do this on the canvas. It’s best to do the blending with pastels of similar hardness or softness. 

  It is possible to blend a softer stick of pastel into a layer of harder pastel on a surface, but the opposite is not easily accomplished. The harder pastel stick will want to push the softer pastel around, and blending can be more difficult to achieve. Do not apply the pastel too heavily. 

  The thicker the layer, the more reactive it will be to control. Gently nudge one pastel stick into the other, often going back and forth. Do a softer blend by lightly smearing the pastel with your hand or a very soft brush. Also remember that the more the layers of pastel are smeared, the duller your end result will be!

  Scumbling and glazing are not far off from the blending technique just described. Both rely on a thin application of pigment over another in order to shift both colour and value. 

  Scumbling means using a thin application of a lighter opaque pigment to tint or lighten an area. Glazing means to shade or darken an area with a thin application of darker transparent pigment. 

  This is commonly done when working with a wet media by applying very little paint in a dry brushing fashion or by thinning paint with lots of medium. The definitions of scumbling and glazing have become associated to their methods of application. Scumbling is done with a dry brush while glazing is done with medium. 

  The pastelist can find this confusing since the entire application is done dry. The important thing to remember is that both depend on a light, tactile application. By gently dragging one pastel over another, utilizing the stick’s edge, a scumbling or glazing effect can be produced, depending on the hardness or softness of the pastel.

  All the possibilities can be better understood by experimenting with soft over hard and hard over soft pastel techniques, as well as light applications of workable fixative applied between scumbled or glazed layers. 

  The slightly grainy effect produced by this painting technique can be very effective when portraying atmosphere and often heightens the sense of depth in a painting.

    Written by:  Marleen Theunissen

ATKA SA

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Pastel Tips and Techniques

  Pastels can be used in a variety of ways and each of the pastel techniques outlined here can be used individually, or combined with another. 

  With pastel there is no right or wrong way – it simply comes down to what you enjoy doing with your pastels. Remember that each of these techniques should be tried with hard, semi-soft and soft pastels, because each one gives a slightly different result.

  The same counts for different pastel brands.

    Technique 1: Drawing with the end of a pastel

  The simplest way to use a pastel is to draw with the end, as you would with a pencil or pen. The line you draw has great expression and conveys a sense of the gesture you made. The thickness of the line can easily be altered by varying the pressure applied to the pastel – the more pressure, the more pastel will be left on the sheet. The gentler you press (or if you use the edge) the thinner the lines you draw.

  Tip! Use your entire arm to move when you draw. This encourages broader, looser drawing.

    Technique 2: Drawing with the edge of a pastel

  For the artist who wants to work quickly and create large blocks of colour, the side of a pastel stick is perfect. For optimal results, break a stick in half and then use it. Don’t feel bad about breaking your pastel – remember that even the smallest fragment of pastel is still usable! If you alter the pressure, it will create different degrees of texture. When the side of the pastel has worn down, the two resulting sharp edges can also be used to create a fine line

  Tip! This technique works best with semi-soft or soft pastels.

    Technique 3: Hatching and cross-hatching

  This technique will be familiar to anyone with any drawing experience. Hatching, a set of parallel lines (preferably fine lines) drawn closely together, is best suited to pencils or hard pastel sticks. Cross-hatching is a step further – the drawing of a second set of lines at an angle, most often at right angles to the first set. This method is particularly useful in pastel painting for the initial blocking in of a painting as it allows to experiment with colour and tone in a loose, flexible way.

  Tip! This method can be used to create a sense of form and shape by varying the direction of the cross-hatching.

      Technique 4: Blending pastels

  Pastels are never mixed before they are put together on paper, unlike most other mediums. There are two ways to create colour and tone variations. The first is optical blending, which is achieved by having colours in close proximity, and the second is blending, which refers to the pastel being mixed on the paper. There is a wide range to choose from regarding tools to use for blending. The most traditional is the finger, with the option to wear a surgical glove to protect the skin. Other available options are using the side of the hand, paper tools, putty rubbers, cloths and cotton wool.

    Tip! If you’re using your hand or finger, remember to clean it regularly to avoid interference from colours previously mixed.

    Technique 5: Scumbling pastels

  Possibly the best method to achieve a different type of vibrancy with your pastel colours, is by scumbling. After a layer of pastel has been applied and fixed, drag a soft pastel lightly on its side across the top. It creates a broken covering of the new colour over the top. The result? A visually stimulating, textural and careful choice of colours will produce amazing results!

    Tip! The best pastels to use for this method are the softest pastels.

    Technique 6: Feathering with pastels

  Feathering is a fine-tuned form of hatching using short strokes to achieve a result much like scumbling – it adds a vibrancy to your painting. Feathering also works for optical mixing of colours where colours are mixed with the eye, rather than being blended on paper.

  Tip! If you want to give the appearance of iridescence of fabric, feathers and scales or create atmospheric effects with light, this the method to use.

    Technique 7: Dusting with pastels

  As an alternative to scumbling, try dusting. Hold a pastel over an existing block of colour and scrape the stick’s surface to create dust. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement of dust on your canvas, press the dust into the surface using a palette knife.

  Tip! This is much easier done with the painting held horizontally, because the dust will fall exactly where you aim for it to and not affect the rest of your picture.

    Written by: Marleen Theunissen

Creative writer at ATKA SA