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PastelThis page gives you some information on pastel, Yasuro's preferred medium. First we will look at care on pastel pieces because that is probably the most important thing for you to know. Then a brief history of Pastel and its advantages and disadvantage over other media are presented. Care on Pastel PiecesUnless your pastel piece has already been put in a frame, avoid surface friction at all costs when you handle it. Pastel sticks to the paper in the power form; however, the powder does not necessarily stick permanently. This is the major disadvantage of this medium. A specially forumulated solution called fixative is typically sprayed over pastel pieces to prevent both dislodging or smearing of pastel particles on the paper; however, this does not completely solve the problem. If you touch the surface, some of the powder will still move to your fingers. For this reason, when you handle the piece, try to hold it at the margins on each side, which will eventually be covered by the mat board. This disadvantage of pastel calls for special attention in matting and framing as well. Please see our matting and framing page for details. By the way, some people claim that you can use hair spray as a cheap alternative to aritist's fixative. According to an article on About.com by a chemist, it is not entirely wrong but it could bring about additional problems. Of course we always use finest aritst's fixative. What Pastel Is
Pastel sticks are made of powdered pigments combined with a minimum of nongreasy binder (usually gum tragacanth, or, from the mid-20th century, methyl cellulose). Pastel was initially used only as a supplementary medium to add color to drawings. Rosalba Carriera, 18th century female Venetian portrait painter, is believed to have been the first artist to use pastel almost exclusively for her works; but it was Edgar Degas, 19th century French artist, who exploited the potential of the medium to the fullest. Pastel is further divided into dry pastel, oil pastel, and other new types. Yasuro uses dry pastel primarily, which is sometimes dubbed as chalk pastel. We think it is misleading because dry pastel is different from chalk. Advantages and Disadvantage of PastelFirst advantage of pastel is that it is technically more straightforward to use than other painting methods. The artist can see the effects of his execution immediately. --- No waiting time for drying is necessary (unless, of course, it is combined with other media). Color does not change over time either. (See below.) Not only that, Pastel could be made to emulate and sometimes surpass the qualities achieved with oil, particularly in the portraying of rich textual effects. Second, pastel is quite permanent as a medium, because of the simplest and the purest method of its composition. It is among the most permanent forms of painting when combined with equally permanent paper. There is, however, a popular misconception that pastel lacks
lightfastness
--- in other words, it changes color when exposed to light. This
misconception came about as follows: In late 19th century, synthetic
dyes were used by prominent artists for their brilliant hues, but
those dyes fade quickly when exposed to ultraviolet light. These dyes
are no longer used in making pastel.
The major disadvantage is that its relative fragility under
mechanical wear and tear. It is a common practice to protect pastel
drawings/paintings by glass or a fixative spray of glue size or gum
solution.
Fixative spray, however, does not solve the problem perfectly. It
tends to darken the color, so it is can be used only sparingly and
only before highlights are added. Even after fixative is sprayed over,
pastel powder can move somewhat if touched. It is best to have the
piece framed as soon as the piece is done to avoid potential damage.
See above for how to care your pastel
pieces.
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Unless stated otherwise, all materials on this website are copyrighted by Yasuro Kawata, 2002-2007.
For inquiries or comments, please contact us.
Pastel originates in northern Italy in the 16th century. It is a
dry drawing/painting medium, which normally comes as fragile,
finger-size sticks. They look like chalk sticks that we used to write
or draw on the blackboard with, although pastel and chalk are
different technically.
