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A look inside my brain.

Canvas As A Support

7/23/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
The single most important consideration- at least for me - when selecting surfaces for pastels, is tooth and texture. Tooth refers to the tiny bumps and valleys that you can feel and see. For example,  a smooth paper has little to no tooth. This is vital because unlike other media pastel particles need tooth and texture to attached to or they will fall right off. Tooth is also needed to grip the pigment from the. Without it, you'll find it hard to apply a lot of color.

Paper is generally the best support for pastels, but not one that I choose to use. As long as a surface has sufficient tooth and can survive some rubbing and blending, you will be successful. So once these requirements have been met you can have quite a bit of fun experimenting.

The degree of tooth can also affect certain types of techniques, such as layering, detail work, and blending. The amount of tooth determines how many layers of pastel can be applied. If the tooth is shallow it may be filled by a single layer of pastel and when you try to add another layer on top, there won't be any tooth left for it to grip.

When deciding on the degree of tooth or texture you want for your surface, you should also think about how detailed or textured your finished artwork will be. If you plan on doing precise details with hard lines and edges, you might consider a surface with less tooth. I realize that I contradict this rule but the explanation is simple. I use India and Henna throughout the building of a piece. And yes… I prefer to refer to what I do to “building” rather than “creating”.

If you know you're going to be blending colors, most artist will tell you that from their experiences you should avoid very rough textures because they will inhibit blending. I do not find this to be true.  In fact, in my experience it is merely the softness and quality of your pastels that dictates. Since I make my own, I have complete control.

When it comes to finding the right texture or degree of tooth for your style, just remember to find the right balance. Tooth for the pastels to grip but not so rough that you find you're restricted. And then there is always a way to add texture to paper (or any support) you choose by priming it with gesso mixed with sand, or using something like Golden Pastel Ground. This is useful for artists who like to create their own personal textures. If you're a beginner, don't worry about this. There are plenty of textured products available commercially.

Now I use canvas. Canvas has the required texture to hold pastels so it's a worthy surface, especially if you want to paint larger pieces. You can buy pre-stretched, canvas boards, canvas rolls, or canvas pads. These products are much more expensive than paper, especially if you choose top quality linen. Or…you can do what I do and recycle.  My canvas comes from the discard at the local Office Depot.

Be cautious when buying pre-primed canvas because the tooth of the weave may be reduced by the gesso. This results in a smooth surface not particularly suited to pastels.


3 Comments
Betty James link
7/26/2015 10:48:45 am

Enjoyed your blog. Do you use unprimed canvas? Also, do you apply texture?

Reply
Julie link
7/26/2015 11:20:49 am

Yes ma'am..unprimed and no I don't usually add texture although I have for piece in my western collection. Especially if I am going for a rustic weather look of leather and skin. I find the the tooth is really nice as a natural base. I am all about the natural really..

Reply
Harley link
12/2/2020 06:42:30 pm

Great bloog post

Reply



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  • Home
  • Highlights
    • Festival Schedule
    • New Releases
    • Ruidoso 2023
  • About
    • My Vision >
      • A look inside my brain
      • Organics and Why?
    • My Identity in My Work
    • Color in Black & White
    • A word from the artist
    • Production
    • An Interview wIth Art Reveal Magazine Editor Ann Grahm
    • my resume
  • Gallery
  • Publications & Exhibits
    • Exhibits Worldwide >
      • Water Expressions
      • Custom House Museum Surroundings 2020
      • Albuquerque 2019
      • Life Speaks Texas Collection 2017
      • Lone Star Exhibit 2021
      • Reflections of American Horsepower
  • Collections
    • Glen Rose 2022
    • Colorado Indian Market 2022
    • Illustration of Life
    • A Colorado Collections
    • The Art of Leaves Exhibit 2019
    • Autumn Trails
    • A Western Collection 2018
    • Rockport Collection
    • Private commissions
    • Color Sights Collection
    • My Previous Work >
      • the importance of self
      • life celebration
      • gregarious
      • rippling affect
      • rain on my car window
      • healing colors
      • the shower
      • umbrella utensils
      • jose tito
      • the color of rain
      • italian Fruit
      • water dance
      • diversity
      • street stories and making street stories
  • Newest Pieces
  • commissions completed