Hi, it’s been awhile since I last posted.
I have been following the landscape pastel course and also used pastels myself.
I used some sticks and they work fine layer well etc. The paper and the pencils are both over 20 years old so I wonder if the provlem is bc they are too old and I should discard them. Because if I try to use the pencils on top of even one layer of stick soft pastels I basically scratch away the colour but don’t get layers. I already discarded several of the old pens and wonder if I should get a pair of fresh pastels or if it’s my technique.
Any advice?
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Hi Jennilein -
Nice to see you posting in the forum again. I’m sorry but pastels are not my strong suit. I look forward to seeing replies to your excellent question from others more experienced with this media.
Terri Robichon
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Hello @Jennilein
Welcome back! I am sorry for the struggle you’re having with your pastels. I am not an expert but I’ve worked with soft pastels a lot more than any other media because it is my all time favorite 
. Would you mind sharing what kind of pastel sticks you’re using?
The miteintes paper doesn’t have as much tooth as pastelmat so it will not hold as many layers especially if we have applied more pressure between layers. You might want to lighten up the layers before adding pencils strokes on top and build the layers a little lighter since especially pitt pencils are harder, but so are derwent (not as much) and will dig in the previous layers if they are too heavy, i find that the softer the pastel sticks the faster they fill the tooth (for example unison, sennelier sticks) where rembrandt sticks are more in between softer and harder, and new pastels being the hardest of the sticks.
Also you might want to try using the broken edges of the sticks to make thinner lines or add details/highlights if the pencil application won’t “stick” or dig out grooves. I think I’ve seen Matt and Ashley use old media that is good quality without problems.
I hope it makes sense and helps out a little.
Sonia Alonzo
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Thanks for the warm welcome. Like you I love pastels very much (just the pencils don’t like me it seems).
My soft pastels are from koh i noor. They layer well on that paper by themselves.
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I would love to see your work posted! Also you could ask Matt or Ashley during the live lesson/class Thursday evening.
Sonia Alonzo
The only thing that I would add to Sonia’s excellent recommendation of pastelmat is that pastelmat is great for sharp edges. If you want a softer layered result then you might try Hahnemuhle pastel paper. Both are used by pastelists. Also, you might check You Tube for Emma Colbert.
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Hi there. I’ve worked with soft pastels a lot. It’s very difficult to use pastel pencils on top of stick pastels because stick pastels fill up the tooth of the paper very quickly. Only on very textured surfaces, such as sanded paper, will you be able to successfully layer pastel pencils on top of stick pastels and still get the vibrance of the pastel pencil. My experience is that even with Pastelmat, you must use stick pastels very lightly in order to still be able to layer pastel pencils on top and have the pencil marks be sharp and vibrant.
I’m attaching a piece where I used both sticks and pencils. In order to get the detail on the mantis, I used pencils only in that area, as layering over the soft pastels in the background wouldn’t have worked. The exception is I used pastel pencils, either Pitt or Carbothello, for the shadow of the mantis and I did that over stick pastel. The only reason that worked is because I was layering a darker value over a light. If I’d wanted any vibrance in the color, rather than simply a shadow, pastel pencil over stick wouldn’t have worked.
I also used pencil for the antennae, and it shows right there how that was difficult because I wasn’t very successful in layering the left antenna over the stick pastel in the background–the pencil wouldn’t make a smooth, fast mark so that antenna is messed up.
Basically, putting pastel pencil on top of heavy stick pastel application you will either sacrifice vibrance, detail, or both.
This piece was done on Pastelmat. Pitt pastel and Derwent pastel pencils are very different from one another. I like the Pitt pastels for details, the Derwents I haven’t quite figured out how to best use yet.
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Even though it wasn’t my question, I appreciate your detailed response. Thanks and what a nice drawing to illustrate with.
Terri with 2Rs
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Whoops! Sorry, I didn’t meant to reply to the wrong person!
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Just to help clarify, all of us can read responses which is great because we all learn that way.
Also, your remark about the pastel sticks and pencils was not directed to anyone. When you see an item you want to respond to, look for the left facing arrow and the word “Reply” to the lower right below the post you are responding to.
Also if you start your reply with . . . @Bearinthegarden . . . with the name of who you are responding to that person gets notified. When you enter @, there will be a list that you can just pick from.
Hope that makes sense, and makes it easier as you use the Forum.
Terri with 2Rs
@robichon . Thanks for your patient and non-judgmental explanation. I just got mixed up on which person within the original post I’d replied to.
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