STARTING A PASTEL PAINTING
using hard pastels and a turpenoid or alcohol wash
sanded pastel paper that will accept a wash such as Wallis or UArt
rubbing alcohol or turpenoid
a selection of hard pastels such as Nupastels or Polychromos
soft pastels for finishing
Begin the painting with a loose line drawing using a warm toned hard pastel. Think in terms of shapes and design, not things. Don’t worry about detail at this stage.
Fill in the main masses with the side of the hard pastels. Limit yourself to just four values even though you can see more. This will create a strong simple structure.
Scrub in the pastel with either water, alcohol or turpenoid *be thoughtful at this stage and take your time....push the paint around, be thoughtful about your brushstrokes, follow the form or direction of the shapes. Be mindful of nuances that you might be able to keep.* Let dry.
Reestablish the darks and put in the extremes...darkest dark, lightest light, most intense color and sharpest edge. You may be surprised at how finished the painting looks at this stage
The amount of color and level of detail to add is up to your preferences at this point.