Painting 

Animals 

For animals, make marks in the direction of the hair growth. Every different part of animals’ faces  will have different colours, because the angles of the head and nose are facing different light. These colours put the animal in its environment. Dogs eyes are not the same as human eyes –  they won’t be in the same plane but on differently angled parts of the face. 

Background Colour 

Can be achieved by first applying an acrylic undercoat, choose a colour that will do some of the  work for you. For example a composition with a large area of blue patterned fabric would suggest  a blue background. Some of the painted finish may be left exposed. 

Dark Pastels 

When you use dark pastels, it is much better to work on a more vertical easel so dust drops into  the trap. On a sloping easel, the falling dark dust lodges in the tooth of the paper. 

Distance 

A sense of distance can be communicated by limiting object in the background to two tones rather  than three. 

Flowers 

Some are more temperamental than others. Those inclined to wilt quickly, or to turn towards to  spotlight, should be painted prior to the rest of the composition.  Place flowers with the various coloured papers to find which paper makes the flowers stands out  best.

The Process for Flowers: 

• Seek out your subject with your camera; 

• Time of day is important so shots taken early morning and late afternoon provide great lighting effects; 

• Take many photos to find the one that you will use; 

• Have your photo printed the size that enables you to easily see the information; 

• Decide whether to use the photo as is or whether to crop. 

• Ampersand board responds well to blending; 

• Blending techniques get the desired results when painting flowers; 

• Grid the flowers for speed and accuracy; 

• A hard pastel or pastel pencil in a light tone is best to draw up the composition; 

• Working on a white background provides clarity of colour not possible with coloured surfaces; 

• A small angled brush allows for corrections and to brush away unwanted areas; 

• Wet in with water, rubbing alcohol, white spirits or artists solvent where appropriate; 

• Place colours lightly to allow for the opportunity to change or adjust where necessary; 

• Work with laying in the darker tones first, a little warmer rather than cooler; 

• Laying in the tones in a gradual transition from dark to light and when sufficient colour is on the surface blending them in with the fingers in a sculpturing like fashion to help with the development of the form of each petal; 

• It is important to get all the elements in place on the surface before blending; 

• Work the form, adding details after this is completed; 

• Work through each area systematically, moving on when each section is complete. 

Glass 

Less is more when rendering glass. Do not use a line to define an edge. Tonal shape against  tonal shape will create the edge. 

Grass 

Paint grass in the direction it is growing, it’s generally vertical but look for the directional lines to  pastel over/on-top off. 

Highlights 

When painting white objects be sure to use off white leaving room for highlights in white. (Christine  Atkins)  

Lace 

Complete the background colour first then add the lace. (Christine Atkins)  

Leaves 

When painting leaves just drizzle the paint on. (Karol Oakley)  

Light Areas 

Applying and blocking in the shapes in white gouache in the beginning of a painting emphasises  the light areas, e.g. capturing the sunlight through the trees of a forest glade. 

Limit Your Palette 

To 3 values for each component e.g. sky, rocks in the light, rocks in shadow, trees in light, trees in  shadow.  

Mirror 

Use a mirror to check your work for mistakes in drawing and composition. It can be surprisingly  revealing.

Odd Numbers 

An odd number of objects always creates a more pleasing composition. (Christine Atkins)  

Portraits 

When painting portraits:  

• Layer lightly so there is no loose pastel; 

• It is best not to over blend due to damage to the paper surface; 

• Lights can be thicker than darks; 

• Get the line between the lips right and you get the lips right; 

• Paint up and down on lips; 

• Lips go around the mouth, many point the across; 

• Lights at the front of the face are painted warmer; 

• If it isn’t right just ask yourself questions to specifically pinpoint the problem areas; 

• Use flesh colour for whites of the eyes; 

• If you can’t see it, don’t paint it; 

• Use darks behind the neck to help indicate support for the head; • Commit to shapes; 

• Don’t be in a rush; 

• Just take the time it takes; 

• Using a sitter for 3 x 2 hour sittings + photos and spend 95% of the time thinking; 

• Paint as you see it, not as you think it should be; 

• Don’t be too neat and tidy, allow the portrait to emerge. 

Sand 

When painting sand use directional strokes to show the “landscape” of the sand. 

Seascapes 

When Painting Seascapes: 

• Choose papers depending on the weather, red paper for sunny days, and dark blue grey for overcast days. Before beginning the painting: 

• What caught your eye about this particular moment? Strong lines? Nice Shapes? 

• A thumbnail sketch (lightest lights and darkest darks) to work out how everything will move towards the focal point; it will also show the overall structure (e.g. zig zag), the objects to leave out and what to add to stop the viewer’s eye slipping out too quickly (e.g. a different rock); 

• Analysis of colour scheme and tones. What colours are coming from the sky or catching the sunlight? You’ll get a harmonious painting with a narrower range of the colour wheel. You need at least three tones in each area to get volume of waves, rocks etc. Water:  

• When painting water, apply colour in the direction the water is flowing; 

• For water between the horizon and the first curling waves, use at least three tones, even if they are close together; 

• Once you are painting the curling and breaking waves, use dark and mid tones for the base of the waves and lighter tones for the curling tops. 

• Avoid white as long as possible; 

• Use the lightest lights only at the focal point; 

• For the foreground water, the patchy broken water is often green because of the sunlight and when mostly blocked in will need shadows under just a few ripples to round them; Rocks 

• Rocks need to have variety in their shapes, and attention to where they start and finish, to let the eye flow through the picture; 

• Remember to use at least three tones to get volume and you may use the complementary hues to ‘grey’ the colours or use glazes to warm them up. Finishing Touches:  

• Check the focal point, it should have the most detail, the sharpest edges, the lightest lights and the darkest darks; 

• Decide on whether to include birds and where they should be placed. You can use a plastic sheet with birds drawn on it in felt pen to hold over the nearly finished painting to decide on the best solution; 

• Take photos of the painting, and print it in black and white. If it works in black and white then you’ve got the tones right.  

Similar Objects 

Such as branches will appear to advance if they are given hard edges and recede if given soft  edges. 

Smooth Textures 

For objects such as porcelain use your fingers to rub the pastel to create a soft transition. (Christine Atkins)  

Squinting 

This is important for seeing the tones of your subject more accurately as you work. (Christine Atkins)  

Suggest Distance and Texture Suggest distance and texture in as many ways as possible: 

• Different applications of the same pastel say it is a different object; 

• Use warmer and cooler shades of the colour (e.g. green) to define shapes; 

• Make slow transition in tone in some areas, and rapid transitions in others; 

• Use larger marks for closer surfaces, and smaller marks for those further back. (Tricia Taylor) Things to Consider 70% of painting to be light to medium tone. (Graham W Smith)  There are four technical areas to consider: Tone, Line, Edge and Colour. These are life lines  around which all problems you face revolve. Tone:  

• Is seen as best through squinting your eyes; 

• It is about the relationship between the lights and darks; 

• Three tones are needed for 3 dimensional forms;

• The areas of greatest tonal contrast is often best for the focal point; 

• You can’t see the darks without the lights and vice versa; 

• 90% of painting problems concern tone. Line:  

• Encompasses drawing – visual measuring; 

• Direction changes (angles); 

• Height to width ratios. Edge: 

• Involves lost and found, hard and soft; 

• Paint what you see, not what you know to be there; 

• Edge play creates 3D forms; 

• All hard edges create flatness. 

Colour:  

• Think of colour in terms of Red-Blue-Yellow; 

• What type of red, blue or yellow are I looking for; 

• White is the most opaque colour; 

• All transparent colours will inherit the opacity quality from the white so use it last; 

• Layer colours in brighter or darker than what you see at first and adjust if necessary as you progress through the drawing; 

• A good mud recipe is too much blending – colours will look like mud stirred from the bottom of a clear puddle. 

• Blend to sculpt the form. The pointer finger is the strongest one to use, the ring finger is the weakest, but is useful for sensitive small areas, the side of the hand for large areas. 

• Wash hand regularly to avoid the pastel getting into your skin. (Lyn Diefenbach) 

Water 

Always follow the direction of the water

Water gives a whole new look as the pigment turns into paint. A damp brush intensifies the colour  where it needs to appear solid, and a wet brush dilutes the pigment creating a water colour effect. (Margaret Evans)  When painting water take a lot of time to think about the light within the scene. Is it warm, direct  sunlight or cool reflected light from the sky? Choose sets of three tones To avoid mixing greys when not wanted follow the colour chart when moving from one area to  another and put a colour in between e.g. between orange-red and blue-green so that the transition  stays clean and doesn’t get muddy. Stepping from Orange to pink to red violet then to blue violet and to blue and then to blue green  builds the layers. Always follow the direction of the water with each stroke. Remember change in tone give the shape but temperature change gives the glow.