Hello Everyone!
What a great way to welcome in the New Year. Can you believe it is 2025? It almost sounds like a Sci-Fi Movie. Well, for someone who has lived in the 1960’s it does!!
This is the year I have decided to start mixing mediums. I started drawing with colored pencils in 1991 and have not really tried any other medium other than colored pencils. This is probably due to a learning curve and then feeling very comfortable using colored pencils. I wanted to become skilled in my drawing and using this medium has allowed me to advance to a place in creating that I love.
So, I have stepped outside of my comfort zone and started using pan pastels. Pan pastels are an oil-based paint type of medium, similar to chalk or charcoal. They come in a variety of colors and are encased in individual flat pan-like containers, unlike pencil and stick chalk pastels. This gives the freedom of blending colors, similar to acrylic or watercolor, by using what are called “Sofft” (yes, this is the correct spelling) tools in place of brushes. They are made with a minimal binder which gives them a highly pigmented color allowing the use of various artistic techniques which can easily be mixed with other mediums.
I bought a set of 20 colors of the pan pastels and multiple shaped Sofft tools for application. Since these pastels are powdery and loose when applying to a surface it is best to use a paper that pastels will stick to, such as sandpaper. This is because the pastel property does not soak into the paper like paint or watercolor but stays on the surface of the paper. Examples of sandpaper is LuxArchival, an acid free paper on front and back, and colored textural specialty pastel paper like the very popular Canson Mi-Teintes and Strathmore Pure Tents. However, depending upon the artists preference, the surface can either be smooth or much more textured depending on how they want the drawing to look. I actually prefer a smoother surface because I combine the pans with the colored pencils, which works well for a more painterly look that I like.
Of course, the secret to using the pan pastels is using a fixative spray to hold the pastel to the paper and allow for layering. This also prevents the pastel from flaking off the paper or collecting at the bottom of the paper and frame. I use two different fixatives between my layering. The SpectraFix Degas Fixative, which is odor-free and nontoxic, is used between the pan pastel layering and Krylon Workable Fixatif, which is acid free and archival and prevents smudging and wrinkling, for colored pencil layering. Both fixatives can be used interchangeably, but this is how I use them.
Here is a drawing I created using the mixture of both pan pastels as a base and then colored pencils layered over the pastels for more depth and detail. This drawing was actually an experiment using Artistico Extra White 100% cotton hot press satine watercolor paper. I use this paper for most of my colored pencil drawings and just wanted to test the results using the pans along with the pencils. It was also fun drawing two identical flowers opposing each other using opposing colors. I rather like it.
Well, I hope this blog isn’t too technical for my readers today. I am excited experimenting with mixing both mediums together for a different look and I have created several other drawings using this method. Until my next blog, …
Blessings to all for this New Year.
Terrie D
Wow! We are almost through winter and entering springtime. With all of the rain and snow we have had it will feel wonderful seeing the sunshine again. I took my little eleven-year old Shih Tzu doggie-dog for a walk yesterday down a path we haven’t used throughout winter. What a lovely walk, meeting all the other doggie owners walking the path and seeing the beautiful flowers budding and ready to burst out into the world. What a great inspiration to bring lots of color into my drawings.