Contemporary Pastel Painters

About This Group

This group exists to showcase the work of all Redbubble artists working in pastel. The pastel medium has many idiosyncrasies that require special knowledge. It is important for artists working in pastel to have a showcase for their work, to be inspired by others working in the medium and learn from one another and strive for excellence. Open to all artists working in the pastel medium, soft pastel, oil pastel, hard pastel, conte, and pastel pencils. Colored pencil works will no longer be allowed in the group, as there is another group for that medium. Also allowed and encouraged, artworks in mixed media, as long as one of the media is pastel. Digitally enhanced works will be accepted, only if the hand done pastel is still evident.
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• Interview with a pastel artist: Padrino

winning pastel DC Pregnant

Q: Congratulations on your winning work DC Pregnant, what inspired you to do this subject?

It was my wife’s idea (she is my main driving force – without her encouragement I wouldn’t be here today). The subject is my daughter in law heavy with her second child. I should have thought of it myself. Pregnant women can be so beautiful and I wanted to come up with a unique take on it. I used a single light source and angled it as low as I could to emphasise the swell of the stomach and the breasts.

Q: Your lighting is quite powerful, using dark shadow areas to great advantage, where the models seem to emerge out of the paper, have you always worked this way?

I started off with graphite (the obvious choice) but didn’t like the cold images so I moved on to sanguine on coloured paper using white to highlight. I liked the white so much that I dropped the sanguine and used darker paper. I now use the paper’s colour to be the darkest element and build up my tones from that, so, yes, the form does lift out of the paper. I have always been drawn (pardon the pun) to chiaroscuro, especially in portraits, so this is a natural progression for me.

Q: Do you work with models for the whole session or complete them over time?

I take reference photographs and produce my stuff from them. Some I produce almost ‘as is’ from the photo, but most are a combination of the bits I like best from several. Apart from Lauren, my models have all been amateur (friends and family) who have their own lives to lead. As each drawing takes around three hours I can’t expect them to give me whole evenings. I ask them for an hour or so and ‘bang’ off as many shots as I can. I have a ‘crib list’ of the poses that I want, but most of my best images have been from something I’ve noticed in between preconceived ideas.

Q: Lauren 2 has a wonderful contrast with the dark tones of the skin against the starkness of the white singlet, was this your intention when you started?

That was a happy accident. I saw early on how the picture was going and deliberately overplayed the vest and underplayed the body. The first thing you notice when you look at the original is the vest and then you see the person inside it. So it wasn’t my initial intention, but the final effect was quite deliberate.

Q: The Tangle, is a very complex composition which has some real abstract qualities coming out of the contrasts, do you look for this in your work?

I was advised in a gallery to add colour and to have a more abstract approach. The Tangle was one of a set that I did following that advice. The models were two sisters that have modelled for me individually and were really up for the idea. I asked them for a tangle of arms and legs and they came up with the image you see. My only problem was to stop them giggling! I’m not sure that abstraction per se really works for me. I much prefer soft realism.

Q: Has pastel always been your choice in medium?

I use pastel for its convenience. I have little free time and don’t like to spend what I have preparing to paint or cleaning up after. With pastels I can do a bit as and when. I always have a picture at some stage of completion on the easel and I can doodle a bit in passing or spend an hour lost in the process. When my circumstances change I will give oils a go.

Q: Are life studies your main subject area or do you have other work you do?

I started drawing portraits purely for amusement. My wife took some of them into the office to show her colleagues and one woman asked her to ask me if I would draw her nude “before her body went south”. So my first serious drawing was a nude commission – no pressure! When she saw the results she cried, my wife cried and the whole office started! I ended up with the pleasure of creation, the pleasure of pleasing and a nice bottle of port (I wouldn’t take any money for it). More commissions followed and I found I had an aptitude for it. I have tried other subjects but I don’t have the success with them that I have with life studies. When I have more time I would like to concentrate on seascapes (I live on the east coast of England – a particularly dramatic landscape). I mentioned this to the owner of the gallery that I exhibit in and he said NO! He pointed out the number of seascapes and landscapes on his walls. I am the only one in our area doing what I do and my stuff generates a lot of interest. (and the occasional TUT TUT).

I have been inspired and impressed by a number of artists on Redbubble, notably Terry Hinkle and Roz McQuillan. I wish I had a quarter of their talent. They have shown me the way forward. In future I will be adding more clothes, props and backgrounds to make a more complete image.

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