PASTELS DEMONSTRATION FLORAL STILL LIFE By Michael Howley In this guide I will be demonstrating how to develop a floral still life using blending and layering techniques. As you can see from the photograph, I have selected an unusual composition taken from above a potted Calla Lilly plant. This is because I like the flowing forms of the lilies and leaves and I was drawn to the play of light and shade across them. I felt that zooming in would allow me to make the most of these aspects. I worked from an image on my computer screen, so if you work from a printed out version, you may want to modify and deepen the tones a little. www.arttutor.com 1
Materials Paper: I have chosen to work on a soft green paper from Windsor and Newton (Similar to one available in the Fabriano Tiziano range and a Fern Green available in the Daler-Rowney range). It is slightly cool and a little lighter than a mid tone (though it looks a bit grey in the photographs). I felt it would help me with my greens generally, as I could allow it to show through to varying degrees. If you use a green paper that is lighter, darker or stronger in colour, you will probably have to select slightly different colours and tones of pastel than me as my choices were based on working on (and incorporating) this particular green. Pastels Daler-Rowney Soft Pastels 1. Cream White 2. Pansy Violet Tint 1 3. Pansy Violet Tint 2 4. Crimson Lake Tint 2 5. Crimson Lake Tint 3 6. Purple Tint 3 7. Pansy Violet Tint 8 8. Mauve Tint 6 9. Purple Grey Tint 6 10. Yellow Green Tint 1 11. Yellow Green (Light Tint) from the Conte Range 12. Brilliant Green Tint 6 13. Hookers Green Tint 8 14. Olive Green Tint 8 15. Terre Verte Tint 1 16. French Ultramarine Tint 2 17. French Ultramarine Tint 3 18. Indigo Tint 8 I also used the following Derwent Pastel Pencils for my initial sketch: 1. Geranium Lake 2. Forest Green 3. Dark Violet www.arttutor.com 2
A note about pastels and colour selection: You don t have to rush out and buy the same pastels as I have used here or have exactly the same colours. Use the above range as a guide to the sorts of colours I used and then match them as closely as you can from whatever range you have (or buy). I like to work with Daler-Rowney ranges because of their softness and quality but you could get very good results from less expensive ranges of pastels like Inscribe or Mung-Yo for example. My online tutorials go through this in more detail and there I suggest a range of 48 Inscribe (half size) which will give you a decent palette of colours with quite a few subtle tints that you will often use. I also look at colour mixing using pastels a tutorial that gives you an idea of just how many colours you can mix from a few warm and cool primaries (plus white). Colour is personal and subjective and you might make different colour selections than me depending on your own perception and instinct. www.arttutor.com 3
The Initial Sketch Sometimes pencil will not show up well on a certain tone of paper so in this case, I chose 3 pastel pencils to sketch out my main shapes with: Geranium Lake for the outline of the Flowers; Forest green for the Leaves; and Dark Violet for the central details and shadow areas in the flower forms. Each of these will disappear into the pastel layers as the painting progresses. You could use harder ranges of soft pastels like Conte instead or even your soft pastels to sketch out. On the following page you will find an A4 picture of my sketch. If you choose to work to A4 size, you can copy the picture directly, if you want to work a bit bigger, try to grid method to enlarge my sketch onto your paper. If you re unsure how this works, take a look at Bob Davies Drawing Foundation Course on ArtTutor.com www.arttutor.com 4
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Step 1: Blocking in Using the side of the pastel mainly, I began by blocking in the main areas of the leaves using Hookers Green (Tint 8). Remember to vary the pressure here to allow the green of the paper to break through in certain areas. Some areas I left uncovered ready for some highlights later on. Take your time to observe the subtle shifts from one shape to another and don t be tempted to switch off and just fill in the whole area. www.arttutor.com 6
Next we can move onto some blending. Concentrating on the areas that we ve just filled in, let s gently blend the pastel into the surface of the paper. Be careful to blend around the other shapes, and again, we don t want something that s too uniform so you might want to vary the pressure or amount of blending so that you keep the shapes that you ve drawn and allow varying amounts of the paper surface to break through. Moving on to the flowers now, I applied a first layer of Pansy Violet (Tint 1), floating this over the shadow tones of my pencil sketch. I then gently blended this into the paper surface, allowing it to merge with the sketch. www.arttutor.com 7
Next, I applied a further layer of Pansy Violet (Tint 1) to lighten areas of the flowers, which I then blended in. Effectively, these two layers of Pansy Violet change the working surface from the green of the paper to a soft foundation layer for further pinks and mauves. www.arttutor.com 8
Step 2: Building Initial Colour Layers (Flowers) We ve got a really good base for our painting now, so we can start to build up some of the layers of colour that will make this picture luscious and vibrant. So using strokes that followed the contours (and observing the shapes), we can build the suggestion of detail in the flowers using Pansy Violet (Tint 2). Again, I followed this by blending the layer gently in, pinching my little finger together with another for control of edges. There is an art to blending involving carefully following the shapes that you have applied and varying the pressure so that the effect is not too even or mechanical. A light touch is the most important thing to remember! www.arttutor.com 9
Next, I warmed the pinks by adding Crimson Lake (Tint 3) and alternated this with more of the Pansy Violet (Tint 2) to create the subtle ridges in the flower surface. Again, I gently ran my finger over these to soften them in. I then added some depth by applying a layer of Crimson Lake (Tint 3) to certain areas, which I then blended in. Notice in the centre, I used smaller stippled strokes to suggest the stamen and allowed the Dark Violet Pencil and green paper layers to show through a little for depth. www.arttutor.com 10
Step 3: Developing Shadows and Depth (Flowers) I then began to develop the shadow areas and textural contrasts on the flowers using Purple (Tint 3). Again being careful to observe the shapes, I used the side of the pastel for larger areas and the end for detail. As usual, I followed this with some light blending. www.arttutor.com 11
To give greater depth to these areas, I then added and blended in some Mauve (Tint 6). Then with Pansy Violet (Tint 8), I added another layer, developing the texture a little more in the ridges and the central detail. I followed this by adding a little more Crimson Lake (Tint 3) to certain areas and blending layers lightly together. www.arttutor.com 12
Step 4: Adding Detail (Flowers) Using Purple Grey (Tint 6), I drew in the dark tones at the base of the stamen. Then I added Yellow Green (Tint 1), Cream White and Brilliant Green (Tint 6) to the central area of the right hand flower, blending them together slightly. www.arttutor.com 13
Step 5: Developing the Leaves and Background I began then to develop the shape, detail and contrast in the leaves using a combination of Olive Green (Tint 8) and Indigo (Tint 8). Again, I allowed varying amounts of the Hookers Green and the paper colour to show through these layers. I was also careful when working along edges and used the side of the pastel to create crisp contrasts where needed. www.arttutor.com 14
Then I developed the small flower form in the background beginning with Pansy Violet (Tint 2), and overlaying with Pansy Violet (Tint 8), Mauve (Tint 6) and Indigo (Tint 8). I also emphasized the highlight on the edge of the form using Yellow Green (Tint 1). www.arttutor.com 15
Next, I worked on the pot in the bottom right of the picture, using in order, Purple (Tint 3); Purple Grey (Tint 6); French Ultramarine (Tint 4) and French Ultramarine Tint 3). With each I followed the contour of the form and then blended in. www.arttutor.com 16
Step 6: Refining Detail & Contrast Using Terre Verte (Tint 1) and a Conte Yellow Green (Light Tint), I then brought out some of the lighter tones and highlights across the leaves. I worked fairly lightly and blended areas with previous layers to soften them in. Occasionally, I would use a firmer stroke and blend very little in order to pick out a highlight. I followed this by sharpening up the darker details using hookers green (Tint 8); Olive Green (Tint 8) and Indigo (Tint 8). I noticed at this point another small flower in the background which I brought out using Pansy Violet (Tints 1 & 2). www.arttutor.com 17
Then I continued to work on the lighter tones and highlights using Terre Verte (Tint 1) and the Conte Yellow Green (Light Tint). I varied the strokes here to pick out crisp details, flowing highlights and stippled or broken detail. If you want more help with some of these tricker markmaking techniques, you can refer to my Soft Pastels Foundation Course on ArtTutor.com. www.arttutor.com 18
Returning to the flowers, I added depth and detail to the central areas using Crimson Lake (Tint 3) and Pansy Violet (Tint 8). www.arttutor.com 19
Step 7: Stepping Back and Assessing At this stage, I paused and had a good long stare at the image. Then I went away and had a brew and came back to it. This allowed me to see it with fresh eyes and to work out what final refinements I could make. I felt that the highlights on the flowers could do with bringing out a little more and so I decided to heighten the contrasts a little. www.arttutor.com 20
Step 8: Final Refinements Firstly, I began to brighten the highlight areas using Pansy Violet (Tint 1). Then I increased the contrast in the shadow areas and ridges using Mauve (Tint 6). And Finally, I further emphasized key highlights in these areas. www.arttutor.com 21
The Finished Outcome So here is the final piece. I am pleased with the sense of flow about the shapes and the play of light and dark across the image. As you will have experienced, the process involved sketching it out using pastel pencils, blocking initial areas in, building colour layers, adding tonal depth, developing contrasts of light and dark followed by assessing, refining and finally tweaking until you are satisfied that the piece is finished. I hope you ve enjoyed having a go and that you have found this guide helpful. www.arttutor.com 22
About Michael Howley Born in Burnley in 1964, I have taught and painted around the North and Pendle area for over 25 years. Soft Pastels is my favourite medium and I particularly enjoy applying it to the subtleties of Landscape painting. I try to capture a sense of the moment and emphasise mood and atmosphere. See Michael s full profile at: www.arttutor.com/michael-howley Find more guides like this one at www.arttutor.com Coloured Pencil Nude by Jane Lazenby Strawberries by Karl Fletcher Making Charcoal by James Wood Midnight Sky in Pastel by Michael Howley www.arttutor.com 23