Producing a wet underpainting with pastel is something many paitners have experimented with. Personally, I enjoy doing a watercolor underpainting when working en plein air, because of the immediacy and simplicity of opening a small watercolor palette, dipping a brush into a little water, and letting it go. In the studio, on the other hand, I often turn to thin washes of oil paint, using a large amount of mineral spirits. In both cases, it's important to select a paper that can withstand the process. Wallis sanded pastel paper or the new Uart premium pastel paper are good choices.

If you choose to use pastel to produce a wet, drippy, runny effect (similar to what watercolor and oil create), I do have a few tips:

• Know your surface. Can it accept certain solutions without a problem? If water is to be employed, then a ridged sturdy surface will be needed; otherwise, it will be prone to buckling. If mineral spirits are used, make sure it won't soften the adhesive that was used to mount the paper. For these reasons, I generally stick to a simple rule, using water on mounted paper and mineral spirits for unmounted paper. Note: If the pastel paper was archival mounted using a pH-neutral heat adhesive or PVA acrylic adhesive, it's fine to use mineral spirits. Rubbing alcohol has been another popular solvent, but I avoid it since most of our surfaces have an acrylic nature and may be softened—if not removed—with its use.

• Use bright pure pastels, avoiding sticks with white or black added. These “tinted” and “shaded” pastels often produce cloudy effects when spread. Think of your pastel choices as if they were tube pigments. If the underpainting is to have a translucent quality similar to a watercolor or glazed oil paint, the substrate should show through. The whiter and brighter it is, the stronger the diluted pastel pigment will appear.

• Test pastel brands (on the surface you plan to utilize) to see how they interact with water and mineral spirits. Many manufactures add inert products to their sticks to create a characteristic feel. These products can be water-resistant or gummy when made wet. The purer the pigment content, the less change will occur when dampened. Many of the current brands work very well, but I've found that Sennelier pastels stand out as a constant winner; their pastels are pure pigment with the tiniest amount of binder and no fillers added. These pure pigments are capable of brilliant underpaintings, producing less of a clouded/muddied appearance. Holbein also makes an interesting small set of water-soluble pastels. This tiny set of 24 colors is a joy to spread around when water is utilized. Try your favorite brand to see how it responds.

• Apply thin amounts of pastel. Don’t attempt to cover the entire surface. Too much pastel will create a paste and over-fuse the colors, creating mud. It's advisable to start by wetting the lightest/brightest areas before proceeding to the darks. The darks can easily contaminate the lights and should be handled with care. Allow the darks to be a little lighter and more colorful. This produces a better underpainting, giving the shadows more depth.

Remember that an underpainting is just that, a setup for the pastel painting. Keep it thin and mysterious, allowing the pastel application to produce the resolve.

Pictured above: An example of a pastel wash on Wallis paper, using both water and mineral spirits as a solvent.

Pastel has a close kinship to oil: Both are opaque and often hard to tell apart when viewed from a distance. Obviously, oil and pastel have their differences. Oil is wet and applied with a brush or painting knife, and pastel is dry and applied directly in stick form. Oils' ability to retain brushwork is what marks its major characteristic. This brushwork becomes the signature of the artist and has been masterfully utilized over the centuries by artists like Rembrandt van Rijn, Diego Velázquez, John Singer Sargent, Robert Henri, and Nicolia Fechin. The bold bravado stroke of the brush filled with thick paint imparts a sculptural appearance accenting the painting’s topography. This accentuates the appearance of texture and depth, creating a painterly (in the fashion of paint) appearance.

Pastel, being applied by the stick, doesn’t easily produce the same qualities. It goes on solid, only appearing to have texture when interacting with the ground it is placed on. As artists like Degas began to push the medium beyond the realm of sketching and into fine art, they experimented with a variety of textured grounds, producing painterly results (check out some of the ballerina paintings of Degas to see how masterfully he utilized the texture of the ground).

Today’s artists are still experimenting with textured grounds, producing the appearance of bold, bravado strokes that have as much visual power as the finest oils. Modern acrylic mediums have made this task easier and more archival, allowing heavy textured buildups that retain a degree of flexibility and are non-acidic. Manufacturers like Art Spectrum, Lascaux, and Golden Acrylic Company provide a series of pastel grounds that are ready to apply. Some artists prefer to make their own by combining an acrylic medium with grit (pumice powder or marble dust are widely used for this purpose, refer to blog post “When Homemade is Best”). Depending on the thickness of the ground, a heavy or light brush texture may be produced. Hog hair bristle brushes work well, imparting the same “swept” appearance as they do for the oil painter. (See the photo above for a close-up look at a heavy brush-textured ground with pastel raked over the top.)

Whichever pastel ground you end up choosing, it will need to be placed on to a suitable surface. Make sure it is sturdy and ph neutral (non-acidic). Experiment with different strokes and find which best suits your individual style. Then get ready to deal with the comments, “I can’t tell your pastels from your oils."

Whether attending a class or working en 
plein air, it can be advantageous to have a smaller downsized 
palette instead of trying to transport an entire studio. But, with so many pastels to choose from (mind you, I'm not complaining), it can be a difficult task to narrow it down.

All artists’ palettes need to facilitate the three aspects of color: hue, the individual color family; chroma, the intensity or saturation of said color; and value, the relative lightness or darkness of said color. Simply stated, we need a full spectrum of color representing every hue and grayer degrees of those hues at a variety of value from near white to almost black. Don’t rely on one brand’s complete set to provide everything you require. By selecting individual pastels across a range of manufacturers, you will be better able to represent the full spectrum of color.

Brands also have personality, their own characteristic feel. Some are very soft and velvety, while others are slightly hard and gritty. Typically, harder pastels serve well for dark/dull passages, imparting a limited amount of pastel allowing heavier luscious layers of light to be added on top. Conversely,  softer pastel sticks work better for the light/bright sections. These allow a bold bright mark to be applied, representing the power and intensity of light. The old opaque painters' tip of working thinly in 
the shadows is well heeded here.

Strong sturdy pastel palettes have made our painting lives easier, allowing for easier transportation of our pastels. Two of the major manufacturers (Dakota Art Pastels and Heilman Designs) offer a variety of sizes. The larger sizes are better suited for studio/classroom work, when we're able to open them in a secure stable setting. The 
medium boxes hold a large amount of individual pastels (especially when half or smaller pieces are utilized) and are a good choice if car travel is your means of transportation. The smaller compact boxes hold less but provide adequate room for a sensible palette and are much lighter when packed great distances. Removing the label and breaking the stick into a usable size also allows for more individual selections to be transported. If a palette holds 120 full sticks, it will be capable of accommodating 240 if broken in half.

By breaking pastels into half size pieces and selecting harder brands to represent the bulk of the dark/dull tones with the softer brands selected for the bright/light tones, a downsized palette can be accomplished (see my example above), providing a full spectrum of hue, chroma, and value. Everything we need to paint well except for inspiration, knowledge, and experience. But that’s another discussion.

In the last blog post, I discussed the issues faced by ever-changing lighting conditions when painting on location. Having an umbrella setup that helps to provide consistent shade while working for a few hours can make the situation less stressful.

A few years ago, when there were fewer of us dragging our pastels out on location, we had to improvise to make everyday umbrellas work. Clever devices evolved and we were always looking over the shoulder of each other to see what the other had done. Since the popularity of working en plein air has risen, manufacturers have marketed an array of new setups. Having built a few of my own and field-tested a variety of the commercially available models, I thought I'd share a few observations.

First, determine what size will work best for your individual needs. If you travel a lot, especially by air, a small, compact collapsible model will be best. These attach to the easel with a clamp and usually have a degree of extension and flexibility built in. On the other hand, if you commonly drive to your painting locations, a larger, sturdy model that provides a wider area of shade would be more practical. In windy conditions, vented umbrellas are best. They allow for a degree of airflow before picking up and tipping over whatever they happen to be attached to.

Wind is the major culprit behind the most disruptive scenarios, causing the dreaded tumbled easel and pastel palette. For this reason, carefully consider your umbrella choices when working in blustery conditions. Weighting down an easel with a bag of found rocks or securing an easel to the ground with tent stakes are both good options, as is attaching the umbrella to a freestanding structure, rather than the easel. I've utilized a spare camera tripod at times, attaching a large clamp plein air umbrella or fashioning a golf umbrella with a clamp that attaches to the tripod. This allows me to easily move the setup as the light changes; plus, it is independent of my setup if it should blow over when a wind gusts.

The “Shadebuddy” is available from Dakota Art Pastels or Judsons Art Outfitters. It provides a metal stake that can easily be placed in the bare ground, and it holds a large golf umbrella in its swiveling head, providing similar options. For a good wind-hardy clamp-on umbrella, Artwork Essentials is marketing a telescoping, free tethered umbrella that allows it to gently lift off and drift to the ground in windy conditions.

Another major consideration is the color and translucency of the umbrella material. White, black, grey, or some soft neutral tones are best when dealing with anything translucent. Bright colors will reflect onto the painting, affecting its appearance. Some painters want the little bit of soft light emitted from the translucent material, especially dry-medium artists like pastelists who don’t have to compete with the shiny glare off their painting surface. Others prefer a sun-block material, often black on the inside and reflective on the topside, helping to keep things cool in severe summer conditions. These sun-block umbrellas can also prove useful in severely bright painting locations, like high-altitude locales.

It's always advisable to fold down the umbrella when walking away from your easel for a period of time and to set your pastel palette on the ground. Coming back after a break to find your materials strung across the countryside can deter even the best of painters from wanting to venture out.
 
When making your umbrella decisions, seek out the opinions of other artists. This can save a few headaches in the field and monies (that can be used to purchase more pastels). Check the latest advertisements for new models. There are always improvements being made, and many of the current models are vastly improved over their predecessors. Every time I gather with other outdoor painters, there is some new-and-improved umbrella being used, which I immediate feel I have to acquire, knowing it will make my paintings better! If not better, it will at least make the experience more pleasant!

Pictured above: A freestanding tripod umbrella setup (homemade), the “Shadebuddy”  ground-staked setup, and two collapsible clamp-on umbrellas.

A Photograph of the stream.

As motivated and excited as most of us are to paint, we all go through periods where the muse is hiding. The time is allotted, the pastels arranged, the surface prepared, and the inspiration is just absent. When this happens, a surefire way of recharging those batteries of inspiration is a road trip. As a landscape painter, and one that loves working en plein air, I find exploring new territory and allowing for serendipity, will lead to enthusiasm. This adventure into the unfamiliar always stimulates the senses, allowing new ideas to form. Departing from a preplanned agenda and letting ourselves explore, opens our creative eye to the possibilities lying in wait.

Recently, I found myself in a state of low motivation. A series of deadlines and major painting commitments had taken their toll on my energy and had left me uninspired. Fortunately, I had a couple of artist friends who came to the rescue. We gathered one morning and wandered into a remote area of Central Oregon’s high desert. One of the friends was familiar with the region, so we at least had an idea of what might lie ahead - always wise to know if there is gas and an occasional rest stop along the way. As we headed off, we began to visit and even vent a little about the state of the art world. This is our artistic therapy session and something I highly recommend. What is
said within the confines of the car stays in the car – so freeing. As we ventured into what was new territory for me, one of the artists made a comment that really resonated: “it's impossible to really see the potential of an area until you pull the car over and wander into the surrounding area.” With this in mind, we took the first pullout that allowed for the car to be off the road to put this theory into practice.

Once out, with cameras and sketchbooks in hand, the adventure began. Right in front of us was a beautiful stream, filled with brilliant blue reflections and the stunning contrast of the warm earth complementing it - wow - this was great! Before I could say “Sennelier,” one of the artists had headed off following the bank of the stream, it was as if we were all being drawn to follow it on its journey. Each bend held a new fascination. Cameras clicked and notes were taken as we continued on our mesmerizing journey. Hardly a word was uttered; we were transfixed by the visual scene unfolding before us. After a considerable amount of time, I realized we had wandered a great distance from the car, leaving the doors wide open in our enthusiasm. As I headed back to secure it, I found my energy restored; so many compositions, exciting color combinations, and textures had done the trick. I can hardly wait to see where this newfound inspiration leads.

This time of year it's hard to miss the green. It's everywhere. As spring rains lead to those summer flowers, green is a major part of the package. One of the most frequent questions I receive in a workshop is how do you handle green in your paintings? As an artist friend once said when asked about working with green: “I avoid it at all cost."

The thing is; with green, a little goes a long way. If you want to use greens well and keep them in harmony with the landscape, my tip is: “orange is the secret and violet the friend." Adding a touch of red to the mixture of yellow and blue (green) will complete the triad of color, helping to relate it to the other warm tones within the scene. Placing a little violet of the same value next to a mass of green counteracts the harshness of the green, making it appear a little more yellow, again pulling it toward a warmer appearance due to simultaneous contrast (see previous blog post for more on that). We often think we only see blue, green and variations of gray, forgetting that light is made up of all color. The pigments we choose to paint with merely represent what the eye sees. The leaves, for example, are not viridian or cadmium; those are pigments. We see non-absorbed light reflected off surfaces and associate colors. Pastel artists have an especially difficult time because so little blending is utilized in producing individual hues. We rely on hundreds of sticks while a wet painter might have as few as four tubes of paint. Most green pigments, in their raw form, are too blue (cool) and over saturated (bright) to work well unless combined with another pigment. Pastel manufacturers like Unison, Terry Ludwig, Girault, Sennelier, Mount Vision, and Great American have an assortment of greens that are a mixture of pigments. When purchasing individual sticks, don’t select them based on their pigment name. Look at them and ask yourself: Does this stick represent something I would mix if I were painting with wet paint?
 
My best advice is to acquire those blended green pastel sticks, the warmer the better. Add orange, (the secret) and violet (the friend) to those large green masses (as shown in the image of color swipes at right), even if it's in the underpainting, and embrace the beauty of those natural greens. Soon they will become golden yellow—another story.

Pictured above: See how green is handled in this detail of my painting, Layers of Light.