Following the Thanksgiving festivities, most of us are probably rather tired of leftovers, but there's one kind of leftover that pastel artists should always be interested in: the tiny bits and pieces of "leftover" pastel. Quality pastels are expensive and I hate to waste even the littlest sliver. Over time, our precious sticks wear down to tiny nubs and become unusable (unless you're one of those talented artists that utilize little pastel pearls in your technique). Artists, like my friend Glenna Hartmann, who produce gorgeous, large, painterly pastel paintings with tiny pastel nubs, always dazzle me—bravo! But I happen to be one of those artists who prefers a stick with some heft. Besides wearing the pastels down, we also contend with pastel sticks that crumble when the paper label is removed, and with dust that accumulates below our paintings (which I carefully collect into 
jars). But, all of these leftover pastel fragments can be reworked into viable forms.

I keep it simple, because I don't want to produce pastels from scratch; I just want to redeploy my leftovers. For health reasons, it's advisable to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth as well as surgical gloves to protect your hands. Never blow the dust around; instead, use a damp rag to wipe up any messes. Along with the pastel fragments or collected dust, you'll need a large smooth surface for mixing (a marble tile or ¼-inch picture glass surface works well), utensils for grinding the pigments together (a 1¼-inch putty knife from the hardware store will work), distilled or purified water, and paper towels.

Place the pastel fragments and/or dust on the mixing surface and carefully grind it by flattening the putty knife blade into the pile. Keep reforming the mound and repeating the grinding procedure until no more grit is felt and the pastel fragments have been pulverized into a pile of pigment. This can take quiet a bit of effort and repetition. If you leave too much grit, there will be surprise flecks of color in the stick you produce. Create a small cone shape (a volcano mountain shape) out of the pigment and make a crater in the center. (The photo at left shows my pile of pastel fragments, the pulverized dust shaped into a mountain, and my required mxing tools: marble tile, water, putty knife and palette knife.)

Next, slowly add water, a drop at a time. It's best to add too little than too much. Since you're working with what was once a pastel, the binder and preservatives are already part of the mix. Allow some time for the water to soak in and then slowly fold the pigment back into the mix until a paste is created, much like a heavy dough. Pick up with your fingers the amount you wish to form into a shape and gently roll this out on a paper towel until it resembles a Tootsie roll candy. (Some artists like to pat the paste into pillows or other shapes, rather than a log-shape; feel free to experiment.) Leave the pastels on the towel to dry (usually a few days) and then place them back in service in your pastel palette. (The second photo shows the mixed paste, the formed pastel stick (on the paper towel), and an example of finished dry leftover pastels.)

You can mix different pastel colors to obtain interesting colors or mix a lot of fragments and obtain grays (neutrals), something I often do. But don’t fall too in love with the stick you produce, since it's one of a kind!

Another way of utilizing these tiny pastel bits is to grind them down along with a white pastel stick and create tints (a little piece of strong pigment will go a long way in making a lighter tint).

 
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Last week, I talked about my organizational system for photos and slides. This week, I'll discuss my digital reference library. In photography, digital methods have become the dominant player. As many manufacturers have dropped consumer film production altogether, if you haven’t made the transition to digital yet, the time will come when you must.

Digital photography is an economical way to capture a large volume of reference material, and it allows for accessible filing on a personal computer. As the cameras get more sophisticated (and affordable), it becomes easier to acquire quality reference material at very little expense. After the initial equipment purchases, there are no film or developing expenditures required.

A few years ago I decided to migrate to digital for my studio reference material. As the images started to accumulate, I considered the best way to organize them for easy access and decided to adopt a similar system to the one I'd been using for film. I created folders on my computer labeled “reference images”, and I created subfolders with specific dates and locations for each set of digital 
images. It's a good idea, in case of a computer malfunction, to have back-ups of all these valuable files. You can burn disks or acquire an external hard drive to save these image files. You only have to experience one computer meltdown to realize how important this step is! Opening these folders with a computer program that has a  “contact sheet layout” makes it easy to quickly scan through hundreds of individual images. Almost all of the photographic programs available, even the inexpensive ones, have this capability.

After you select the image you want to paint, you can choose to print it on a standard home printer or take it to a photography lab for processing with professional equipment. To duplicate the experience of working from slides, many artists are investing in a studio computer and monitor, and forgoing the hassle and expense of printing altogether. Large flat-screen monitors have become very affordable and relegating an old computer to studio duty can create an economical setup. Flat screen monitors don’t suffer from image-burn the way older CTR (TV-like) monitors do, making them a better choice. My monitor sits next to my easel (see photo), replacing the Telex Caramate slide projector I had used for years. Since these are digital images, you can easily save a copy of a selected image in another folder for quick reference without disturbing the original file. This facilitates easy access of reference images without having to spend a lot of precious time hunting.

With a little knowledge of your photographic programs, you can make minor adjustments to the image creating a more useful reference. With a flick of my finger, I can zoom in and analyze a specific area or make the image black and white, allowing for study of the major value shapes. An added benefit is to set the monitor to go to screensaver after 20 minutes. When you see the swirling colors on the screen—take a break, step back and analyze the painting from a distance—
then move the mouse bringing the image back on the screen for another session. This has become an invaluable tool in stopping me from over working a painting.

Even though I will always crave the experience of working directly en plein air—I have found the use of an organized filing system and digital monitor a nice alternative when working in my studio.