Soft Pastel Techniques in Floral Painting

An artistic medium is a tool that every artist chooses to suit his or her character and expression.

Music, as example of art, includes wind, keyboard and string instruments. Someone says that the piano is universal and can replace any instrument and even the entire orchestra.

The same instrument for me is a pastel medium. I can hold one stick of pastel in my hands, and it is at the same time acting as a wide range of brushes (from thin to wide), pencils, and even a palette knife. Pastel is very obedient and responds to the slightest touch in your hands. It can be transparent like watercolor and create incredibly delicate mixtures and overflows. It can be bright and dense like oil, leaving a visually dense stroke or smear on the paper. Of course, pastels can be as clear as graphics with expressive strokes and clear lines. But, overall, in the richness of its technical capabilities and combinations, this is an incredible symphony that makes the viewer simply enjoy the beautiful music of painting.

In this blog I would like to share with you why I think this way and what techniques I use in my work.

My favorite topic is flowers, and I always draw from life, composing bouquets of fresh flowers by myself. Buds can quickly open, turn towards the light, change color and simply fade, so I work quickly and try to capture this fragile beauty in one session. Pastel is an ideal material, always ready for work. There is no need to create mixtures on the palette, wait for the layer to dry, etc. And Unison Colors pastel combines the best characteristics of this material. And in the first place for me it is the perfect balance of softness and density. It is easy to shade, and, at the same time, it can leave a clear and rich stroke, which creates an effective contrast in the drawing.

Depending on how I hold the pastel, at what angle and with what pressure, I get the result in one move, as if touching the keys on a piano and getting staccato, legato or chord sounds.

Most often I draw on 50×70 cm paper; this size allows me to depict bouquets and flowers in life-size.

By this, I have several working surfaces in one stick:

1. The widest side part (these are wide and thin brushes).
2. Edge of the pastel (palette knife, thick strokes)
3. Broken sharp edges (for small parts)

Since the Unison Colour pastel is initially round, by turning the edge, I can be assured you have these three options for a long time.

How to depict a mass of green.

I start working with the general shape of the bouquet or the main large shapes of flowers and green. A wide side of the pastel stick is mostly suitable for this; the mark on the paper remains light and translucent.

I look at the live green and imitate the direction and dynamics. On paper, turn the stick in different directions, imitating stems and leaves in one motion.

With such approach: one movement – one leaf, one touch – a stem, the work goes quickly, which is important when working with live things.

This simplicity and lightness are pleasing to the eye and does not distract attention, because the green in a bouquet is only the basis, like an orchestra for a soloist, and the main character is the flowers themselves.

I do not set myself the goal of copying botany verbatim, but rather the character and energy of plants. Light touches of pastel on paper help in this; somewhere a stem or leaf disappears, as if the wind had blown on it, somewhere the green dissolves in the space of the paper, as if everything is alive and breathing.

The texture of the paper is also important, I use a smooth surface, the pastel on it looks like checkered green.

It is important to leave the base of the bouquet light and airy, as is the case with herbs and branches.

To depict thin stems, I do not use pencils, but the same wide side surface of the pastel stick. Due to the round shape, the contact with the paper results in a thin line. If applied along the stick, the lines are light and natural. Initially, it is easy to get to the desired direction simply by placing the stick in the direction along the required line.

Moving on to the details, even if I use the same stick and color, I change the edge and the application of the pressure. The strokes on paper become denser and more expressive. To do this, I use a short edge, at an angle to the paper, with force. In combination with the first layers, this creates volume. Then what is in the depths comes out light or blurry, and what is closer to the viewer appears clear and bright.

How to depict transparent thin petals

For the main large flowers in the composition, with the same side part of the pastel stick, I create a painterly base by studying the color of nature and simply adding light layers. In live flowers in natural light, you can see many shades and reflections. At first, I just notice them and lightly apply these colors in the appropriate places. At the second stage, from the laid down shades, I form the shape of a flower or petal using light shading. Unison pastel pigments can be combined and mixed beautifully to create the clean, subtle gradations that are so characteristic for live nature.

Next, I add local colors to this picturesque foggy spot, without shading in the direction of petal growth. For the edges of the petals, the broken, sharp edge of a stick works perfectly. Unlike pencils, the mark turns out to be very expressive and rich, and visually more dense, free and lively.

Nature and materials combine very harmoniously. Something that is airy and transparent requires one or two light touches of pastel.

What is dense and expressive, thanks to the layers and dense strokes, becomes almost tangible. When finishing the work, all my strokes are very clear, and I apply them with the edge of the pastel with pressure at an angle.

Now, looking at the photos of my works, you, by yourself can distinguish all the techniques that I have been using.