Making My Own Pastels

I have been working with pastels for over 10 years now and have had the opportunity to experiment and observe the way they work.
Of course there is a huge difference between the more expensive pastels and the cheaper variety but all can be useful.

The biggest challenge for me has been finding the right colours and generally pure pigment and very bright colours.

Sometimes the pure pigment pastels are very soft and flakey and I have often wondered what ingredient holds the pigment together so that I could restore those that "fall apart".

During some quiet time in the hot weather (and we have been hot this summer.. up to 50C so no use venturing outside after about 8.30 in the morning) I began researching how pastels are made.

The most interesting information came from Kurt Wenner's blog  https://kurtwenner.com/blog/2012/09/01/creating-pastels/  where a range of recipes are offered.


The main binder ingredient suggested  is gum tragacanth although wallpaper paste is also suggested as a cheaper option.

It was the description about how the gum is dissolved that seemed really familiar and made me think back to past experiences. 

"Once the powder is dispersed in the alcohol, add the mixture to a container with 10 parts water. The water should be churning in a blender or mixer as the gum solution is added. The gum likewise needs to be stirred while in the alcohol solution or it will settle to the bottom of the container.

3. Stir the mixture occasionally, but do not let it froth. It is best to let the solution sit for 8-12 hours before using it. The resulting liquid should be thick and slimy, but easily pourable. The binding strength will need to be tested, so the initial result is not extremely important."

Once upon a time I was a "marbler"  https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiesharp/albums/68969

We used Carageen to create a gelatinous, watery base for our marbling process and this was mixed in a similar fashion to the above description and allowed to sit over night.

I have several containers of Carageen left over from this past life and so with nothing to lose I set about experimenting. 

Main ingredients:

Carageen - mixed in water

Calcium carbonate

Pigment

I tried several ways of mixing the ingredients according to the recipes I found.

Rolling in plastic wrap produces a cylinder shape.

Leaving the mixture in ice block trays to dry out resulted in cracking but the pastel pieces work just as well as the rolled ones.

The next step was to mix the pigment, some calcium carbonate and the glue in small containers  but as the block began to dry I levered it away from the edge and no cracking occurred.

New Directions in 2019

Well 2018 disappeared quickly!!!

We are currently experiencing a crazy summer with temperatures sky-rocketing into the high 40s and then plummeting down to the 20s. Not much you can do on hot days but plan new directions and consider new possibilities.

I have a couple of new themes on the boil that I am exploring with both pastels and iPad.

The Earth / Fossil series where I am playing with warm vs cool colours and layers, patterns and textures.

And Bountiful where I am introducing people into the drawings. This is still very much in the experimental stage.

  

A Time of Change

It has been creeping up on me but we have all noticed that my style has changed over time. It is nearly 10 years since I began this pastel adventure although really it is a continuation of my affinity with chalk, a hangover from the classroom days. 
I guess I used the "line" technique as a way of entering a new medium and the structure allowed me to explore the way the different pastels work. 
Recently I began to feel the restrictions of this technique and, on reflection, realise that I have reverted back to the almost cartoon style that I used on blackboards years ago. 
There has also been the influence of the iPad drawings which are clean and bold. 
The interesting thing is it seems to resonate with people and I have sold quite a few in the last couple of months.
People will have the opportunity to see several of these at The Platform Gallery during "A Brush With Art".

Heading into 2018

It has been a while since I have updated this Blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.

I have spent my blog time maintaining the Platform Gallery Blog. 

2017 Was a year of building on the work we have been doing at The Platform.
Sales of my artworks continue to be pleasing and I find my style is changing over time. 

Pastels have been selling well and I have recently added some work to an online site Blue Thumb  to see how that might compliment things. 

Fibrespace has continued its Collaboration with artists in Lapland and our "Pieces of Heaven" was recently exhibited in Helsinki and then at The Yard Purtli Gallery during the Desert Fringe.

You can see more at MARGIN TO MARGIN.

 A little experimentation with oil pastels and heat processes has resulted in some interesting results so we will see where that goes. 

Over the past 12 months I have developed my iPad drawings and experimented with repetitive designs for printing on fabric. 

 

Developing iPad art through Drawing

This year I attended 2 drawing workshops at the Platform Gallery which have shaped the way in which I look at the art I do on the iPad.

I am also linking photography to this work.

The steps are varied but to incorporate more of the discipline of drawing I have decided to use the lovely hand made book that Sharron Jones gave me to store pleriminary sketches.

The focus of these will probably change.
Currently the drawings are quite literal but I hope that eventually I will develop a more abstract feel.

The digital drawings print really nicely on to fabric which is the aim at the moment.