Thursday, September 18, 2014
Pastel Painting Class
I probably should have put this in here a long time ago, but better late than never. I am teaching a class in pastel painting starting this Monday, September 22 at Irondequoit Community Education. I will cover all things to do with pastel. We will meet for 5 weeks. If you are interested, please click on the link below or contact me at cmsavage31@gmail.com. Hope to see you there! www.westirondequoit.org/community-education.htm
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Mat, Fixative Or...
I currently don't frame my work with a mat or fixative. I frame them directly against the glass.
I used to use mats, but they're a nuisance as far as I am concerned. Cutting mats is a time-consuming pain. I have better things to do with my time - like paint!
Despite correctly measuring and doing the math to figure out where to cut, I'd still make mistakes and wind up throwing matboard out. It took a lot of time that I didn't have, but I couldn't afford to have a framer do it for me, so I cut them myself. Then there was the added expense of framing with a mat, or a double mat (if I was feeling extravagant). Mat-board, mat-cutter, blades... more linear inches of frame too, and bigger pieces of glass to cover a larger area. Sheesh.
Now, with the pastel right against the glass there are fewer expenses: smaller sheets of glass, smaller frames, not having to buy mat-board. Added bonuses: They are lighter and easier to carry, and numerous people comment that they thought they were oils.
Plus they are SO much easier to frame this way! It takes me a fraction of the time to frame them now than it did before.
Other artists have asked me about the pastel dust getting on the glass. Yes, a tiny amount does get on the glass, HOWEVER, it will never be an issue until you unframe the painting. And why would you want to do that? (Well, OK, I do unframe them occasionally if I have to reuse a frame, forget to sign them, forget to photograph them or scan them. That's how I know there is some dust left on the glass.) But seriously, it isn't enough to worry about. Plus the sanded Uart paper really holds onto the pastel.
I really like the way they look, too. I figure if someone doesn't like they way they are framed, they can have a framer redo the framing for them.
I used to use mats, but they're a nuisance as far as I am concerned. Cutting mats is a time-consuming pain. I have better things to do with my time - like paint!
Despite correctly measuring and doing the math to figure out where to cut, I'd still make mistakes and wind up throwing matboard out. It took a lot of time that I didn't have, but I couldn't afford to have a framer do it for me, so I cut them myself. Then there was the added expense of framing with a mat, or a double mat (if I was feeling extravagant). Mat-board, mat-cutter, blades... more linear inches of frame too, and bigger pieces of glass to cover a larger area. Sheesh.
Now, with the pastel right against the glass there are fewer expenses: smaller sheets of glass, smaller frames, not having to buy mat-board. Added bonuses: They are lighter and easier to carry, and numerous people comment that they thought they were oils.
Plus they are SO much easier to frame this way! It takes me a fraction of the time to frame them now than it did before.
Other artists have asked me about the pastel dust getting on the glass. Yes, a tiny amount does get on the glass, HOWEVER, it will never be an issue until you unframe the painting. And why would you want to do that? (Well, OK, I do unframe them occasionally if I have to reuse a frame, forget to sign them, forget to photograph them or scan them. That's how I know there is some dust left on the glass.) But seriously, it isn't enough to worry about. Plus the sanded Uart paper really holds onto the pastel.
I really like the way they look, too. I figure if someone doesn't like they way they are framed, they can have a framer redo the framing for them.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Cleaning Pastels
I am probably the messiest pastel artist out there. There. I've said it. I am always rushed for time when I paint, I'm really bad about putting things back in the right place, figuring I will do it later. (I usually do organize them later. Really, I do.) And as a plein air artist, I'll bet my pastels get dirtier than any of you studio artists because my pastels are rubbing against each other whenever I use them. And I use them a lot.
So I want to tell you what I know about cleaning them.
I have cleaned them in rice, in cornmeal, with a slightly damp sponge, a piece of foam, in the grass, with a rag and with a paper towel. And I have cleaned them for years using these different methods. However, no one way has jumped out to me as being particularly awesome until just this past week.
This is the story.
I was up at the beach painting, sitting on a cushion in the sand. My hands had gotten dusty from the pastel and so I rubbed them in the sand to remove the bulk of the dust. I have done that in the past. It works in a pinch. Then I remembered reading about cleaning pastels in sand. I never gave it a second thought because I figured it would be too abrasive on my delicate sticks. But as I sat there I thought I'd give it a shot. Nothing to lose, right.?
And holy cow! Did that sand ever clean those filthy pastels! Cleaner than they have ever been, and so much faster than anything else I have tried.
I filled up a little dish I take with me to hold the pastels I am working with with sand and took it home to play (clean) with. I am going to sift all of the miscellaneous flotsam and jetsam out the the sand, wash and dry it and will then give the pastels the once over. I will report on this later.
But this is the awesome parts so far: Excellent cleaning ability, washability (you can't wash cornmeal or rice), it's FREE and it's readily availability - at least around here it is, living on the shores of Lake Ontario.
I will conduct further experiments and will report back! Who knows? Maybe I'll even get my pastels cleaned.
So I want to tell you what I know about cleaning them.
I have cleaned them in rice, in cornmeal, with a slightly damp sponge, a piece of foam, in the grass, with a rag and with a paper towel. And I have cleaned them for years using these different methods. However, no one way has jumped out to me as being particularly awesome until just this past week.
This is the story.
I was up at the beach painting, sitting on a cushion in the sand. My hands had gotten dusty from the pastel and so I rubbed them in the sand to remove the bulk of the dust. I have done that in the past. It works in a pinch. Then I remembered reading about cleaning pastels in sand. I never gave it a second thought because I figured it would be too abrasive on my delicate sticks. But as I sat there I thought I'd give it a shot. Nothing to lose, right.?
And holy cow! Did that sand ever clean those filthy pastels! Cleaner than they have ever been, and so much faster than anything else I have tried.
I filled up a little dish I take with me to hold the pastels I am working with with sand and took it home to play (clean) with. I am going to sift all of the miscellaneous flotsam and jetsam out the the sand, wash and dry it and will then give the pastels the once over. I will report on this later.
But this is the awesome parts so far: Excellent cleaning ability, washability (you can't wash cornmeal or rice), it's FREE and it's readily availability - at least around here it is, living on the shores of Lake Ontario.
I will conduct further experiments and will report back! Who knows? Maybe I'll even get my pastels cleaned.
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