Pastels give vibrant, true colors to paintings.
Pastels come in several varieties, from chalking light-weight sticks to the heavier oil-based ones. Painting with pastels allows for a lot of versatility and workability on the canvas, which may be paper, pastel board or various cardstocks.
Flower paintings created with pastels generally have vibrant, rich colors, even if softer hues are used. Pastels are heavily pigmented and benefit from layering, which gives great depth to the artwork.
Instructions
1. Sketch the outline of the flower onto the pastel board or paper. Use a dark shade of the general color scheme of the flower: dark red for a red rose; violet for white flowers; orange for yellow; and a deep purple for blue.
2. Look at the picture you are using as inspiration. Block in the lighter colors of the flower very lightly. Brush the pastel stick lightly over the surface. Don't worry about details yet and don't press too hard.
3. Block in the darker shades. Don't worry about blending anything yet; you just want to lay down the colors first. Block in the background colors so the entire work area is covered in pigment.
4. Concentrate on the distinction between the flower and the background. Add a few more layers of color to these areas, pressing more firmly with the pastel. Start building up the color of the entire flower; use the smudge brush to blend and smooth the colors together within the flower.
5. Layer more color onto the background, adding details where necessary.Paint in the shadow first, then add the highlights. Stand back from the painting after every 15 minutes or so to get an overall feeling for the balance of the light and shade and contrast. Bring the background to a state of near-completion before doing the rest of the flower.
6. Add the details to the flower. Draw reflective light spots in white or pale yellow or blue, depending on the flower's tone. Paint shadows in the deepest of the color spectrum of the flower. Put in any final touches to the background and flower, Spray the entire painting with varnish.
