Pastel Drawing

 Pastels

There are two kinds of pastels, soft pastels which are soft and chalky  and oil pastels which are harder.Most users prefer soft pastels which are easy to blend giving a lovely painterly result.If you are new to painting and drawing this is good and forgiving medium to try.No water, or smelly oil or turpentine.No squishy tubes to keep the top on.You just brush up anything that falls on the floor.

There are many makes of soft pastels,the most costly and lovely to use are Sennelier and Unison but if you are new to this medium and want to practise buy a cheaper make otherwise you may end up with a lot of very expensive dust on the floor.I have found that the Pastel Artists's Bible is  a comprehensive guide to the different types of pastels available and shows a variety of ways they can be applied with useful examples.

                                                                          

                    
                       The artist Lionel Aggett uses Unison pastels  in this landscape 

                                          

                                        

    

              French Impressionist Degas used Sennelier pastels for many ballet scenes

                                                                

Choice of paper is important.Daler Rowney Murano cool and warm coloured pastel paper is my favourite .The surface has a tooth which the pastel clings on to.Ingres paper is also good.I find paper with gritty surfaces difficult.

A good supply of pastel pencils are useful for putting in detail.I buy a lot of my art materials from Amazon.They are pristine fresh and have not been damaged from being handled by staff and customers in a store.

Rembrandt soft pastels are good for both beginners and more experienced artists.They produce a sturdy box containing a generous 15 half sticks in a good selection of colours.
Daler Rowney coloured pastel paper provides an instant background removing the expanse of white paper to fill that is so intimidating when starting a drawing.The pack shown below has lovely shades of blue.

Click on the pictures below to see these and other products on offer at Amazon
                        
                                                     






Now You Have Pastels and Paper

Before you begin pastel painting analyse some artist examples.Use coloured paper so that the light colours have value and show up.You do not have to do a whole finished scene to achieve a good result.
This pastel sketch by Mary Cassatt  has an unfinished look.She uses hatched strokes of colour and finished with a few defining strokes in black .She has not drawn a whole scene completely covered in pastel colour resulting in a fresh ,lively portrait.



                                                            

                                                   
Another approach is to  smudge colours together,take care not to overwork the blending otherwise you will end up with mud.Focus on important areas ,a photo realistic finish is not what you are after.An overall impression of a scene with a few sharp lines for definition applied at the end can give a great result.This is how Degas achieved some of his paintings of ballet dancers.

                                                          

              You may want to try a more modern,vibrant looking approach.Margaret Evans gives good advice in her books.The Pastel Society exhibits the best of work by artists who are top painters both in their annual exhibition in London and online.
                                                https://thepastelsociety.org.uk



                                                                              

                                          The possibilities are endless.Give pastels a try.

       Click on the link below to have a look at this book on sale from Amazon UK


                                                                                                 


               

                                                                                               

Dogs in Paintings and Drawings

Dogs are in drawings and paintings as companions, working dogs,  hunters and retrievers.Here are a few of my favourites art works for you to enjoy.


Companions

                                                                                    Dog Chair by Cecil Aldin

                                              

A house with a dog  chair suggests that the owners treat the dogs as companions and friends. This artist is well known for his illustrations of dogs.

                                                             

                                                         In Disgrace by Charles Barbour Burton

                                                     

   Victorian and sentimental  in style .This little girl has been naughty but has as sympathetic   friend  in her  dog.

                                            Pulling A Pint by Norman Cornish

                                                 

 Norman Cornish drew and painted the pit men in and around Durham in the north of England.This is a pub where coal miners would go for a drink after a hard day often taking their whippets, along with them.

Working Dogs 


             

Welsh artist Kyffin Williams has caught the attitudes of the Collie dogs as they round up sheep for their shepherd perfectly.
                                                     

                                              Searching for sheep in the snow.



 Hunting and Retrieving 


                                                 

                                 Hunters Returning in The Snow, by Breugel The Elder
                     This painting may be seen at Kunthistories museum in Vienna
 
   Hunters trudging home through deep snow in freezing weather they are hanging their  heads in disappointment they have nothing to bring home after a long day.

                             




                             

A traditional hunting scene by Cecil Aldin.
Although scenes like this are now very unpopular with some people this artist captures the excitement of the hounds as they follow their natural instincts to go out as a pack.


Walkies 
 
                           


                                         Walkies in Buenos Aires by Beryl Cook                       

       Professional dog walkers are seen everywhere these days. Beryl Cook's paintings are usually about ordinary people enjoying themselves or in this case dogs. 

From Beryl Cook :The Bumper Edition ISBN 0-575-07021-8

 

Best Ten Great Portraits You Should See

Ten Great Portraits and Where to See Them

The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals

                               

 Nobody really knows who this man was ,he was not a cavalier but a wealthy, fashionable man aged about 26 living in the Netherlands in 1624.The love symbols on his sleeve of hearts and flaming torches suggest this may have been a betrothal portrait.

You can see this portrait at The Wallace Collection , London UK

wallacecollection.org 

 Girl With A Pearl Earring by Vermeer

                                

 This much loved portrait is a character painting with the girl possibly a servant ,dressed in various props owned by Vermeer.A recent novel and film with the same title as the painting suggest that the expensive earrings were borrowed Vermeer's wife,she was not pleased.

              This painting may be seen at Mauritshuis ,The Hague, Holland

                  https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en 

 Self Portrait by Rembrandt

                                               

As a young artist Rembrandt was short of models so he painted himself looking much like a modern pop star with a mop of hair.The subtle tones show early promise of his ability to use a narrow range of colours to create atmosphere and light.

This painting may be seen at The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,Holland. 

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl 

 

 

 

 

Keith (from Gimme Shelter) by Elizabeth Peyton 

 

                                                

 

 

This painted portrait of Keith Richards was taken from a clip from the film  Gimme Shelter . Many contemporary portrait painters use photographs to capture their subjects.

This painting may be seen at Soloman R Guggenheim Museum New York U.S.A.

www.guggenheim.org

 

 

American Gothic by Grant Wood

                                                       

                                                 

This strangely buttoned up pair were staged by Grant Wood using his sister Nan and his dentist  Dr B.H.McKeeby as models.Various interpretations have been made about this iconic work.Suggestions that it was a satire of the Midwest and its conservative values were rejected by the artist.

 

This painting may be seen at  The Art Institute of Chicago ,IL,USA

 

www.artic.edu 

 

  Three Studies of The Head of A Young Negro by J.A.Watteau

 

 

The French artist Jean-Antione Watteau was a prolific portrait painter.He made many drawings of his subjects before putting them into larger scenes and groups off people.These preliminary drawings often had great charm like the studies of this boy.

 

Many of the drawings may be viewed at www.jean-antoine-watteau.org

 

 

 Woman With A Coffee Pot  by Paul Cezanne

                                           

Cezanne was known as a slow and painstaking worker who would fly into a rage if the slightest thing upset him.The solid figure of this country woman is sitting in a room adorned with paintings on the walls suggesting that she is a servant in a wealthy household.The cylinder filter coffee pot and woman's blue cotton dress are typically French.

This painting may be seen at Musee d'Orsay, Paris

https://musee-orsay.fr/en

 

 

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh 

                               

Painted before madness completely took over this is Van Gogh in the sunny south of France.The application of brush strokes of pure colour which typify his style can be seen here especially in the straw hat.

                                www.dia.org

 

 

                                   

 Churchill by Graham Sutherland

 

                                     

 

This portrait of Winston Churchill was commissioned  as a gift to Churchill.For a while it hung in the family home at Chartwell .Churchill absolutely loathed it and his wife, Clemmie was convinced that it was making him depressed.She threw it onto a bonfire in the garden and it was completely destroyed.

There is nowhere you can see this work apart from photographs like this.

 

 

Best Paintings of Parties You Should See

             Paintings of Parties and Where to Find Them

                                

    

 

        The Peasants Wedding by Peter Breugal The Elder  (1525-69)

                                                                         

Known for his paintings of  complex rural scenes  and religious sujects Breugal would dress down as a peasant and go into the Flemish countryside to find  scenes to paint.This wedding is being held in a rough barn where a door has been taken down to use as a serving tray.The bride is easy to identify but it is hard to find the groom.

This painting may be seen at the Kunthistoriches Museum, Vienna.

                                   www.viennapass.com

                            

 

 

                    Isabella by John Everett Millais, 1847

                                                                              

This family party is not a happy gathering. The lovely Isabella seen stroking her dog is talking to her lover Lorenzo, a workman employed by her family. Isabella's malevolent brothers seated opposite have marriage plans for Isabella which do not include the Lorenzo.This toxic party has been called so that family members can discuss and arrange the murder of Lorenzo.The body language says it all.

                       This painting may be seen at The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK

                                                                      http://liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections  

                                                           

        

 

                             The Reception by James Tissot 1873

                                                                                        

Master party painter Tissot often showed glamourous  young women in the company of much older men.This painting is sometimes known as The Political Woman.His interest in fashion and the gorgeous dresses of his fashionable women have made him highly collectable.

This painting may be seen at The Albert Brigit Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, USA

                                                   https://albrightknox.org

 

                                                          

         

 

                          Too Early by James Tissot 1873

                                                                                               

      

Every celebrities' nightmare, arriving at the party too early  and being the first one there.The hostess is still giving last minute instructions to the  musicians and the servants are laughing behind the door.

 

 This painting may be seen  at Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London

                                                  www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

                                            

 

 

                                      

                      Luncheon of The Boating Party Pierre Auguste Renoir

                                                    

This is one of the world's most famous party scenes.Pretty girls and  handsome young men aboard a boat on the river in Paris on a hot summer day. The food and wine look good too.Renoir was very pleased with this painting, it sold so well he did several versions of it.

 

This painting may be seen at The Philips Collection,Washington D.C. USA

                                                  https://www.phillipscollection.org

                                                      

                                                                      

            Party Boys by Beryl Cook

                                                                           

Beryl Cook's paintings are nearly always about ordinary people enjoying themselves and having a laugh.These boys are in a local pub. I have no idea what they are celebrating.Most of Beryl Cook's paintings are in private ownership, but you can see what they are about in the book

                                    Beryl Cook ,The Bumper Edition ,ISBN0575070218

 

 

                                                                                   

Tate Modern, Pierre Bonnard ,The Colour of Memory Review

     

                    The Tate  Modern, Bankside, London

                        ticketing and details from 

                                     tate.org.uk

 

 Remembering France

I have visited France many times over the last 60 years.The French have always presented a life style that I like. This exhibition reminded me of all that life there can offer.The paintings and the colours brought back memories of France ,wonderful food,the warm, lavender scented south and some rather dodgy plumbing.

The Exhibition

The exhibition is large extending over 13 rooms so give yourself plenty of time  and wear comfortable shoes. Inspite of a timed ticket system it is rather overcrowded.

Bonnard has painted the private world that he shared with his companion of 30 years Marthe de Meligny.

There are detailed explanations of the paintings and Bonnard's increasing development of the use of colour. Nearly all of the paintings are of France.

Food

The French take food very seriously and many paintings show the enjoyment of leisurely and delicious meals. Sometimes family pets are included like these two cats glaring at each other across the table.     

                          

P. Bonnard

 

                                                  

Everyone wants to try eating snails the first time they go to France .There are special tongs for removing them from their shells and the plate is swimming in garlic butter in which to dip them.

                                             

The Sea                                                

 
August is a month when the French abandon everything to go to the coast or country.Bonnard spent extended periods in the  strong warm light of  the South of France.The coast and visits there became his subjects.

                                                           

P.Bonnard

Bathing

 Marthe de Meligny  whom Bonnard evetually married took long baths in the hope of curing various complaints from which she was suffering. He painted several portraits of her bathing ,experimenting with colour and compositions in front of a mirror.

                                                                                      

P.Bonnard

                                                                         After The Exhibition

       A good place to take a break after the exhibition is the Bar and Kitchen Cafe.Book in advance if you want a window table and enjoy a leisurely meal while you watch the endlessly fascinating views across the River Thames. 

                                                              

View of the river Thames from tate Modern