F.A.O. Azure

Help, Help.

I have just been given a lovely gift - a box of 48 Soft pastels. Absolutely fabulous colours - but I am not an artist and have no idea how to use these lovely things.

Do they need special papers?
Do they need 'fixing' once the design/picture is done?

Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated - your pictures always look so beautiful.

Re: F.A.O. Azure

Hi Tabby

Are they oil based pastels or the chalky kind?

You can buy a spray on fixative for the chalky kind. Otherwise they tend to blur and fade away.

Re: F.A.O. Azure

Thank you Silver Tabby

What a lovely gift

I do use soft pastels and they produce a beautiful effect on paintings. You need pastel paper or card for best results and just draw with them. They are expensive to buy
Lots of info on Youtube or low cost books on Amazon UK

You have to use them in well-ventilated rooms as they produce a fine powder

When framing they must be fixed with a fixative or they will smudge, I use Winsor & Newton Artists Fixative available at most art shops online or Art material.
You can buy other makes as well

Good luck

Re: F.A.O. Azure

Not entirely sure, Morti. The make is 'Inscribe' and it just says ' full length soft pastels' on the box.

Just stroked one - it feels chalky rather than oily.

Re: F.A.O. Azure

Thanks Azure - will have a little play - lots of card in this house !

Re: F.A.O. Azure

I have the chalky ones Tabby.

I've found them not so good for fine detail but terrific for blending and shading and achieving a soft effect.
They are messy .... imagine a fine dust floating and coating your work area, so take care ... that's the down side.
Nor do they take well to too much overworking.

For detail they take pen work or an ink overlay well.
As to paper. Avoid anything too over smooth. I've worked them well on virtually anything else, especially the sketchpads you can now buy of textured watercolour paper.

Pastels are great for blending!