The Violinist on Claret Paper

The Violinist

Not a finished work, but my first efforts on Claret Paper!

Bogus Sketches and The Violinist

Degas book, original sketch from life, Degas study of a male violinist, and my working sketch on Bogus Rough paper.

How interesting that the sketch I made at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel remains the best of the bunch, even after I have done several studies now to arrange it into a finished piece.  I will keep at it.

On another note, I have been trying to make my own ground now, off and on, for several years but have finally stumbled onto a workable surface, I think.  It might be a life changing event.  Claret paper.  Not my own formula, but I did deviate from the recipe I was following.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Claret Paper, in light blue and claret hues.  I will credit the original recipe after I test this to see how it works.

New Paper New

Alders on Winter Ground

12" x 9.5"

Pastel on PastelMat

Casey Klahn

Not new to you or anybody else, but somehow this piece of PastelMat found its way into my hands, and I made this new alders image on it.  I like.

PS: Thanks Kathleen Secrest for for the piece of PastelMat!

PastelMat.

Pastel Brands and Materials

Pastel Brands and Materials  

See the new page here at Pastel Workshop: Pastel Supplies.  It provides a resource when you are researching or reviewing pastel materials, to include major brand soft pastels, paper, and miscellaneous materials.  I will be updating this page as needed, and plan to list major catalog retailers next.

Reclaiming La Carte

 Not yet named; reclaimed La Carte and a new prairie image.

Save money and have fun by re-working your Sennelier La Carte paper.  Some papers can be reclaimed by pastel artists; new artwork can be made on top of failed images.  But, many artists don't consider Sennelier La Carte durable enough to reclaim.  To worsen this impression, La Carte is water hating, and so washing off an image isn't considered.

This artwork was done on re-claimed Sennelier La Carte paper.

Sometimes Weather
9" x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn 

I want to introduce you to the many ways you can re-purpose your valuable Sennelier La Carte paper, as I have been doing successfully for the past few months.  Additionally, I have achieved new techniques from these methods - rewarding me with fresh ideas and images.


With the Great Recession in full pace, I have been searching for ways to save on material costs in the studio.  I have been turning to my stock of Rives BFK, Legion and other papers. 


I have always enjoyed Wallis, which is hands down the most durable sanded paper available.  You can wipe, wash and re-use it to your heart's delight.  Not so much the sensitive French sanded ground, La Carte.  La Carte is a professional, acid-free and colorfast board that has a sanded texture created with vegetable matter.  I prefer it for my own methods - it is the surface most suitable for my style of both heavy handed application of color, and also gentle scumbling and overlaying.  Nothing beats whispering a Diane Townsend Terrage pastel over it's grainy surface, mixing optically with the under layers.  Now add the rich pinks and blues from your Sennelier à l'écu sticks and you have advanced to the seventh heaven of artistry. 

 Erratic Boulder

6.25" x 8.5"

Pastel & Charcoal, re-claimed La Carte Paper

Casey Klahn

The following methods have proven successful for reclaiming Sennelier La Carte: 


Identify abandoned works that you are going to reclaim.  I look for lighter pastel coverage, although I have reused heavily worked surfaces, too.  It is just harder to find enough tooth available, but it helps if there is an image there that you can imagine as an under painting - it may become a brilliant foundation for your new art.  Read on to learn my tricks for finding more tooth in your used Sennie paper.


Brush away the existing pastel dust with a flat brush.  A smooth, cheap paint brush works great - I work the surface one direction at a time, and tap the paper to release stuck dust.  Repeat this process to see how much you can remove, and you'll soon get an idea of how exciting this method can be.

Wipe the old pastel off gently with tissue, a paper towel or a chamois cloth.  My favored method is with the tissue, after I have already removed as much as possible with a brush.  There will be bits of tissue remaining, and that can easily be brushed away - especially if you were gentle. 

Wash the old image away, as another option.  The proper solvent is Turpenoid, which is low odor, and works fine for under painting and blending your pastel on La Carte.  I have had some success with this method, but I do find that it fills the tooth more than the brushing or wiping methods.


Still having trouble getting your pastel to take?  I have found two more methods to reclaim my cleaned-up old La Carte.

Spray the surface with fixative.  Right now, my favorite spray is No-Odor Blair, which I can use in the studio with minimum discomfort.  I also like Spectrafix, but at the point where I am starting to add pastel to a reclaimed surface, I want the most coverage I can get from my spray.  Another method would be to apply several layers of the Spectrafix.  For subsequent layers, after my colors have been established, I use Lascaux spray, which changes my colors the least.  I don't want to add spray at the end of my work, though, since the highlights need to pop.

Sand the surface to bring back just enough texture to accept more pastel.  I tried a sandpaper block made of foam, and it actually worked great!  The finer side of a two-sided block works, and I have found that it is only needed on small areas and not the whole painting.  The conditions will be that you have developed your painting, and will have a nicely resolved artwork, except that a limited area will be dull and resist new marks.  Like with the brush, sand in one direction only, to avoid tearing the paper.


Now consider some new techniques brought out by reclaiming old La Carte. In many cases, I have created new works that allow old colors to bleed or to show through.  Some become vardøgr images, and some provide rich under paintings (red under green in a tree).  I have taken to imagining my new image around an old composition, often turning the old painting upside down or sideways.

A crowded build-up of art in my studio.  I may be handy with supports, but can't get around to putting up that 1 piece of drywall!  Any guesses on who I was trying to draw on that big one?

Did you sneeze on your La Carte pastel painting?  Then you may have run up against the dreaded white hole of melted-off surface that has plagued many Sennelier users.  See this post with repair solutions for damaged works (h/t Sheila M. Evans).


My images at Sennelier: here.

Paper Chase

Here's a short "Five for Friday", but a great theme. Paper!

Is there any doubt that the support that holds your pastels exerts more influence over the outcome of your work than the brand of sticks that you use? I certainly think so.

First, go have a look at Katherine Tyrrell's Squidoo Lens on Paper and Supports. It is the most thorough primer you can read on the subject of art paper.

I had some fun researching the making of paper, and the net has several good sites that illustrate (interactively) the making of paper. Here's one. These are run-of-the-mill papers, not art papers, but it's fun to see the basics. BTW, I grew up with a family working in the woods, including the end of my father's work life when he worked as a janitor at a paper mill. My artist's life was greatly influenced by his bringing home half reams of surplus paper by the trunk load.

Brought from China to the Middle East around the start of the second millennium, paper is one of the pillars of the advancement of civilization. We are concerned here with the advancement of our art, so without further adieu, my input on pastel paper tricks:

1. Use as many types of paper as you can afford to buy. Beg, borrow or trade for more. Experiment is the key.
2. Approach new papers with a mind for fresh knowledge, rather than for your next masterpiece.
3. Allow the paper to reveal its contributions to the picture making process. Does it lend itself to fine detail, or only generalization? Is this a paper that allows water, or some other chemical, or a paint medium? Does it reveal a "machined" look, with grid lines?
4. Use up the tooth completely until it will hold no more pastel, even with the application of heroics such as brushing off color, erasing or using fixative. Abuse is the word. Find the paper's limits, and perhaps you'll find some interesting and new techniques or qualities.
5. Try to research what paper your favorite pastelists use. Wolf Kahn is famous for not liking everyone else's favorite sanded grounds. He uses (as near as I can tell) high quality rag, mould made papers. Susan Ogilvie favors Sennelier La Carte, but recently has been making her own surfaces of the pumice & gesso-on-museum-board type. And she loves those thick brush strokes to create surface interest!

As usual, we have more to say on this subject. Look for the second installment next week.

Extra Link: Helen South at About.com on topic.

Paper Choice

Bell Tower
4.75" x 4.5"
Original Pastel on Sketch Paper
Casey Klahn

Readers are asking which paper Wolf Kahn uses, and especially since he has spoken against sanded papers. I doubt that WK would want to be known for proscribing any art materials or for any "rules" in art making. He tends towards the creative expression and loose side of the house, I think. My feeling is that he expresses his own methods and that's that.

Far be it from me to tell anything more than what I have seen or read about the master's materials. I did buy Diane Townsend's Wolf Kahn Terrages, which as far as I know is the only product he's ever endorsed. I did find the following vague reference to WK's paper choice.

This is the pastel that I worked on with Wolf Kahn because he is particularly fond of the gritty formula. He likes to break open the surface of a paper like Lana paper and work the color directly into the fibers of the paper.

Diane Townsend, reference.

You might recognize the Raffine product name, which derives from Lana, in France.
Raffine at Jerry's.

The pastels of Kahn's that I saw in NYC were wonderful. His very loose (scribbled) style is a foreshadowing of his layered approach to oils. Then, he finishes with electric colors that pop as only intense pastel sticks can do. Imagine a thatching of burnt umber, then a heavy line of Sennelier Ultramarine over the top. The paper that is made in the cold pressed manner (think: rough, versus hot pressed, which is like an ironed flat pair of pants) is appropriate to this style. You simply can't scribble into sanded paper very effectively.

In Process, One Gets an Idea of the Paper Hand

Here are some non-sanded papers that I like to use:

Rives BFK (offered in a heavy weight; sized)
Arches Cold Pressed