Master pastelist Alain Picard showcases many different underpainting techniques on UART Premium Sanded Pastel Paper. Part One shows how to start by applying a base layer of pastels followed by a wash using denatured alcohol.
Hello! I just got so excited watching your demonstration! I have just started using pastels and was in awe of what can be done! I'm just wondering if you show the rest of the video to complete this artwork?? Thank you so much for taking the time to show us how to do that but if it is just amazing!
I'm drooling over that palette. I like a red that is earthy for underpainting. Burnt Siena is my go-to. Ever been to Siena? that is the color of the earth there. It is striking.
Oo la lah! I love all your containers of pastels and the way they're organized! They're almost a work of art just by theirself. Where can I find good quality pastels? Can you recommend some brands etc? Thanks!
One think I think I am missing is the value of the underpainting. Of I want to use a complementary underpainting should it follow the values of the final painting? I want to paint some fall trees, cottonwoods which are all shades of yellow with some green.
Hi.. love all your videos! I've learned so much.. I've been researching on buying a set of hand made pastels,but I would like your opinion on it. I've been looking at Terry Ludwig, Unison, Jack Richeson and Mungyo. Unison looks so far like the most expensive. Is it really necessary for a quality pastel? Your input would be greatly appreciated.. Thx
Hi Belinda. Great pastels don't necessary make great paintings but the quality of good pastels definitely make the difference. Try a few different price points and see where that takes you.
It would be more interesting if you could see the whole work till the painting is finished. After this videos I only can see an oddly colored background and thats it.
The underpainting itself so beautiful! Wonderful technique. What is the advantage of using alcohol instead of water? Isn't there a risk of the alcohol degrading the paper? Thank you!
What isn’t explained is why he chooses the varied underpainting warms & cools in the mono dark plant masses by locations. Is it random? Is it theoretically strategic?
The sanded paper is “mounted to gator board”. How? How is it ‘mounted’? I think that is a rather important detail if you want us to do as you suggest. Does your paper have the same dimensions as your reference photo? Can we get one good, clear and complete view of the photo? You explained that you want an underpainting in reddish tones to complement the green of the vegetation that will be painted over it. Can you say why the same principle doesn’t apply to the sky? If the sky is pale yellow, wouldn’t you add a light lilac or violet hue underpainting?
Why are pastel purists so hooked on SAND PAPER for eating up their pastels??? What exactly is wrong with a Canson 140 lb. or even a Moulin du Roi 300 Rag bond paper with good tooth? You see...I work with sand paper on wood and find it abrasive for a purpose and eventually for developing a glass smooth surface, and with Sand Paper used in pastels...They don't tell you what grit it is....They just give it a fancy name and expect the artist to take it or leave it, and if only construction sand paper, all they do is name it fancy, and charge five times more per sheet! That is my gripe about Sand paper, paper....it wastes the pastel within it's tooth!
