Commonly known as pastels, soft pastels are sticks made from powdered pigments and a binder (something that holds the pigments together). Painting with pastels is as close as one can get to painting with pure color.

Many different surfaces can be used for pastel paintings, from papers made specifically for pastels, to watercolor papers, to printmaking papers. Also, many different painting techniques can be used when painting with pastels. These qualities make working with this medium interesting and exciting.

With proper care, pastel paintings are extremely durable and will last indefinitely. Artists have been creating with pastels for almost four centuries, and in museums throughout the world their works can still be found, reflecting the colorful brilliance with which they were created hundreds of years ago.

About Oil Pastels

Oil pastels, a close "cousin" to soft pastels, are dry sticks made with pigment, wax, and oil. They look and feel like crayons, yet  contain a higher concentration of pure pigments. Oil pastels are commonly known by their full name. Painting with oil pastels is different than painting with soft pastels, although just as enjoyable. I tend to paint less traditional subjects with oil pastels, for which I have no explanation, other than my personal preference.

About My Drawing Materials

I like to do finished drawings with traditional materials, such as charcoal pencil, conte crayon, or pen and ink. Occasionally, I will use some other materials in my drawings, such as acrylics, watercolors, or an ink wash.

About My Surfaces

My favorite surfaces on which to paint have what is called a "deep tooth". To understand that term, imagine a piece of sandpaper. The sandpaper has grains of grit distributed on a flat piece of paper. There are hills of grit and "valleys" between the grit. If you run a pastel stick over a piece of sandpaper, particles of pastel will become trapped in some of the valleys. That is basically the reasoning behind my preference to using deeply toothed painting surfaces -- I want my pastel paint to become trapped in the surface's deep valleys so that my colors are strong and I can get many layers of colors, for subtle color transitions, without the "valleys" filling up quickly and without using a color-altering fixative.

Toned granular board is one of my favorite painting surfaces, but cannot be bought ready-made. Basically, toned granular board is a piece of museum board coated with a mixture of diluted acrylic in the color of my choice, and grit. The "tooth" of this surface allows room for many layers, and yet remains smooth enough for easy paint manipulation. I also enjoy using commercially-prepared textured paper, specifically Colourfix paper and Wallis paper.

Heywood Paintings, Drawings, and Prints

All images copyrighted by Anne Heywood. Reproduction rights reserved by the artist. It is illegal to copy or reproduce images or other copyrighted material on this site without prior written permission of the artist.