Pastel Painter’s Question and Answer Book - Hardcover

Cuthbert, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0004127935 ISBN 13: 9780004127934

Publisher: Collins, 1996

Synopsis

Pastels are versatile, colourful and attractive. This book is designed to help the painter get the most out of pastel painting by answering all the common questions and problems associated with this medium. The problems discussed cover a wide range from purely technical ones, such as mixing and blending colours, or deciding which paper to use, to composing a picture, or setting up a still life. Other questions arise from the subjects themselves, and some professional "tricks" are shown for dealing with difficult subjects , such as moving water, reflections, foliage and skies, with close-up details of the methods used.

About this title

About the Author

David Cuthbert is a painter who uses mainly pastel, acrylic and watercolour. He and his wife Rosalind are joint directors of the Mendip Painting Centre, a small private art school to the south of Bristol. David exhibits in London and the West Country and has paintings in private collections all over the world. David contributes to several practical art magazines and has previously written a book about figure painting called ‘ Seeing Things Simply: Figures’.

From the Back Cover

Pastel is a versatile and attractive medium which is deservedly growing in popularity. The vivid sticks of colours are easy to manipulate, becoming almost an extension of your hand, and allowing you to work with a speed and directness seldom possible with conventional paints. Yet those who are new to pastel do encounter problems, as it is a hard medium to control. Any colour mixing has to be done on the paper, and if this is overdone it can result in a clogged, muddy appearance. Also the soft crumbly pigment tends to fall off the paper, and it is all to easy to accidentally smudge an area of fine detail.

In ' Pastel Painter's Question and Answer Book', painter and teacher David Cuthbert highlights some of the common problems and provides simple and logical solutions. Each problem is illustrated with a typical beginners picture, while the suggested solution features the work of a professional painter dealing with a similar subject. In many cases, there are close-up details which reveal the artist's technique, and further paintings showing alternative solutions to the problem.

The problems cover a wide spectrum. Some of them are technical, for example, how do you mix colours without overworking? What governs the choice of paper colour, and what effect will this have? But making a successful painting is not just a matter of mastering the medium, and many of the problems relate to the wider concerns of painting, such as composition and the use of colour. Some are subject-based; for example, how do you paint clouds or shadows convincingly, or render the brilliant colours and delicacy of flowers?

Whether you are considering trying out pastels or have already begun to work in the medium and feel you need some help, ' Pastel Painter's Question and Answer Book' is for you. It will solve your practical problems as well as providing a wealth of inspiration to help you find your own painting style.

Edition details

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0004127935
• ISBN 13: 9780004127934
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 146