Painting with chalk pastels is somewhat different from painting with regular paints. One difference is that you are holding the medium in your hand, not dipping a brush into it. The other major difference is that you are working with a dry medium. While painting is often associated with wet mediums, "painting" is also used when you are referring to a finished work of art that uses blending, color and shading, even if the medium is dry.
Instructions
1. Sketch your subject onto the pastel paper using your pencil.
2. Color in the darkest areas of your subject first. In pastel you start with dark colors and then move on to use lighter colors. This is called the "light to dark" method. Make sure to use a light hand. Pastel painting is all about building layers to create the color you need. If you put down a thick layer first your next layers won't be able to stick to the paper. So, say your darkest layer is a blackish-blue area. To make this color you could lay down a layer of black and then cover the black layer with a layer of blue. These two colors will mix to make your blackish-blue color.
3. Fill in the medium tones of the subject. Be sure to use a light touch and layer your colors to make the hue you need.
4. Blend the edges of the medium and dark areas by rubbing them with a blending stump or a cotton swab.
5. Add the lightest colors. This includes the highlights. Add lines of white or eggshell to the brightest area of your subject.
6. Blend the medium and dark areas with the light areas by rubbing them with a blending stump or a cotton swab.
7. Spray the painting with a layer of fixative by holding the can 6 inches from the surface of the painting and using sweeping strokes as you spray. This is to keep the pastel from falling off the paper. Many artists skip this step and put the painting in a glass frame to protect it since fixative can make the colors of the pastel darker.
