Basic Techniques with Pitt Pastel Pencils

Pitt Artists’ Pastel pencils, with their oil-free pastel leads, are used by artists not only as the perfect complement to pastel crayons for elaborating fine details, but also on their own. Many artists who enjoy pastel techniques and their versatility, but not the dirty hands and colored dust that accompany them, have opted to use these special pencils. Pitt pastel pencils have a very compact lead, which is economical to use. The lead contains a very high level of pigment, making the pencils ideally suited both to drawing lines and shading, as well as blending and merging into delicate color transitions. The color selection in this range places a emphasis on the muted shades and earth tones that are especially important for pastel drawing.Pitt Pastel pencils are ideal for drawing lines and shading surfaces, as well as for small pastel drawings and picture details. They perfectly complement the Polychromos artists’ pastel crayons. Pitt Pastel pencils can be smudged by fingers, and thus require light fixing.

 Variations in Color Intensity

The level of pressure exerted will determine the amount of pigmentation the pastel pencils deposit onto the paper. The artist has a wide range of possibilities, from delicate, fine lines through to impulsive splashes of color.

Blending Colors

This blending technique involves working the lighter color into the darker one, thereby immediately creating a new shade. The lines merge and become very diffuse, and can disappear entirely if colored over repeatedly.

Blending Colors

Adjacent areas of color can be transformed into powerful mixtures of color when smudged with a finger. The lines remain visible.

Intensifying

Whole areas of color can be created using individual dabs of color, which can be gently merged by rubbing them softly with the palm of your hand. Different nuances of expression can be achieved in this way.

Transitions

Adjacent lines or areas of color can easily be smudged with a finger to create a distinct block or a delicate transition of color. The more often the area is colored over, the greater the intensity of the color.

 Brush Painting

To create even areas of color, paint over the strokes made with Pitt pastel pencils using a bristle brush and paraffin oil (baby oil or salad oil).

Corrections

Pastel colors can be completely removed from smooth, firm types of paper using a vinyl eraser. Dabbing with an art eraser will lighten the colors.

Fixing 

Every fixing process alters the vividness of pastel colors. Pitt pastel pencils adhere well to the structure of the paper, meaning that only minimal fixing with a fixing spray is required.