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Discussing the obscure technique of “dusting” in last week’s blog post got me thinking about some of the other techniques of pastel application frequently used by artists. Due to the nature of pastel as a dry medium applied in a stick form, pastelists have had to learn to marry traditional drawing and wet painting techniques such as blending, scumbling, glazing, hatching, cross-hatching, feathering to facilitate their needs. Most of these techniques fall under the category of “layering” in which one pastel is applied over, or into, another. Workable fixative, wetting techniques, surface tooth, and the relative hardness/softness of the pastel stick also play a part in the outcome. It serves anyone that is serious about painting with pastel to be well versed in these basic techniques. Full Article