True confessions of a pastel smudger
 

Hello my name is Elizabeth, and I am a pastel smudge addict.

Does anyone else have this overwhelming desire to smudge each pastel stroke they make?

I look through a lot of the samples posted here and there are the most wonderful rough lines of color on children's faces - but I can't bring myself to try it... I really want too! Any words of wisdom to help me change my ways would be so helpful. Someone has to have a ten step program for smudgers?

Pastel
 

I come from the other side of the fence. I attack the paper with pastels often breaking them in the process. This is not my medium of choice, but I'll take a stab at this topic. Try thinking of color only and use the pastel as an exercise to warm up. Forget about doing a "portrait" and just apply COLOR. Experiment with all the ways pastel can be applied to the paper--soft strokes,heavy ones, using the side, long sweeping curves, just blending edges. I think you get the picture. There are many accomplished pastelists here who can give more experienced advice (I'm not one of them). But hope this can help you get started on your twelve step journey.

Elizabeth,

If you use the "search message" function and search on "smudging", you'll find some other places in the Forum it's mentioned.

Yes, "smudging" is key for me in pastel. But, I do it all at the beginning. I use smooth 60lb paper, and lay it out with conte pastel pencil. Then, I like to apply directly very bold chunks of dark colors leaving white paper between. I use flexible fabric bandaids on my fingertips to blend it all together into a watercolor-like flurry of color. Then, I detail with conte.

My average pastel portrait is twenty minutes. I work in public with non-professional (if that's what I can call them) models. I rarely do anything as tight and nice as your first portrait on your other post in pastel. But I have a certain niche. It is fun.

Thanks to those who responded here. I know there is a "smudging" topic for pencil that is going in the tips section. So I wasn't sure where to go with this.

I gave my first go of not smudging. I decided to do this after I started, thus was using the wrong paper. I really liked it after I got used to the roughness. This is what I did. Comments are always welcome!

Here is the detail. I best apologize for the color here. At first glance my photo did not look so great, above. I'll need to reshoot this one.

With regard to your first comment, you said that you had an overwhelming desire to smudge "every" line you make. There is a place for smudging, but it should be done with thought, and not because you are not content with your lines.

Your last post reminds me of my oil pastel experience. You did not post the reference photo, so it is hard to say anything about the drawing aspects.

You perhaps should do some black and white work to sharpen your form a bit. It looks a little weak. It is hard to do color if your form is not strong. The color aspect actually distracts you from getting the form correct if you are weak there. The form should be subconscious.

Lon thanks for your always great input. Here is the reference photo:

Here is a study I started of my middle daughter yesterday as a matter of fact. I do not get the chance to do much from live sittings, but I remember, I think it was Michael saying, even though he draws all week, he still hires a model for a morning to practice. I wasn't sure if this is the kind of exercise you were refering too. Again thanks for your input, hopefully I can get you to expand on your "sharpen your form" statement now. This was done in pencil :)

Lon, since the term "form" can be applied to all elements of this portrait, I thought I best post the whole "canvas" (Is that what pastel papers are referred to?). I thought I had before, but it did not come out above. Thanks

Hi Beth,

The first thing that bothers me about this piece is the baby's forehead. Babies have large heads, and usually "half" of it is above their eyes. It's that large head and low eyes, that makes anything appear "cute" to us. I checked the photo and sure enough, I believe you have underestimated the baby's forehead. The part of the face below the eyes needs to be smaller, in proportion, than the part that is above the eyes. It might be only a very "small" amount, but it will make a difference.

The next thing I notice are the rough strokes. A baby's face is somewhat unique in that the planes are so slight and sensitive. It's pretty difficult to depict those planes with strokes that only go one way, without smudging. It would be so much easier if you were doing a landscape.

I suggest that you find some pastels of babies that have been done by Mary Cassatt, and study them for stroke direction and placement. If this were my drawing I would not hesitate to smudge. If it gets too smooth, you can always put the rough lines back in.

In my humble opinion, babies' faces need to be smudged, at least a little.
For instance here is a link(I hope it will work) that shows three of Cassatts pastel drawings. Although there are many rough loose strokes used, the faces show a seriously large amount of very complicated smudging.Look at the two pastels on the left and one down on the right, on the second link.

http://www.clarkart.edu/museum_progr...rker=9&start=9
http://www.tfaoi.com/newsmu/nmus40d.htm

"Form" does have many uses. I refer to the drawing structure, the accurateness of your line work, not the form of the figure (or of IRS, or any other form of form.) :)

The outlines or edges of the faces in the first post are a little skewed, which, in these angles of the face, are very critical indeed. The slightest missed line is more obvious in these views. Thus are the joys and pains of portrait drawing!

Here are the adjustments Ihave been working on:

Here is the detail:

Smudging
 

Glad to read your post. I cannot help but smudge.

Regards,
Geraldine