Learning how to pastel

[Sharon Knettell]

Carolyn,

A good place for you to get the wonderful Unisons pastels online is at www.cornelissen.com. They have Schminkes and Senneliers as well. I think they probably have the Great Americans in Paris. (Sounds like a song).

Oh horreur, quel faux pas! From your conversation with Steven I realized you must be Spanish. Oh well!

If you can afford it try to get as many full pastel sets as you can. I literally have thousands of colors. When you have a large range to pick from your work will absolutley fly!

Try to work from life as that will really give range and expression to your color. I go back and forth, but rely mainly on models . I have a lot of beautiful photos but they seem so flat after working almost exclusively for over two years from life.

[Carolyn Ortiz]

Pas de probleme Sharon!

No faux pas ici! I don't mind being confused with any other nationality. I'm sorry I did't make it clear. My husband is Spanish but I'm from Arizona. I've been very lucky to be living these last few years in Spain and Belgium, and now France. I'm just happy you could see some potential in the work, and happy you thought it was in my blood!

Thanks for the link. I'll see what I can get! I love working from life. I really hope to some day just work that way. I am hoping to find some classes here. But I'm afraid my french is terrible! For now maybe I'll find some friends to pose. Thanks again, Sharon.

[Mary Sparrow]

I love this, and have a word of advice...STAY AWAY FROM SHARON, she will feed your addiction and cause it to grow! She got me so hooked on those Great Americans that I became obsessed with figuring out a way to buy the whole set without having to put it on a credit card so I have cleaned out my closet this weekend to sell the junk on ebay and am already halfway there!!

You are a natural at this.

[Carlos Ygoa]

Carolyn,

"Croissant" is as far my french goes, but then again I don't really need it here, and I'm glad you speak english and I imagine spanish also.
The right hand side balancing-off thing is a personal thing of mine...your cropped version works fine although I would crop it while still maintaing the horizontal format. I covered a bit of the original image (what I figured would equal to about 5cm off the paper) and I liked it and it could even solve the balance thing without having to add anything (colour swatch or other element). But, I insist, this is a thing of mine.

I'm quite ashamed to say that I have not been to the retrato show. It opened when I was working on a copy there, (in fact I encouraged other members in my introductory letter to visit it if they had the chance) but they have very strict rules on copying and I was under time constraint and I knew I could not just whiz past by the show the 15 minutes that I usually afford myself for my breaks. Then my stint with the copy ended and I got busy with other things and I'm really sounding like I have all these excuses that don't really hold water, huh? I RESOLVE TO GO THIS WEEK...AND PROMISE TO VIEW THE MENGS WITH ALL MY ATTENTION.

Where in Madrid is your husband from? Do you guys come over with frequency? Would be nice to get together in the Prado one day and check out the rest of the copyists. Do keep in touch.

Carlos

[Carolyn Ortiz]

Thanks Mary!

And best of luck with your sale! I just bought some more pastels today, had a smile from ear to ear all the way home.

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for the views on the cropping. Yes we'll have to keep in touch. Now that we are in the south of France I think we will make more frequent trips to Madrid. So I'll let you know when we plan a trip to El Prado! Enjoy the exhibition!

[Sharon Knettell]

I admit it. I led poor little Mary down the path of pastel perdition. CACKLE!