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Eyes - Pastel

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Deborah Gale

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Hi all Trying my hand at pastels (as this were bought as a christmas present thought I'd better try and use them) The Portrait drawing of my neice was ok - and thought I'd add some colour to it - going sort of well, but how do I make the eyes - look like eyes if you know what I mean instead of circlular bits of colour- I have blotted out reflexion in the eyes but they still look - dead? If any one undertsand what I mean does anyone have any ideas / tips... Thanks Debi B-)

Beatrice Cloake

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Yes I have noticed differences.When I have run out of a colour in W/N I have picked what I could find in a shop always artist paint but the colours are never alike.Which one did you prefer ?

Diana Hudson

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I much prefer the Winsor and Newton; softer colour, the blueish tone and very easy to build up layers.

Ken Gillam

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I bought a tube of Daler Rowney Raw Sienna and it was nothing like W&N much prefer the latters version of this colour. Colours do seem to vary I think the thing is use whatever suits and stick to it, the only way to guarantee consistency in your colour mixing.

Patsy King

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We have had a sale in my little art shop buy three tubes of watercolour and get 30% off...I needed a Burnt Sienna so included it in my three tubes...what I picked up was Burnt Sienna Natural...a lovely colour warm and dark but boy not like the Burnt Sienna I have come to know...it will come in handy as do all tubes of paint...I can't resist a sale

Beatrice Cloake

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W/N is in my book the very best for colour freshness and beauty !

Martin Kinnear

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In respect of differences in colour between colourmen, you can easily avoid this problem by appreciating how it comes about. Paint (oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolour) is simply coloured powder (pigment), binder (oil,water etc) and a few stabilisers, fillers or resins. The actual pigment used indicates the colour you can expect, and is indicated by a standard pigment code . For example PW1 (Pigment White 1) is Lead Carbonate. PW1 can be labelled as Lead White, Silver White, Crems White, Cremnitz white etc etc, but it will ALWAYSbe PW1. In other words the NAME of the colour is no guarantee of the contents; only the pigment code. The majority of colours are derived from a single pigment - PW1, Pw4, PW6, PB29, PB60 for example, so irrespective of the manufacturer you can bet the colour will show as the same (taking ito account quality, any proprietary fillers etc). However some colours - Naples Yellow Hue, Sap green Hue, Payne's Grey , Cerulean Blue hue etc are formulated from MULTIPLE pigments. Each colourman has their own formula, which accounts for the varience you are experiencing. The best way to avoid this is to try the various brands and see which you prefer, if not the tube codes should indicate the kind of shade you can expect. The two 'studio handbooks' by Pip Seymour and Ralph Meyer are a good place to start your reading if you wish to learn more.

Michael Robinson

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My painting for GOSH was painted with W&N paynes grey because its my favourite ;-) too.

Diana Hudson

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Winsor and Newton every time both for colour and workability.

Beatrice Cloake

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Agreeeeee.....Winsor Newton, the very best for colour vibrancy, luminosity, the lot

Angela Kingham

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Posted
Watercolour diluted with water?...The similar concentration of pigment?...Tap-water? Distilled water? Demineralised water? Mixed all at the same temperature? Not my scene true but the science....Objectivity or subjectivity?

Patsy King

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With watercolour I have different makes for different preference...Coteman, considered a student paint in Oz, for example is great for the red browns...W/N great for a selection of blues they do great cerulean hues which suit Australian skies eg. cerulean blue red hue, my favourite at the moment...Art Spectrum now make a smashing range of Australian colours...greens, blues although I do prefer the W/N blues and the most wonderful range of Flinders hues ranging towards the purple which I'm using in my current class work. I would never commit any watercolour to paper until I had first tested it on a scrap of the same paper I am painting on. Yes there are differences in hues between manufacturers but use them to your advantage. I have two tubes of Paynes Grey from the above manufacturers and use them all depending on what I'm looking for...the Art Spectrum is strong and I use it on it's own...the Coteman I use for mixing especially for darkening greens...I love Paynes Grey too. As to water tap what else fluoride, chlorine and all. I think we artists have to have to be little bit of scientist too because the making of the colours is a science and I coming to think that the mixing of colours on our palettes is a science regardless of the medium we are using ;-)
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