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Soft pastels - crisp edges: How?

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Angela Harrison

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I have just recently started with pastel and just dab then rub the pigment into the place where it needs to be bold then I adopted a dry brush technique to smooth over as it sweeps out any residue and find it works well. Here is my first still-life drawing of three apples and walnuts. 

Sylvia Evans

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Really nice still life your colours are greatl  you can use your fingers to soften colours ( but don’t lick them afterwards) .  Are the pastels you are using  a rounded tip ?   You can get a point on it by using a bit of sand paper then use a harder line to emphasise the edges. Nice work. 

Alan Bickley

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Nicely rendered soft pastel work, a few areas could benefit from sharpening up a touch. Sylvia has given you the answer, or you can use good quality pastel pencils - Caran D’ache in particular are excellent.

Angela Harrison

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Really nice still life your colours are greatl  you can use your fingers to soften colours ( but don’t lick them afterwards) .  Are the pastels you are using  a rounded tip ?   You can get a point on it by using a bit of sand paper then use a harder line to emphasise the edges. Nice work. 
Sylvia Evans on 10/05/2021 06:15:48
I am using MUNGYO Soft Pastels they are mini cubed pastels and square shaped so used the edge to score a line but of course can sand them into a point to emphasise the edges I suppose..... thank you Sylvia, have just launched off into soft pastels for still-life subjects. 

Angela Harrison

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Nicely rendered soft pastel work, a few areas could benefit from sharpening up a touch. Sylvia has given you the answer, or you can use good quality pastel pencils - Caran D’ache in particular are excellent.
Alan Bickley on 10/05/2021 07:04:22
Thank you Alan, Its the first pastel still-life ever attempted and I was rather dubious at first how strong to dab and rub in but once I started on the flesh tones of the peel, I discovered that the dark particles could be wiped carefully with dry brush,, it was amazing as the darker pigments didn't smudge and it was almost like an eraser sweeping over the plush red and pinks! Am using MUNGYO Soft Pastel elongated square tip so can sandpaper into a point for outline effect maybe.... 
Moi 17

Linda Wilson

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Pastels really are versatile and I’m glad you are enjoying them.  I find it best to work from general (large areas) to specific details (small areas).  If the large areas are applied thinly, then the details can be over the top.  In your picture I would like to see more shadow, to emphasise the 3 dimensions.

Angela Harrison

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Thank you Linda, I shall probably start a larger still-life and look at shadow beneath the object,,, its rather interesting how these pastels work and blend too with tones and shades and economic too in application. Shall set it up again and now our sun is hiding behind grey skies maybe more shadows will loom! The day I started this still-life sunlight was streaming through the window and all I seemed to focus upon was getting the proportions in place, anyway will see what tomorrow brings come rain, hail or shine, thank you! 
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