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Mixed Media - What Goes with Soft Pastels?

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Self Portrait - Pastel Pencils on Grey Mi Tientes Paper - 10th July 2021

Bobbie Matulja

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I'm doing another painting of a motorbike racer as a gift.   I'd like to do the background in chalk pastels, which will be a bit blurred to signify speed and movement.  I want the motorbike (which is orange and white) and the rider to stand out against it.  I'd like to use acrylic over chalk pastel, but I'm not sure whether it will work, and whether there is another medium (oil paint?) that might work with or over a soft pastel background?

Denise Cat

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I know soft pastel works over acrylic and watercolour because I have used it this way once the acrylic or watercolour has dried.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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I've never tried applying acrylic over chalk pastel - mixed with it, yes; but I don't know how it would work laid on top. I suggest that you take a bit of watercolour paper (or anything suitable for taking pastel and acrylic) and run an experiment - apply various pastel colours, tones, and try thin applications, and thicker ones; blow the excess dust off, and apply your acrylic (or oil paint - or both: gouache would also be worth a try).  If you use water (or turps, or oil) on/with the pastel, it will liquefy - won't stay put.  Paint without additional water or oil/turps might not disturb the pastel..... you could have a lot of fun playing with this: might try it myself! I would say fix the pastel - I suspect though that water or oil would remove the fixative; but - give that a go, too.  Incidentally, you can achieve blurry effects with diluted acrylic, or oil paint, if the paint over pastel doesn't yield the results you want.  I foresee a busy weekend for you - and for me too, if I have a go myself: still - it's a hell of a lot more fun than early Spring cleaning...
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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I know soft pastel works over acrylic and watercolour because I have used it this way once the acrylic or watercolour has dried.
Denise Cat on 17/02/2023 15:01:19
It certainly does - Ray Balkwill, featured on Paul Dean's thread a few weeks ago, often does this, and to brilliant effect.  Works over Indian ink, too.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Right, well, I'll try to post an example tomorrow, but I've produced a drawing on cartridge combining water soluble pencil, carbon pencil, fountain pen ink, India ink, carbon pencil, conté crayon, and acrylic paint - and the acrylic sat very well on the pastel/conté: didn't necessarily make for a good drawing!  But it can be done: just do it better than I did. and don't forget to include a focal point.....
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Oh, and try not to tear the paper....... 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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And don't do what I also did - paint it with a mixture of Mars black acrylic and ..... coffee.  Well, I'd have had to get up and get some water otherwise, wouldn't I?  Mustn't demand the impossible.  I will post it later.  Not that it's worth it, but at least it will illustrate the point that you can combine all these media, and the remains of your Elevenses.

This post has been removed as it violates our forum rules and guidelines.

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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There you go then; it's missing a bit at the top but doesn't matter - you get the point.  Artpen ink; carbon pencil; conté crayon in black and white; Mars Black liquid acrylic, Indian ink, and my mid-morning coffee.  

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by Robert Jones, NAPA

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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The water vole/rat at the far left was a blot from my mapping pen..... which reminds me, started it off with water soluble graphite pencils. 

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by Robert Jones, NAPA

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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A try with acrylic - perhaps oil, perhaps not; the acrylic's cheaper... _ over chalk pastel will follow: I'm not confident of success: if I use water, the pastel will spread like watercolour; if I don't, the paint is likely to be grainy without necessarily benefiting from the pastel underlay.  I realize from the sheer throb of interest this has aroused that no one is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting, but nonetheless, if a thing's worth doing.....
IMG_8857

Marjorie Firth

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 No Robert, some are waiting with baited breath. The original poster has seemingly vanished…..my thought was that if you paint over something which isn’t stable ( soft pastel ) you will disturb it or integrate it…..your scientific trials will prove or disprove this…..or not.🔬
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