Which dark soft pastels are the best?

Soft pastels in very dark colours present a challenge which some manufacturers have tried to address.  This post is about soft pastels in dark colours, shades and tints - and a new opinion poll.

Common problems are:

• Some brands can feel abrasive and scratchy.  Dark shades and tints of soft pastels have a reputation for not being the softest of soft pastels.
• Other brands are 'too hard' and fail to release their pigment load easily
• It can also be very difficult to get hold of good rich colour in dark shades.  Dark should not mean that colour disappears.

Some manufacturers have addressed these problems by creating specific dark sets of soft pastels. These aim to balance the quality of pigment colour (ie colour not black!) with softness and the effective release of the pigment onto the support while also offering a good range of dark colours.

Many a pastel artist has developed a quest for set of pastels which are both soft and dark

I started out with a set of Rembrandt Pastels and found the dark shades to be a tad too hard for my liking.  I addedin Daler Rowney Soft Pastels and liked those - but they disappeared a bit too fast for my liking

I then got a set of Unison Darks and was smitten.  These are very dark and yet have good pigment colour - but are also not abrasive or "too hard".

My set of Unison Darks - photographed when still relatively pristine!

I've also tried out some dark Terry Ludwig pastels in a pastel workshop.  Some pastel artists comment that these work better on abrasive supports rather than paper where to some they feel a little too greasy.  There are two sets of dark Ludwig Pastels:

• Intense Darks #1 set is red/sienna/ochre/brown oriented
• Intense Darks #2 set is blue/grey/purple/mauve oriented

You can also get a set of 60 Intense Darks

Terry Ludwig - 60 Intense Darks

Diane Townsend has a set of 12 dark soft form pastels. she also lists the individual colours whcih means they could be bought singly.  These are Deborah Secor's favourite dark pastels and she says they cover Wallis paper really fast.  She recommends the dark green for those doing landscapes.

Diane Townsend - soft form.  Dark 12 piece set

Sennelier have a set of 24 dark tones.

Sennelier Pastels - Set of 24 dark tones

Pan Pastels have a set of extra dark colours available as 3 sets of 5 colours each - extra dark shades, shadows and earth colours


Daler Rowney now have a dark set - 8 Set Dark Selection Code 153 902 008 - you can see a picture of them here

Girault are said to have a dark set but I've never seen one and can't find one on their website.  Others may have developed specific dark sets and if so I'd love to hear about them.

Which dark pastels do you like best - and how do you buy them?  

Please vote in the NEW OPINION POLL Which is your favourite brand of dark soft pastels? in  Pastels - Resources for Artists

I'd also love to hear about your favourite brands of dark pastels either in connection with the poll or by commenting below.

ALSO How do you like to buy your dark pastels?

• as a specific set of dark pastels (which can be quite expensive) 
• or in singles from open stock

Do please let me know what you think by commenting below

More information

Links to dark sets

• UNISON COLOUR | Pastels - Unison Dark Set
• Terry Ludwig Pastels: 30 Intense darks #1
• Terry Ludwig Pastels: 30 Intense Darks #2
• Diane Townsend - set of 12 dark soft form pastels
• Mount Vision - dark sets of pastels

Links to reviews

• (Review) Making a Mark: Unison Pastels: the Darks and the Lights
• Wetcanvas Pastels - Recommendations for darks - sets or individuals

Links to more information about pastels:

• Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Unison Pastels - Resources for Artists 

Review: Paint My Photo

This is an initial overview of a new site called Paint My Photo - for those interested in painting from photos who also want to be able to access reference photos taken by other people to do this.
 
A number of art forums have created photographic resources for their members - notably Wet Canvas's Reference Image Library (although this has been inaccessible for long periods on occasion).

A new site has started up on Ning  - apparently independently of any major corporate interests which is interesting of itself - and it's all about painting from photos

Not only that but it's set up deliberately to create a pool of photos for other people to use - and hence is called Paint My Photo  (subtitle - Where photographers and artists meet).  The intention is that reference photos supplied by photographers are copyright free and hence can be used by artists to produce art which they can sell without a fee to the photographer.

Paint My Photo can be found at http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/

The site seems to have been set up earlier this year and this is how it describes itself.

What's The Idea?

Very Simple, there are lots of great Photographers out there in internet land, and there are lots of Artists of all abilities who would like to paint from photographs. The problem is that Copyright law prevents this, although many photographers would love to inspire other Artists (Yes I do agree photography is an Art, I chose the terms 'Artists' and 'Photographers' for clarity). So-If you have posted photographs here, it is because you are happy to allow derivative works to be created. You still own the copyright of your photos of course. The Artist can, if the photographer has selected that option on joining, contact the Photographer to enable them to see the work. The Artist can sell their work as normal, if the photographer wants 'first refusal' on the Artwork, that should be by private arrangement and has nothing to do with 'Paint My Photo'. Artists can place links to where there work can be purchased. Photographers can place links to where other work and prints can be purchased. Anyone spamming and not following the spirit of the site will be warned and advised before any action taken.

****IMPORTANT!****
We are a site for natural media only, no digital artwork, thanks for sticking to this rule.

Features of 'Paint My Photo'

Here are some of the features I could pick out:

• over 7,000 photos already loaded onto the site.  However it's a little puzzling as the reference photos are mixed up with the digital images of the artwork created as a result so it's unclear how many photos there are altogether
  
• 442 members to date - suggesting it's got enough to keep going
• 22 videos loaded - usually by reference to a link to YouTube where people have chosen to share their videos
• a monthly challenge - which tends to be a very popular feature on many of the forums targeting leisure artists.  
• a forum - of the conventional sort with categories and threads.  This isn't as well advanced as I'd expect given the number of members. Thereagain a lot of interaction takes place by way of comments on individual photos and paintings.
• Leader Boards - for content, members, photos and videos -  which allow people to see what's most popular at any given time - which is a good idea (but does I find tend to reinforce the popularity of 'early adopters')
• a group for painting from photos.  Now as a Ning Moderator myself I'd personally have preferred to have set this up as a category within the Forum.  This would then allow people to start threads for their individual artwork - just like you get over at Wet Canvas.  Using the group function means that it's going to be very difficult to see anything other than what got posted today and people's work will get "lost" (as in difficult to retrieve) over time unless you're looking at that person's individual page.
•  a very fascinating tool called a drawing grid - which looks amazing but I can't work out how it works!

The one thing which struck me is that the position on copyright would benefit from a much clearer and more prominent explanation - maybe along the line of a FAQs document about what people can and cannot do with the photos they use.  From my perspective, I'd put an emphasis on people learning about good practice as well as what they can do when using other people's photos.

It's also possible with Ning to get prospective members to look at something before people sign up and then ask when they agree to abide 'by the rules' when they join.  However from what I can see there's actually only one rule and that's 'don't create digital art'!

What's good is that you can have a good look at the site before joining - and if this is something which interests you that's what I suggest you do.


I'm not a member and would be interested to know how the people who are members find it.

• What does it do well? 
• Is it useful?
• Is it likely to be a site that you'll use a lot?
• What could it do better?

The Best Art Business Books

I've produced a new "resources for artists" information website called The Best Art Business Books. Many thanks to all those who are already tweeting it and 'liking' it on Facebook!

Why did I create this new site. Well - as I've indicated before (Making A Mark - Amazon assigns ludicrous categories to Art Books 11 May 2010) it's sometimes really, really difficult to find the book you're looking for on a topic you're interested in on Amazon because of the way they are categorised and tagged - sometimes with very odd labels.

What I've also noticed is that there has been a fair few new books relating to the art business which may be of interest to artists - if they ever came across them!

So what this new site aims to do is provide a curated collection of the what appear to be the better books on Amazon which are about the art business and the business of being an artist or illustrator.

I've tried to sort books into appropriate categories and these relate to artists, illustrators, people selling in galleries and in less traditional venues, those setting up galleries and those who collect art!

• Do you want to learn more about the business of being an artist?
• Looking to improve your marketing of your art - and your sales?
  
• Want to make the jump to full-time artist or illustrator but not sure what you don't know that you need to know?
  
• Thinking about setting up and art gallery and looking for tips?
• Need a form for an art business transaction?
• Seeking legal advice on some aspect of the art business?
  
• Starting to collect art and wondering whether there's a book that can help?
  

If any of the above apply then The Best Art Business Books has a book which can help you.

This selection of books about the business of fine art and illustration are a combination of my own personal recommendations, recommendations by artists and art bloggers I know and rate highly and books which have achieved a high rating on Amazon.

These are the topics which it covers.

You can find out about......
click a link to go straight to the topic

• BOOKS: Making a living as an artist
• Book Reviews by Art Bloggers #1
• BOOKS: Marketing and Selling Fine Art
• BOOKS: Fine Art Business Forms
• BOOKS: The Illustration and graphic art business
• Selling Art Online
• BOOKS: The Art World Business
• BOOKS: Running an Art Gallery
• BOOKS: Buying and Collecting Art
• The Art Economy, Art Law & Copyright
• BOOKS: Law and copyright in the Art Business
• BOOKS: Art and Copyright on the Internet
• Comments and Suggestions

This is still a work in progress as I add in links to artists and illustrators who have blogs and posted a review of art business books they have read.

Can you help?

I'd be interested in your impressions and suggestions for how it could be improved.

Two questions for you:

• Do you have a favourite book about the art business which you have found helpful?
• Do you have a book about the business of being an artist which you have reviewed on your blog?

Roz Stendahl tests Stonehenge Paper

Roz Stendahl (Roz Wound Up) has been testing Stonehenge Paper. This post links to her various blog posts this year on this topic.

The colours of Stonehenge Paper

As a preamble I'd like to emphasise that although it is used by artists for a variety of purposes, Stonehenge is actually a printing paper. Consequently it can't be expected to behave in the same way as, for example, a specialist drawing paper or watercolour paper. It's technical specification (sizing etc) is designed for getting the best results when using fine art printing methods. Nevertheless it is used by artists for artwork other than fine art printmaking as the reviews cited by Legion Paper indicate.

I've extracted some comments to give you a flavour of Roz's views. However each post is a detailed review and I really do RECOMMEND a proper read of each post if you use this paper or are interested in this paper. You can also click the images in each post and see a bigger image of the tests done.

Bear in mind that Roz's aim in doing these tests was to identify a good quality paper for art journaling which was readily accessible and which her students could use in a variety of ways.

Stonehenge Paper: A Test in which Roz sets out her objectives and why she is testing Stonehenge.

Historically I have not been fond of this paper. A friend even made me a button featuring my distaste. But I'm eager to find something workable for students just getting into visual journaling who don't want to spend $5 or more for a sheet or paper..............Several friends who work with graphite, however, love this paper and are always singing its praises. Printmaking friends tell me how much they love this paper.

Bell Museum Sketch Out: Part 2—and Some Thoughts on Stonehenge Paper in which Roz conducts various tests and comments on its use in a variety of different ways

I know this is a well-loved paper. Keep in mind that my comments are meant to alert you to characteristics of this paper that may matter to you in the way you bind books or work in your visual journal. Something that I find might be a negative characteristic might be just the characteristic you're seeking.

More Thoughts on Stonehenge Paper

In general I find watercolors, gouache, and acrylic to look flatter on this paper than on other printmaking papers I've painted on. Flatness of color is to be expected on a printmaking paper when using watercolor inks as the paper isn't sized to hold the ink floating in the sizing like a watercolor paper.

Stonehenge Paper: More Tests—A Deal Breaker

These two results: the soft paper taking an impression of what should be only light lines, and the rubbing off of non-smudgeable media such as ink on the previous pages are DEAL BREAKERS for me.

For me, the dissatifactions of working on this paper, even with simple work-arounds and adaptations to approach given a specific medium, leave me uninterested in working with this paper in my visual journals at this time. I'll give it another try in 5 to 10 years! This also means I won't be using it in my classes, even though it is so affordably priced. While I want to find my students "deals" on materials, my first priority is always to provide a successful experience.

Stonehenge Paper: More Tests—Colored Pencil in which Roz conducts a number of tests involving different brands of coloured pencils. Roz teaches students in journaling classes how to use coloured pencils. She comments on the response of different brands and you can see several examples of the tests she did

I found that the paper was resistant to blending and it was no fun to push the pencil around on this paper. I use light pressure and even with light pressure I found it difficult to cover change of direction of previous strokes, and in the areas that I worked for full coverage (negative space beneath the dog) pilling and slickness quickly appeared (something I don't like in my colored pencil drawings.) The paper had little ability to hold the light layers I like to use to build up my colored pencil drawings.

Stonehenge Paper: More Tests—Concluded in which Roz comments on the suitability of this paper for use in handmade art journals and comments on alternatives

if you want to work with heavy layers of gouache in a fairly dry-brush mode, Stonehenge is heavy enough and strong enough to stand up to that. Too much water and things take forever to dry. Too little coverage and you'll see splotches and pilling that may not please you...

I'm sure you will agree that Roz gave Stonehenge a thorough 'going over'. It's not her paper of choice for journaling however that doesn't mean to say it's not a jolly good paper when used for other purposes.
___________________

This blog is not dedicated to my own product reviews - it's about widening our collective knowledge of what's out there!

I'd be very interested to know about posts by anybody else who has been product testing. Do let me know if you think you've done posts on your blog which you think I might be interested in.

Unison Pastels - Resources for Artists

I have a new resource for pastels artists!

The results of the opinion poll to find your favourite brand of pastel - which ran on Pastels - Resources for Artists from 2006 until this week - clearly showed Unison as being the most popular brand of pastels.

In honour of this achievement I've now created a new information site Unison Pastels - Resources for Artists. In this you can see

• images of the full range of available pastel sets - some of you who are familiar with Unison may well be surprised by the range of sets which are now available
  
• find out a lot more about them
  
• obtain details of how to get hold of them via Amazon or regular suppliers of art materials in the UK and USA

...just click a link below and go straight to that topicto find out more

• An introduction to Unison Pastels
• Unison - the favourite make of soft pastels
• Unison Pastels - Starter & Signature Sets
• Unison Pastels - Half Sticks
• PORTRAITURE
• Unison Pastels - Portrait Sets
• Unison Pastels - Skin Tone Sets
• Unison Pastels - Eye Colour Set
• Unison Pastels - Red Sets
• LANDSCAPE
• Unison Pastels - Landscape
• Unison Pastels - Green Sets
• Unison Pastels - Saturated, Sunrise, Sunset and Shadow sets
• Unison Pastels Blues / Ocean
• Unison Pastels - Blue Green and Blue Green Earth Sets
• Unison Pastels - Yellow & Yellow Green Sets
• Unison Pastels - Orange Set
• Unison Pastels - Brown Earth
• MONOCHROME VALUES
• Unison Pastels - Additional Values and Greys
• Unison - Dark Values
• Unison Pastels - Light Values
• Pastel Supports
• UNISON SUPPLIERS
• Unison Suppliers in the UK
• Unison Suppliers in the USA

Plus you can provide Comments and Feedback

An invitation to review Unison Soft Pastels

I want to expand this new resource to include consumer reviews of Unison Soft Pastels by pastel artists.

If you've ever reviewed Unison Soft Pastels could please let me know and I'll add your review to this blog and to resource site. At present, I've included this review Pastel: Unison Review by Casey Klahn

If you've never written a review, aspects to consider for soft pastels include:

• range of colours (tonality, saturation and brilliance/subtlety)
  
• pigment load (and release)
• how robust / how easy to break
• how easy to blend
  
• mark-making qualities and consistency on supports
• 'feel' when making marks on different supports (and which support you find works best)
  
• supports you've used and results
• lightfastness - and tests you've done or changes you've observed when pastels are exposed to light
• quality of packaging (sets only)
• value for money (taking size and usability into account)

Comparisons with other pastels you are familiar with can also be helpful.
I'm particularly interested to receive reviews from anybody who has tried the special sets and those which only seem to be available in or from the USA.

Do let me know what you think either on this blog or the site itself.

Links:

• Unison Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Making A Mark reviews - Opinion Poll: Which is your favourite make of soft pastels?

Product Review: Pastels by Bryan McGurgan

Product: Various soft pastels (Unison | Terry Ludwig | Diane Townsend) plus Conte crayons

Manufacturer / Distributor: Various small niche suppliers of soft pastels

Product Review by: Brian McGurgan BFA (Blog: Pastel on Paper)

Link to Product Review: Pastels

Target Audience: Pastel artists

Technical Details: review of four brands of pastels includes images of the pastels

Summary: Informative review of four brands of pastels - each brand gets a relatively brief review but content is good

Highlights: covers brands of pastels which are less common comments on shape of each brand, how to use them, what he uses them for and value for money also comments on how he keeps and stores his pastels

Think Again? for pastel artists and those interested in pastels only

Suppliers: None listed in review