2013 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade soft pastels?

I'm monitoring your favoured brands of pastel and I'd appreciate it if all pastel artists click this link 2013 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade soft pastels? to visit my website Pastels - Resources for Artists and vote on the BRAND NEW POLL for your current favourite make of soft pastel.

Is it the same as in previous years or have you switched allegiance recently?

Kremer Soft Pastels

I've edited the choice of soft pastels this year to those which are currently available in open stock and rated as artist grade soft pastels. That means:

PASTELS ADDED

• Blue Earth (available from Dakota Pastels) and 
• Kremer Pastels (available from Kremer Pigmente - and Jackson Art in UK)

PASTELS DROPPED

• Blick (student grade), and 
• Winsor & Newton (no longer listed as an available product as per 2013 website)

PASTELS AMALGAMATED

• I've amalgamated all the different Diane Townsend Pastels into one category

You can see the trends in terms of the popularity of different makes of soft pastels in yesterday's post Unison is still favourite artist grade soft pastel.

Unison certainly take some beating - they've been top in each one of the four polls I've run to date - however the ranking of the top five pastels changes on a regular basis.

The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2012 Brand Poll Results)

This is my Annual Report on the results of the Annual Poll which asks which is your current favourite brand of artist grade coloured pencil.

Artist grade in this connection means:

• used by fine artists (whether professional or amateur) - people who would like their artwork to last and/or to sell it.
• suitable for fine art rather than commercial art where longevity is of no relevance once the artwork has been photographed.

Below is the chart of the results from the Annual Poll on my resource website Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists (VOTE on this 2013 Poll by clicking this link - 2013 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?)

Chart of the Results of the 2012 Poll:
Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

This year 347 people voted during 2011 to determine which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil.  This is fewere than in previous years but I didn't remind people about the poll at mid-year as I've done in the past.

The results are as follows

• The Favourite Artist Grade Coloured Pencil in 2012 - Faber Castell Polychromos (33.4%)
• 2nd - Sanford Prismacolor Premier (15%)
• 3rd - Derwent Coloursoft (8.4%)
• 4th - Caran d'Ache Luminance (6.6%)
• 5th - Caran d'Ache Pablo (5.5%)
• The Favourite Lightfast (6901) Artist Grade Coloured Pencil in 2012 - Caran d'Ache Luminance (this is a pencil which is accredited as being compliant with the standard ASTM D-6901 for testing Lightfastness in Coloured Pencils created by the American Society for Testing and Material).
• The Favourite brand of Artist Grade Coloured Pencil Media in 2012 - Faber Castell Polychromos - by a mile!

Which means Faber Castell is now the dominant brand and Polychromos is the dominant artist grade coloured pencil within the coloured pencil marketplace for fine artists.  

For a further explanation of how this comes about see below.

Analysis of changes in coloured pencil brand preference over time

It's worth remembering that the performance of different pencils in Opinion Polls is highly dependent on how easy they are to obtain and the patterns of buying behaviour in different countries.  

What I have found noticeable over time is that as more people buy online they are more likely to try new brands of pencils - and are no longer dependent on the pencil in open stock at their local art store - assuming that this store has survived the recession!

The recession has also inevitably had an impact.  One might expect the cheaper pencils to be doing better.  In fact the reverse seems to be occurring and those with more disposable income seem to be favouring the top quality pencils - even if they are more expensive.

Changes in coloured pencil brand preferences 2008 - 2012

I've been running the Poll since 2008 so it's developed a few trends in that time - and we'll look at these below.

CLICK THE CHART below to see a MUCH LARGER version of this chart which shows the percentage share each manufacturer earned in the annual polls.  The very minor brands have been eliminated from view in the chart for the purposes of this analysis.

• GAINERS: Faber Castell, Caran d'Ache
• LOSS OF SHARE: Prismacolor, Lyra Rembrandt
• NEUTRAL: Derwent, Blick and Talens Van Gogh

The Annual Poll was started partway through 2008.  The pattern over time, based on the poll results for the last five years, can be summarised as follows:

• There have been three dominant brands in the marketplace in the last five years - Sanford Prismacolor, Faber Castell Polychromos and Derwent (various)
• Two more brands Caran 'Ache and Lyra Rembrandt have been competing for attention - and one - Caran d'Ache - is beginning to have a serious impact in 2012.
• There are two minor brands - Talens van Gogh and Blick
• In 2012, there has been a significant shift
• Faber Castell is now dominant over the combined pencils of all other manufacturers. 
• One pencil - the Polychromos - now has a 1/3 share of the market.  It is more than  twice as popular as its nearest competitor.
• Prismacolor has lost 45% of its market share in the last year - and is no longer rated as the premier brand of coloured pencils.  For the last four years it has consistently had just less than a third of the market (28-32%).  This year its share has reduced to 18%.  (I'll comment on this further)
• Derwent and Prismacolour are now neck and neck in the popularity stakes
• The Caran d'Ache Luminance pencil - which is lightfast - has continued to build its share of the market DESPITE being the most expensive coloured pencil in the world!  This very clearly demonstrates that price is obviously NOT a barrier to building market share amongst fine artists if people want a quality pencil which is lightfast.  It comprehensively demonstrates that any failure of previous brands of lightfast pencils (which have been dropped) is very probably down to:
• the quality of the pencil in terms of application and use 
• the marketing of the product
• and/or both the above!

While there may be weaknesses in my poll results, so far as I am aware there is no other consistent polling of preferred brands of coloured pencils on a global basis.  If there is I'd be happy to study the results and any inconsistencies with the results of my poll.  (I used to crunch numbers and analyse them for a living!)

Conclusion

The following summary is a product of both the poll, consumer comments available on the Internet (and offline) and recent research.

To my mind the current situation can be characterised as follows.

• Faber Castell has been very focused around the quality of one pencil.  It delivers a high quality product of consistent reliability.  This has earned the Polychromos many admirers - who in turn recommend the pencil to others!  This focus on one pencil gives it a much bigger impact in the marketplace.
• Sanford has lost its way both in terms of  product range, its target market and the quality of the product produced.  I have observed lots of changes and no discernible direction in strategic terms plus lots of complaints about matters which the company has failed to address over the years. It no longer feels to me like a manufacturer which is serious about producing quality products for fine artists.  Its cheap unreliable pencil appears to be targeted at the younger / student market and children and adults who like colouring pages.
• Derwent has a huge range of pencils - none of which do particularly well - apart from the Coloursoft.  Effort and marketing appears to be spread thin.  They could have had the lead in the Lightfast Pencil market - and abandoned it.  Issues around lightfastness continue to be relevant to the artist grade range.
• Caran d'Ache is playing a blinder.  It took time to produce a well thought out pencil which has become very popular - the Luminance.  Despite its high price, this pencil is attractive, works well and is readily available - it looks likely to continue to be very popular and to grow its market share over time.  Not least because it is certified as ASTMS 6901 compliant - and is the only leading artist grade pencil which can claim this. Its growth has also not seriously dented the market for the Pablo Pencil.  The company persuade me (and others) that they recognise how long it takes a new product to establish itself in the market and have a focus on continuous improvement.

Thus we have my personal 'take' on four manufacturers who all demonstrate a very different approach to how to win share and make money from coloured pencils.  

While fine artists are only a small part of the coloured pencil market as a whole one is led to wonder why more artist grade pencils don't emulate the success of the Polychromos!

I'm going to follow up this Poll Report with in-depth analysis of the main brands.  I have eclectic tastes rather than being a dedicated fan of one brand - so this should prove interesting.

I've started by updating the analysis of brands in the Artist Grade Coloured Pencils: Brand Information section of Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.  Each of the sections on the manufacturers of artist grade pencils now has a section which covers:

• SUMMARY
• Favoured by
• No. of artist-quality coloured pencils 
• Meets 6901 Lightfastnes Standard
• Characteristics of coloured pencils
• Pencil equipment/aids available? 
• Characteristics of Manufacturer
• Country

This is my post about The Favourite Watercolour Pencils Awards! (2012 Brand Poll Results)

You can now vote on the 2013 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

Do SUBSCRIBE

if you'd like to be kept informed about the other Poll results for 2012 

and/or reviews of art products and art books in 2013. 

You can find a subscription link near the top of the side column.

Links:

• How to vote for the best coloured pencils in 2013
• The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2011 Brand Poll Results)
• The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results)

Ning's abysmal communication on billing

I use Ning to provide a framework for online discussion groups about art. The framework they offer and the service they provide is great.

However I have one MAJOR complaint about Ning. I complained about it last year - to Ning.  The situation is no better this year so I'm going to complain about it again - and this time I'm doing it in public.

Ning's communication with respect to annual subscription billing is absolutely APPALLING!

ABYSMAL is another word I would quite happily use.

Communication is limited to a pop-up message on entry to the network.

• There are no emails to the network owner prior to payment becoming due
• There are no invoices delivered via email to the owner's inbox - PRIOR to payment.
• Continued subscription is assumed and revisions to existing arrangements are made difficult for network owners due to the lack of information on the network dashboard
• Payment can be made BEFORE an owner has had a chance to review the payment.

Now as it happens I don't want to revise my current arrangements.  However if I did Ning doesn't give me much of a chance to do something about it.

 However as somebody who is very familiar with the proper statutory requirements and other good practice standards applied to systems for billing accounts I know that Ning's arrangements fall far short of what's required.

 I conclude that Ning's communication on invoices is very poor and below all reasonable expectations of standards for online payments.

 It made me think last year that there's a need for some sort of online financial systems ombudsman. I'm thinking the same thing again this year.

This is the online billing enquiry they're receiving from me today.

Please answer the following questions:

1. Why does a responsible company not have a setting for account details and payments of invoices linked to an individual's personal account and/or the network account.
 
2. Why do you not communicate with the site owner via email in advance of the billing date with respect to annual billings.  I do not in any way regard a flash-up message when logging in as any sort of adequate substitute for proper communication.  For one thing there is no online record which is accessible to me that it has occurred.
 
3. Are your billing arrangements fully transparent and completely compliant with all statutory legislation and prevailing good accounting practice relating to the payment of bills for online services?

I'd be very interested to hear about other people's experiences of Ning's Billing arrangements.


UPDATE:  Here's the automated response which completely fails to address any of the questions asked. Like I said - their communication is abysmal!

Hi there,

Thanks for contacting us. You can view all of your account information, including your complete billing and invoice history, by signing in directly to Ning.com using the email address you used to create your network. You can also access your Ning.com account from the dashboard of your network by clicking "My Account." For any questions, please refer to our Help Center article located here: http://www.ning.com/help/?p=5859
We hope this helps.

Thanks,
The Ning Team

Derwent Carry-All (product review)

This is a preliminary review of the NEW Derwent Carry-All which I have yet to take out with me.  This review relates to what it comprises, how it's made and what I can and cannot get it in it.

Derwent Carry-All
(left) front view with shoulder strap attached
(right) opened up showing web pocket for accessories and pencils in a "leaf"; 
space for sketchbook is underneath the pencil leaves
(note: it doesn't come with any art materials - it's just a very big empty pencil case on a strap)

I think the Carry-All has distinct potential but for me it's a "near miss".  I'm awarding it a B+ for a good effort but could do better. 

The reason why?  Two reasons

• I'm confused as to who it is for
• My personal preferences for what I need - I think I would have been tempted to use it an awful lot more - and hence liked it a lot more - if it had just been 25mm taller.  I'll explain why.

I think the dimensions for this carry-all probably started with 'the pencil'. In that context it’s size makes complete sense as it’s well set-up for carrying pencils and I can imagine it will be a very useful bit of kit for those attending classes and workshops.

However if you started from the perspective of who else might want to use it then I think Derwent might well have given some more thought to the size.  It’s not big enough to take an A4 sketchbook or most panoramic sketchbooks so one’s limited to carrying an A5 size sketchbook or a smaller Moleskine sketchbook.

The size aspect is what’s going to limit my use of this holdall.  I was ever so disappointed as I tried every which way to get my A4 sketchbook into it.  That's because if I'm using a smaller sketchbook I then also downsize how many pencils I carry around with me.  I can get a small sketchbook and mini pencil wrap in my handbag.  (see Making a Mark Reviews: Product Review: Derwent Pocket Pencil Wrap 24 May 2010)

Here's the breakdown of what I found.  I'll also report back once I've used it 'in the field'.  I'll also be asking Derwent about the size issue as the Carrry-All I have is nothing like the dimensions on their website.

Product: Derwent Carry-All

Summary Review: It's a well-made rather large pencil holdall on a strap.  I find this product promising but confusing. I’m not clear who the target consumer of the carry-all. Storage emphasis: It’s great for people who want a good way of keeping their pencils and other bits of kit neat and tidy and all in one place at home. Mobile with pencils: It’s great for those who just want to carry a lot of pencils and a bit of extra kit around from A to B without lugging a great big pencil box or tin around. However if that’s all they want to do then I’m puzzled as to why the Derwent pencil wraps - which take 30 pencils each - would not work better? Sketching: HOWEVER It’s undersized for the serious sketcher and oversized for a small sketchbook or anybody with a more minimalist approach.  If this bit were fixed it would still serve the other two pencil uses equally well.

Technical Details: The Derwent Carry-All is described as “a pencil storage solution” with the scope to store “up to 132 pencils and more”. size: the product details tell me it should measure 8" square and 6.5" deep (220mm x 220m x 170mm) which would make it an ‘almost’ cube. HOWEVER the one I’ve got is 220mm wide, 275mm high and 130mm deep - so I’m now wondering if there are different sizes. (Mine is 25mm short of an A4 sketchbook - very frustrating!) material: made of a sturdy grade of fawn canvas (same as that used for the pencil wraps); the trim is dark brown. Feels robust. strap: optional shoulder strap in fawn/dark brown canvas. The strap clips are diagonally opposed and not fixed to the centre of each side as that’s where the zip goes. I’d have liked a more padded shoulder grip hand grip: comfy padded carrying handle/grip with velcro fasteners (if not using strap) pencil storage: product details say it comes with 3 pencil “leaves”; each one is supposed to be capable of holding 44 pencils. Mine came with just 2 leaves and I think I can get 24 pencils in each side (2 per elasticated slot) making 48 pencils per leaf and 96 pencils in total. I guess the scope to hold “up to 132 pencils” is related to the three leaves it’s supposed to come with exterior pocket with velcro tab Interior web pocket - big enough for incidentals (erasers, sharpeners, viewfinder etc) Interior elastic band - looks as if was designed for a very fat sketchbook. Too big to hold my Moleskine secure.

Who should buy this? people who sketch (but work out when you’d use it first) pencil artists needing a neat storage solution for the home pencil artists attending workshops suitable for all makes of coloured pencils - I tried them all!

Who should not buy this? people who like big sketchbooks

Highlights: appears to be robust materials and well made

Think Again? decide first what method of transporting pencils works best for you and your own personal needs

Manufacturer / Distributor: Derwent / Cumberland Pencil Company

Suppliers: supplied to me by Derwent as a test item to review; available from Derwent retailers Online Retailers include: Society of Amateur Artists; Jackson Art

Interestingly it's also big enough to take an iPad - but then if I was sketching with my iPad I wouldn’t need the pencils! :)

Product review: A stylus for iPad sketching #1

I want to do a review of different styli (styluses) used for iPad Sketching. That's because this week I bought my second stylus for sketching having seen both the Hockney Exhibition at the RA on Tuesday - which includes his ipad sketches - and a video film of Hockney using a stylus for his iPad Sketching.

Now I want to know if there are any that are better.

I'm favourably impressed with the Griffin iPad Stylus that I've bought and below you can find a preliminary product review

However I now want to know more about what's available!  If any readers are using a stylus with your iPad can you please get in touch and tell me how you find the stylus you use - see end for more details.

Griffin iPad Stylus

Tree - produced using an iPad, Brushes app and Griffin Stylus

I've bought a Griffin iPad Stylus from John Lewis for £14.95.  The Amazon website indicates that I can get one online at less than half price - just £7.39 - see Griffin Stylus for Apple iPad, iPod, iPhone

This is my second stylus.  The first one disappeared really fast and I think being light and completely black with just a bit of metal partly accounts for that.  They're a bit too expensive to lose on a regular basis so this time I've got to work out a way of:

• being able to see where I've put it down faster (bear in mind I have pencils and pens everywhere!)
• being able to secure it to the iPad so it doesn't get lost

The Griffin website store indicates that they do them in various colours - so all I need to do now is work out where to get one in my favourite colours.  However before I do that I want to see if there is a better stylus out there.

The general consensus is that it's easy to use and is particularly helpful for those with fat/large fingers and for those wanting to work creatively by drawing or sketching.

It has an omnidirectional rubber tip which is very sensitive and reproduces every characteristic of the stroke I used in the Brushes app exactly.  I use both pastels and pencils in a way which means they are held lightly - and I can do exactly the same with this stylus and get identical results.

I tried it first in line mode and then switched to the pseudo pastel stroke and has a great time varying the transparency of the scumble - see above sketch of an imaginary tree.  It all worked as I expected and I had no problems.  (Can I just emphasise the marks in the sketch are based on how I use pastels and do not reflect negatively on how the pen works!)

I also found that producing sketches speeded up enormously because now I could see the sketch while sketching rather than having it obscured by my hand.  It's also great for keeping your screen free from smears from fingers.  The clip on the end means I can fix it to the elasticated closure on my iPad cover.  However I'd still like a better way of keeping it secure.

One complaint is that the rubber on the end can disintegrate - and there's no obvious way in which this can be replaced.

I'll see how I can get on with it and will report back.  However initial impressions are very favourable - apart from the fact I lost the first one within 24 hours of buying it!

Here's a video of the animated sketching using the Brushes App



Griffin Stylus - Other reviews

Here's some links to reviews of this Griffin Stylus.  First a video review by somebody who draws and sketches

• PC Advisor - Griffin Stylus review (November 2010
• Macworld - Griffin Stylus for iPad review (November 2010)
• User reviews of Griffin Stylus pen on revoo.com
• It's had a LOT of reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 
• Griffinoids - video review Griffin Stylus Review for iPad iPhone & iPod touch (good first part to see what this looks like.  Mine does not have the lanyard hole in the top.  Second half focuses on what the reviewer uses it for ie note-taking and ganes)

Is there any other stylus you recommend?

Serenity Caldwell at Macworld.com produced a comprehensive Macworld review Drawing on the iPad: 12 touchscreen styluses reviewed in May 2011.  This covers the Griffin Stylus which earns 3.5 stars.

See the charts at the end for details of how each did - plus the video below for an insight into what each looks like and how they work - and whether they are effective.



I know that one other stylus I want to try is the Wacom Bamboo Stylus

Is there any other stylus you've used for DRAWING and SKETCHING that you would like to recommend?

Please either leave a comment - which makes it easier to share with others - or email me (see "contact me" info in side column.)

Book Review: Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard

This book tells the story of Postcard from Provence from the perspective of the artist's wife and partner.  It's a definite "must read" for all followers of Postcard from Provence  and aspiring daily painters.

Ruth Phillips writes extremely well - which I already knew from her blog Meanwhile. I thought I might know most of the stories from having read her blog for the last five years, however I was very wrong!

My signed special limited edition (no. 114) of  Ruth's new book Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard arrived in early June and came complete with a key to the house featured in the book which a group of us rented for three weeks in June 2011.

It was posted to me by Julian Merrow-Smith of Postcard from Provence fame.  Which is how I ended up with two keys to enter their world as the book also provides an excellent introduction to all the places around and about Bedoin in the Vaucluse area of Provence.

The chapter titles are idyllic and made me want to start reading straight away - but in the end I didn't start to read it until I was staying in their home in Provence - while Ruth played cello at the Garsington Festival and Julian got to grips with his new role of Dad of seven month old Louis!

This was an early review which I read which only served to wet my appetite.  Having read the book now I can only echo its comments.

“In Cherries from Chauvet’s Orchard, cellist Ruth Phillips makes music with words, capturing on  the page what her painter husband, JulianMerrow-Smith, does on canvas—a way of life that is achingly romantic yet not romanticized, that is earthbound yet exquisite, and one where sweat is rewarded with transcendence. As the couple struggles to build their home out of a farm ruin beneath the shadow of Mt. Ventoux and to make a living and life together, Julian must harness his muse. In a modern-day twist in this ancient place of luscious colors and cuisine, it is the worldwide web that changes their life. This is a true story of talent, ingenuity, and success against the odds, of pathos,  passion, and humor. You won’t put it down.”

--Dean King, author of Skeletons on the Zahara and Unbound

The book also uses quotations from friends, family, artists and collectors as introductions to the chapters.  My friend, fellow painter Sarah Wimperis (The Red Shoes) is one of those people.  This is the introduction to Cloud Shadows on page 160

Julian confims that painting is like running, or the violin, or the cello...it requires practice all the time. I am so sick of the people who think it pours out like a leaky tap, like it is easy or god given

Sarah Wimperis

When you start reading a book more slowly and rationing out the pages so that you won't get to the end too quickly you know you're reading a very good book which you want to savour!  After I had been reading for a while I decided to only allow myself a maximum of two chapters each night!

It starts at a point before I began to know a bit about their lives.  It tells us the stories of how Julian and Ruth came to meet and marry, of their life in Crillon Le Brave before they made the move to their 'new' house in Couguiuex and how the whole daily painting story (saga?) happened, took off and then delivered very real benefits in terms of improvements to their life style, domestic amenities and Julian's studio.  I used to stand there with the hose in the evening - watering Ruth's potager - and thinking about how the very long story of how the water actually got to put in an appearance.

What is particularly luscious for all serious foodies (that'll be me!) is the role that food plays in the book - and that's when we learn much more about how Julian's involvement with food goes well beyond what he liked to paint in his still life paintings.  Ruth's writing about food can make me salivate! I also made very sure that the potatoes got a very good watering!

It's also very illuminating and sometimes downright entertaining about what it's like living with an artist in search of his daily muse!

The latter part of the book concerns their quest to be parents and how Louis entered their lives.

This book is a definite "must read" for all followers of Postcard from Provence.  

The general consensus from all those reading along with me in Provence was that it was also a very good read, very accurate about the place and the area and we all enjoyed it enormously - and not just because we were having a go at "living the life" of a painter in Provence (see 4 Go Painting in Provence!).  I bought another copy while I was there and took it home for my mother to read!

This book was first reviewed on Four Go Painting in Provence - Ruth provides the inspiration.....
This particular edition is raising funds for the orphanage in Bamako where Julian and Ruth's adopted son Louis started his life.

Note: ‘Cherries from Chauvet’s Orchard’ is now available as a mass-market paperback for $16.95

• Amazon.com Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard: A Memoir of Provence by: Ruth Phillips
  
• Amazon.co.uk Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard by: Ruth Phillips
• You can see a preview of the book here 

The NEW 2010 Soft Pastels Opinion Poll

As announced yesterday, I now have a BRAND NEW opinion poll about artists' grade soft pastels for 2010 on Pastels - Resources for Artists

In order to evaluate how preferences are changing over time, I'm introducing an ANNUAL survey to see how artists are currently rating the available brands of soft pastels.

The old survey - which has now been archived - excluded new pastels which have emerged in the last three years. The new survey includes more options - with the different types of pastel made by each manufacturer now identified by name.


You can find the NEW survey here 2010 Poll: What is your favourite make of soft pastels?

The purpose of the polls is to identify which are the most popular soft pastels in 2010 - hence all past votes which applied to choices available in the past no longer apply. It also enables:

• new brands to be reflected in the poll
• people who have experimented with more brands and new brands since voting to change their preference if they want to
  

What this means is that all of you who voted on the first poll can now VOTE AGAIN! This time I want to know which brand - out of the ones which you use right now - is your favourite brand.

The poll can also provide feedback to the manufacturers about preferences which will hopefully provide an some incentive to continue with a good selection in the marketplace and products which continue to improve in both quality and lightfastness over time.

If any of the marketing people from the different pastel manufacturers are reading this and note that their new brands in the pipeline are NOT included please contact me with the date your product is due to be in the marketplace AND on your website.

Links:

• Pastels - Resources for Artists
  
• Opinion Poll: Which is your favourite make of soft pastels?

Opinion Poll: Which is your favourite make of soft pastels?

This post tells you which make of soft pastel has been voted as favourite by artists visiting Pastels - Resources for Artists

Between 2006 and yesterday, I've had an opinion poll running on my information site Pastels - Resources for Artists which asks the question POLL: Which is your favourite make of soft pastel?

453 people have now voted on this poll. You can see the results of the poll by right-clicking on the image and opening it in a new tab.

So what do they think?

The overall positions have been pretty consistent for some time.

In order of preference, the top five soft pastels are

• Unison 19.6%
• Sennelier 15.9%
• Terry Ludwig 13.5%
• Schminke 11.7%
• Talens Rembrandt 8.2%

The wisdom of crowds says that Unison is the favourite make of soft pastel.

In honour of this achievement I've set up a new information site Unison Pastels - Resources for Artists. In this you can see the full range of pastels and also find out a lot more about them and how to get hold of them. If you've ever reviewed Unison Soft Pastels please let me know and I'll add your review to the site.

Sennelier, Schminke and Rembrandt are pretty universally available and I'm sure that has had a positive impact on their rating.

What's possibly more surprising is the very good rating achieved by Terry Ludwig Pastels. They're very good - especially the darks - but like Unison this is very much a niche one product firm. That's quite an achievement for both firms!

After that a lot of smaller niche brands all get very similar levels of support

• Winsor and Newton 6%
• Mount Vision 4.4%
• Great American Art Works 4.2%
• Henri Roche 3.5%
• Diane Townsend 3.3%
• Girault 3.1%
• Art Spectrum 2.4%
• Daler Rowney 2.4%
• Prismacolor Soft Pastels 1.8%

I'm guessing that the majority of respondents are from the USA as a lot of these soft pastels simply are not available except by export to people living outside the USA.

By way of comparison you can find a very old poll with 562 responses in the Soft Pastels Forum of Wet Canvas. Which Pastel Brand Do You Favor? gives a very different results - which I think only goes to show the value of having a regular update to reflect how the market has changed. People who may have voted one way back in 2001 may think quite differently now!

As with my coloured pencils site I'm intending to introduce an annual poll so we can see how preferences have changed as makes, ranges and the distribution of soft pastels have changed. I'll flag the new poll up on this blog when it's ready.

Book review: Private Lives of the Impressionists

Title: Private Lives of the Impressionists

Synopsis: This is a group biography; it provides a narrative of the story behind the famous paintings. It's a book which covers the lives of the Impressionists - Monet, Manet, Pisarro, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt before, during and after the creation of their group. It charts the development of Impressionism within the context of contemporaneous development in Paris and the Parisian art world. The focus is very much on the birth of Impressionism and finishes in 1883 with the death of Manet.

Summary review: RECOMMENDED This is a very dense book covering a large number of artists and has lots going on. It's scholarly and knowledgeable but a light read at the same time. I found it took a little getting into until I was clear about all the relationships between the different artists. Charting the overall relationships is also what marks this book out as being different from other biographies of the individual artists. However the author writes well, I enjoyed reading the book, didn't want to finish and would happily read it again. Knowing more about the circumstances in which artists produced their paintings helped me look at both artists and paintings in a new light. I would have liked to have been able to read more about how the artists developed during the rest of their artistic careers after 1883. Maybe that's another book?

Highlights comprehensive overview of the birth of Impressionism includes all the main artists associated with Impressionism identifies all the various relationships between the different artists a huge amount of detail suggesting lots of meticulous research details the impact on the artists of current events in France - such as the Franco-Prussian war

Think Again? Is Manet an Impressionist? Discuss.........

Who should buy this?: Artists interested in Impressionism Art Historians Teachers of art history - to find out how to make art history come alive! Students of art history

Who should not buy this? People with no interest in art history or Impressionism

Author / (Publisher): Chatto Windus (Hardback)

Technical data: Technical data: Publication Date 2006 (hardback); 2007 (paperback): Hardover - 368 pages Paperback 352 pages; ISBN-10 0099458349: ISBN-13 978-0099458340: I read the paper back version. Covers vary depending on editions.

What the book covers

• it covers the lives of all the Impressionists - Manet, Monet, Pisarro, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt before, during and after the creation of their group

Timeline of the Impressionists - Wikimedia

• it also highlights the other people who are important to the story of the Impressionists - such as painters Caillebotte and Bazille, the art dealer Durand Ruel (who established the market for Impressionism in the United States as well as in Europe) and the paint merchant Tanguey also get pretty good coverage.
• it describes the environment of the places where they lived, frequented and painted as they were at the time which has provided for me a whole new perspective of certain of the works.
  
• This is also a story of the Paris which had been transformed by Baron Haussman and of the impact of the Franco-Prussian war - which had a major impact on more than one of the painters - the siege of Paris in 1870-71, the establishment of the Paris Commune and the emergence of the Third Republic.
  
• it tells the stories of the Salon des Beaux Arts and the first Salon des Refuses in 1863 and exhibitions by the Impressionists (minus Manet) starting in 1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882 and 1886 and the relative success of each of the painters in different contexts
  
• you gain insight into their familial and fraternal relationships - and the very many difficulties associated with the class system of the time without having to read a detailed biography of individual painters. This highlights some of the oddities such as the fact that both Manet and Cezanne had wives and children who were not known to their families.
• For Americans, there is an interesting chapter towards the end of the book which tells the story of how Durand Ruel opened up the market for Impressionist paintings in New York.
  
• The focus of the book is on the birth of Impressionism rather than about everything that happened to the Impressionist Painters. It more or less finishes in 1883 around about the time of the death of Manet - however this it does leave scope for another book! At the moment, an epilogue provides a very abbreviated summary of what happened next for each if the painters
  

UK Paperback Book Cover (Vintage House)
detail from Self Portrait in his Atelier by Claude Monet

Why I recommend this book

This book covers a critical period for a number of the different painters who became known as the Impressionists. It's incredibly dense and covers a huge amount of detailed information in a way which speaks of comprehensive and meticulous research.

What makes this book different for me is the articulation of the various relationships between the different painters. So often books about the Impressionists tend to list them as individuals and comment on their works in the same way. This book focuses much more on the connections and the way they supported and influenced once another. It's an invaluable insight also into how a group with common motivations can support one another through different challenges and emotional and financial difficulties - and there were quite a few of those!

It also gives a very good insight into just how long it took some of these painters to become successful and just how financially stretched they were at times.

I am particularly enjoying the way in which Roe provides an insight into the incredibly different characters and personalities of the painters. I am repeatedly left wondering quite how some of them came to be members of the same group.

I like the way the book discusses how specific paintings came into being. The index is good because you can look up a specific painting by title and check out what it says - so it's good if you also want to use it as a reference source. Unusually for a paperback, this book also provides two sections of colour plates of paintings which feature in the text.

It's also a really great index for tracking down particular events. In fact the notes and index - which make up around 20-25% of the pages of my paperback persuade me that this is a very well read, well researched and well organised author! It's brilliant for providing you with references to sources if you want to pursue some particular aspect of one of the painters.

One of the surprising by-products of reading this book is that I now feel I understand far more about what happened in Paris and France in the second half of the 19th century than I ever did
while studying late 19th century European History at school!

Now I know I've succeeded in making it seem incredibly academic - but the reality is that this book is an incredibly easy read. Roe has a gift as storyteller. She has been able to take dry facts and convert them into a narrative which is always interesting - even when it takes you down paths you're not quite expecting.

I also think this book would be a terrific read for anybody currently facing challenges associated with the credit crunch and the recession. Reading about people facing very similar difficulties somehow helped to remind me of the enduring themes and challenges of life.

There really is nothing new under the sun - except when somebody has a bright idea about how to apply paint!

Note (1) A similar post first appeared on Making A Mark on 4th November 2008
Note (2) about the author: Sue Roe is a freelance writer and teacher. A former Lecturer at the University of East Anglia, she is the author of a novel, Estella, Her Expectation, a collection of poems, The Spitfire Factory, and Writing and Gender: Virginia Woolf’s Writing Practice. She is also co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Virginia Woolf, and her most recent book is the widely praised Gwen John: A Life. She lives in Brighton.

Book Review: BP Portrait Award 2009 catalogue

Title: BP Portrait Award catalogue

Author: (Publisher): National Portrait Gallery Publications (£7.99 / reduction for NPG Members)

Synopsis: A catalogue of all the portraits which are part of the exhibition for the BP Portrait Award 2009. Plus an interesting essay on portraiture by Sarah Dunant and an item about the the work undertaken by artist who won the BP Travel Award 2008

Who should buy this?: People interested in portraiture Artists who want to submit work to a future BP Portrait Exhibition

Who should not buy this? People who are hapy viewing the small images and better background information available on the exhibition website. People not interested in portraiture

Highlights complete catalogue of all portraits in the exhibition dimensions and media/support are listed for all images interesting essay by Sarah Dunant good overview of Emmanouil Bitsakis's journey to north-west China to paint portraits of a Turkic minority people (but the NPG magazine did it better).

Think Again? the catalogue is very small which limits the size of the images of the portraits. Those which have portraits in landscape format are particularly ill-served by this format. the artist's background plus the explanation of the portrait - which are both available in the exhibition and on the website - is missing from the book. the photographs in my edition flatten the images and the colours are slightly off. Rather in the same way as you get when flash has not been used well. Some of the portraits are not well represented by photographs - including the winner.

Summary: The range and approaches used by different artists may be seen to serve as an indicator of what is popular but it really only indicates what this year's jury liked. Interesting to keep as a record and to review the different approaches used. It needs to have the details of the artist and the background included - but they're missing.

There's a limited audience for this publication. People buying it are probably limited to those about to see the exhibition, those who'd like to see their work in the exhibition next year and those trying to develop their portraiture practice!

It needs to be remembered that this is a painting competition and therefore it doesn't in any way represent the full range of ways in which artists can now choose to create portraits of individuals.

The catalogue is the size of a large hand and is a good size for carrying round in an exhibition, however if we were thinking about ways to save trees my guess is a lot of people would be happy with a simpler document which they could borrow to see the exhibition and then return afterwards.

For those interested in the portraits and portraiture, it seems to pitch itself somewhere between providing too much for those visiting the exhibition and not enough for those interested in portraiture. I looked back at it following the press preview and over lunch in the National Cafe next door and I'm afraid this catalogue irritated me. Some portraits stay with you after you've left an exhibition and you end up wanting to know 'how' or 'why' - but this book doesn't answer that question. For example, it doesn't include any of the notes about the background of the artist or the reasons for painting this portrait and how they approached it which are provided next to each portrait in the exhibition and also on the website.

It's always difficult to comment on photographs in a book. There can be a number of reasons why they may not look as much like the portraits in the exhibition as they could. The photographer's technique for photographing the work, how they process their images, the paper it's printed on, the printer used, the batch I'm looking at - any or all could influence the outcome. The simple fact is that they don't all represent the portraits as well as they might do. I'm probably more conscious of this , this year as the winning portrait is one of the ones that suffers as a result. Some of the images are really flattened and some of the colours in some of the pictures are slightly 'off'. Maybe I'm being picky but to my mind the the quality of the image reproduction in a catalogue is absolutely critical to its rating.

I'm minded to suggest the NPG consults with Taschen about to this sort of exhibition catalogue in future. Taschen have a talent for publishing informative art books with good production values, excellent images and a very cheap price. That's what this should be - but it doesn't quite achieve this.

That said I do buy it every year. I just wish every year that it were a better catalogue.

Book Review: The Pastel Book

Title: The Pastel Book

Author: (Publisher): Bill Creevy (Watson Guptill)

Synopsis: An introduction to pastels which is methodical in its approach and comprehensive in its scope. It provides very high quality advice about materials and stimulating demonstrations of what can be achieved in terms of basic techniques, the use of colour and mixing pastels with other media. The explanations and images are excellent and the instruction is stimulating.

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate and advanced artists using pastels who want to understand the medium better and to explore what's possible when using pastels. Likely to appeal to those who prefer a painterly approach to realism.

Highlights comprehensive section on materials, papers and tools with authoritative explanations about how different media and materials work excellent and inspiring explanations and demonstrations of basic techniques and more advanced methods of combining pastels with other media pitches explanations at people who want to learn rather than to be spoon fed excellent production values and images

Think Again? This book is dated insofar as it's not completely up to date on all available brands. However much of what it covers is readily available and relevant. May well not appeal to those who like their realism photorealistic Not suitable for those people who like very basic explanations and beginner level demonstrations.

Summary: A book that has made a lasting impression on me and opened my eyes to what is possible using soft pastels. This book is a "standard" in art instruction which attracts positive comments from a variety of sources. So far as I'm aware its not yet been beaten in terms of the comprehensive nature of its coverage of different brands of pastels and the range of ways you can use pastels to make art.

The Pastel Book was the very first book I ever bought about pastels any my hardback edition is dated 1991 and I bought shortly after it became available in the UK for £22.95! It was excellent value for money then and it's excellent value for money now.

The most recent edition is a paperback dated 1999. I've checked on Amazon and it's still selling well - both new and used!

I don't think I could have started with a better book. Bill Creevy is a Master Pastellist member of the Pastel Society of America and is listed in Who's Who in American Art. I very much appreciate books where the author is experienced and authoritative in their use of the media in question.

The book is very methodical in its approach and comprehensive in its scope. In particular it covers oil pastels and well as soft pastels. This will of course be heresy to some but the title of the book is The Pastel Book! It's also particularly suitable for people who want to work with an abrasive surface.

One characteristic of the book is the excellent production values in terms of a well made book with good quality paper and excellent graphics and images.

Materials and tools

As with all of the Watson Guptill Books which seek to explain a particular media, the book is extraordinarily thorough. There are 30 pages just devoted to explaining about:

• the different makes of pastels (soft pastels, handmade pastels, oil pastels and oil sticks),
  
• different types of papers and other supports and their various merits
• mediums and fixatives which can be used with pastels - a topic which is frequently omitted from a number of other books introducing people to pastels
• tools - in terms of erasers and spreaders and mark makers of all kinds
  

The analysis of the history and behaviour of different brands is the best I've ever read anywhere. What's also good to see is a commentary which pays attention to the legislation on issues. Having dealt with how the pastels came into being and manufacture, Creevy then goes on to describe in detail what each pastel feels like to use and their relative size and hardness/softness. He spells out which are good for which sort of techniques or what sort of support.

Examples:

The giant Sennelier pastels are soft and smooth to work with but not fragile or brittle

Rembrandts are extremely easy to work with

Quentin de la Tour has a unique consistency somewhere between soft and hard: very firm but still soft

That's something you don't readily appreciate when you're starting out. Looking back now I can see how well-informed his commentaries are. This of course is where having an author who is a master at using the media really pays off! It also helps hugely if you want to develop your set of pastels.

However one of the problems is that some of the pastel names have changed and some pastels are no longer easily available. For example 'Quentin de la Tour' stopped being a tradename in 1995 and they are now known as Pastels Girault. The list of suppliers is also inevitably going to be out of date. Others such as Grumbacher can now be very difficult to find. The likelihood is that the only place you'll find them is as vintage sets being sold on eBay!

I'm finding that it's nice to look back at all the descriptions of pastels and - in the age of the Internet selling - to realise that it's now possible to purchase some of the pastels (like Diane Townsends) which were just names to me when I started out!

The section on papers explains what each is good for - and re-reading for this review, I discovered that I'd never thought of using handmade watercolour papers from India which he recommends. he also explains how to make your own canvas panel and cover it with the medium of your choice.

Basic pastel techniques

if hard pastels are this medium's pencil points, then soft pastels are its paintbrushes

It's when you read simple sentences like that, that you know this is somebody who enjoys this medium!

What I particularly like about this section on basic pastel techniques is that the drawings are anything but basic. I do get annoyed when books which introduce a medium only ever show techniques at a beginner level of dexterity and application. Where's the source of inspiration in that? What this book did for me was make me want to try and achieve some of the techniques and pictures I saw demonstrated - and buy all the different pastel brands!

A double page spread provides an overview of with a variety of techniques for applying pastels in terms of the scope for drawing and mark-marking strokes , dusting and scumbling and other ways of manipulating pastels, and using pastels with other media and various tools. Each is then explained further in a double page spread - or more with excellent images. You'll get a sense of how good they are, if I say that I've had this book very nearly 20 years and I can still remember vividly what some of these demonstrations look like without even looking at the book!

What I love is that this is an accomplished artist who can ably demonstrate a variety of techniques. He does not attempt to 'sell' only one method - rather he opens up a world of possibilities and leaves you wanting to get started as soon as you can. However anybody (like me!) who likes painterly realism will really appreciate this book.

He finishes with a detailed review of the role of erasers and fixatives.

Pastel textures

This section looks at the special properties of pastels in terms of how they can blend and represent colour and explains what can be achieved using pastels in different ways. He demonstrates the use of various blending tools - and on the opposite page shows what can be done in terms of representing the same image in broken colour. His explanations of how to use the pastels are again very detailed and accessible.

This was the book which persuaded me that broken colour was much more visually exciting than smooth and blended colour and got me started on feathering, scumbling and the use of broken colour.

They didn't skimp on the photography for this book. This is also one of the few pastel books which shows you proper 'grainy' pictures of pastel paintings - of pastels on an abrasive surface. This is one of the few books where I've ever had a real sense of texture and scumbling.

Color and Pastels

Given the availability of techniques for creating optical mixtures of colours, it's also important to explain basic approaches to colour management as well as the techniques for delivery pastel to support - and this is what this section does. He doesn't spend forever explaining the colour wheel in basic terms. Rather he gets into the different approaches to using colour, how these relate to how light works in relation to colour and how all of this can be achieved with the use of pastels.

Pastels and Mixed Media

One of the aspects of pastels which often gets neglected is the scope to mix pastels with other media. This book does the reverse and devotes an entire section to this topic. He highlights in particular one of his favourite ways of working - using acrylic gel without using any acrylic paint to create a textured surface. He also explains how to use alkyd gels or liquin - which then reduce the need for fixative.

I've also never seen pastel monotypes or gum traganth combined with pastels ever tackled by any other book!

Oil Pastels and Oil Sticks

If I was wanting to learn more about oil pastels and oil sticks this is the book I'd want to start with. It has a section for each and deals with how they handle and the sort of strokes you can create and how they can be combined with other media. It pretty much follows the same sequence as used for soft pastels in terms of materials, basic techniques and ways to combine the media with other media.

Conclusion

Overall I have to endorse the publishers description of this book. It's one of the best books I've ever read about pastels and it has more about the basics relating to materials, papers and tools then many books which are much more modern.

Absolutely the most thorough guide to pastel materials and techniques ever assembled in a single volume, this is the book for anyone working with pastels, from beginners to experienced artists looking to develop more professional skills.

For anybody wanting a really good overview of each different type of soft pastel, this book is worth buying for that aspect alone - even with the omissions and amendments to names. It's such a pity that there isn't a modern and updated version of this book. Personally, I think the various pastel brands ought to get together and sponsor an update!

There is no doubt that this book is a "standard" in the field of pastel art instruction. I know that it attracts positive comments from a variety of sources. Different people like different aspects of it but all appreciate the quality of the content.

On a final note, in rereading The Pastel Book for this review, I started to itch to get my pastels out again!

Links

• Pastels - Resources for Artists - my information site about pastels, which includes more books about using pastels