Three Stages for Successful Pastel Paintings with Richard McKinley

[ObnoxiousMike]

Nice

[hannahXDMASTER]

i dont have soo much pastels...

[ocossa]

this man explains things so perfectly, the work is beautiful

[artistsnetwork]

Richard uses hard and soft pastels, but not oil pastels.

[cybrid1940]

What kind of OIl Pastel do We recommend, please ? And what kind of Paper do You recommend ( the best paper name , please)

Thank You

Gigi

[Bhav341]

@cybrid1940 he is using soft, not oil pastel, and you can use them on any paper with some tooth - however, if you want to use underpainting or paint in many layers, you will need one of the sanded type papers that will accept wet medium.

[cybrid1940]

What kind of OIl Pastel do We recommend, please ?

Thank You

Gigi

[Indigokitteh]

The underpainting is beautiful by itself. Amazing video.

[flikda3flip]

I don't question the dude's knowledge or skill, but I do question the fact that he calls this painting. Pastel is a generally painterly medium, but it's not paint...right?

[watercolorist7]

@flikda3flip pastel is just a stick of rather loose pigment with varying degrees of binder. It's not a huge deal to call it a "painting" or "drawing" to some. In the art world there are biases, especially in the gallery market against mediums such as watercolor, pastel, acrylic.. He is one who fights against the bias, so watercolors, pastels become more respected as powerful materials to create legitimate artwork. It is painting, just not dissolved by water or thinner.

[d18dude]

@flikda3flip Paint: to produce in lines and colors on a surface by applying pigments. (This is from Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Pastels are just a dry form of the same pigments found in oils, watercolors and acrylics.) I never thought of pastels as "paint" either, but pastelists sure do. :^) McKinley is one of the best....and a great teacher.

[Bhav341]

@flikda3flip no, it is not paint, but is made from the same pigments as paint. However, the word paint is also a verb, and though many consider working with pastels to be more like drawing, in many of it's styles or techniques, it is really the same as painting.

[speakwhnspkn2]

On what kind of canvas/paper is he painting?

[madman3891]

@speakwhnspkn2 its a type of sand paper for pastels

[TheOobster]

ah, so McKinley uses watercolor washes under his pastels.....hmmm...wondered how he achieved such great effects. This actually makes me feel a little better, I could accomplish similar results with washes before the pastels. (not saying my work is as beautiful as his though) And look at that ultra organized palette. I wonder if he spiffed it up for the video or if it always looks that way....

[inertiarus]

McKinley is simply one of the most amazing artists, and art teacher, around.