Pastel Portraits from photos of Pets & People
soft pastel on quality uart paper
"The exquisite medium which achieves unique softness, vibrancy and drama of dark and light"
Like all my artwork, the pastel portraits from photos I create are traditionally hand painted. The pastel portraits are created with pastel pencils and soft pastel sticks on high quality acid-free paper. See my gallery with pet portraits and portraits of people from previous commissions along with comments from clients and photos of the portraits which were framed before shipped.
Find out more about how to commission your pastel portrait in my How it works section. Click on each thumbnail to see the portrait information with a large sized picture, detail and reference photo view.
My Pastel Painting Techniques
Pastel is a dry medium, applied with pastel sticks and pencils, then blended together with various methods. I use Senniler Soft Pastels for bigger areas and Derwent and Faber Castell Pastel pencils for fine details. Pastel artworks are called paintings when the entire paper has been filled with color, they are called drawings if the pastel artwork is a sketch. I paint my pastel portraits on Uart sanded paper or Sennelier pastel card which enables me to create the perfect balance between softness and sharp details where they are needed. I too, like most pastel portrait artists know that the paper is the most significant part in pastel painting.
Many papers have been tested, but these two kind of papers are preeminent for what I want to achieve with my art. Both papers hold the pastel colors very well, because soft pastels are made out of pure pigment powder it's significant to use them on a proper ground. I paint my pastel portraits with great accuracy and character, combined with softness, lights and vibrancy. Pastel painting does not refer to pale colors as many may think, they have a wide variety of color range from very subtle to bold, strong and brilliant to gentle and soft. Pastel can with proper workmanship achieve the most wonderful paintings. Soft backgrounds combined with sharp details, creates the perfect entirety which is crucial for a beautiful portrait.
Pastel Portraits from Photos
As you probably already know, I always work from one main photograph for composition and use rest of your provided photos for details and colors which I'm perhaps unable to see on the main photograph. It's important that you send big and sharp photos for me to see detail, texture and correct coloring. As I only have you and the photo to guide me, the photo is the most important part of the entire portrait process. Read about photos in the Photo Tips section to find out more.
Work In Progress
Follow your pastel portrait by each step in my Work In Progress blog! I take a photo of the painting between each stage in the painting progress and upload the photo there. I usually also write down a little something, many times about the pet portrait or other pastel portrait I'm painting or something else that's in my mind at the time. You will not only be able to follow the development, but also make comments which I just love to get. You will just love to follow your portrait over there, trust me on this one! I have been documenting the progress of my work for many years and it has proven to be the most popular part of my website for both clients and other visitors. Many artists find this kind of service too time-consuming, but I just love to be able to do this for you.
Framing Your Pastel Portrait
A pastel painting must be mounted/matted and then framed under glass. When properly framed, a pastel last longer then any other medium. It's because of the pure pigments the sticks are made of and the painting won't be sprayed with fixatives which would cause the colors to darken or crack in time. Even though I would send your Pastel Portrait properly packed, protected with all required materials... I would still recommend to get the portrait framed over here, to prevent anyone touching the delicate surface.