Because there are no supports to get the result
that I like with oil pastels, I have devised a way to get my preferred surface by making it myself. Soft pastel artists also do this because of the
desire to work with a non-commercially prepared support, with predictable
evenness of texture. Karen Margulis comes to mind, with her unique homemade
supports.
My very first plein air was in oil pastel. I had no idea
what they were or how to use them. They simply seemed easy to travel
with. After all, my set was in a wooden box with a handle. Now how convenient
was that, for trundling through the fields with paper or board under my arm
looking for an aesthetic epiphany?
Nobody
told me they melt when left in the car, and we lived in sunny southern
California at that time. Nobody said how like lipstick this medium was to work
with, all smooshy (technical term) and greasy to use. Nobody warned me how
difficult it was to get them to stick on some papers, I guess Bristol was a
poor first choice. And there was a real lack of direction on how to go about
using these things, and precious little in the way of receptive papers, when I
first started working in oil pastel.
I was pretty upset with my first effort. And it did seem
curious that everyone in the plein air group came by to remark on what the
medium I was using was, and gee, they couldn’t understand why I was using that
particular medium. My first piece was not what I would call a rousing success.
I was challenged. It was difficult. And yes the oils and watercolors did look
easier to use.
Why?
Well there were several reasons for the shortcomings of my
then chosen medium:
1.
There were no commercially prepared supports
available in my city that I knew about.
a.
I had to prepare my own
b.
I still do this
2.
There was little in the way of recipes that I
could find on how to prepare a ground
a.
Recipes were available for homemade soft ground
pastel supports, not for oil pastel
b.
Soft pastel grounds were not ‘toothy’ enough and
filled too quickly with oil pastel
3.
I had to mail order my materials
a.
This is still true as my local art store does not
carry what I need, though where I get my materials has changed
4.
I had no work area where I could prep boards and
let them lay about until they were dry enough for multiple layers of applied
ground
a.
This is the one thing that has massively changed
– I now have a HUGE studio where processing supports does not impede my work
flow
Thinking about the problem led me to understand that I could
use a combined approach, and start by making my own supports. The first time I
tried this medium after the plein air foray, I ordered an abrasive additive
from a supply house in Washington state. This supplier no longer carries the
abrasive, so I now order from Jerry’s online. A material that Matisse Derivan
(Australian art supply maker) calls crushed garnet, is similar and yet, still
finer than what I used to use. When suspended in diluted gesso and rolled on
with a fine foam roller, it leaves a surface that is similar, if not as
rough. The rougher version gives more broken color upon application, but I have
yet to find a supplier for a rougher grade crushed garnet or crushed marble
dust.
 |
| Crushed Garnet Abrasive Additive For Oil Pastel Grounds |
Process:
Start with an MDF board or untempered masonite board no
thicker than 1/8 to ¼ in thickness, precut to the desired size. Sand the side
you will use, the smooth side. This provides a surface to which the gesso will
adhere effectively.
 |
| Rough Back Side on Left - Smooth Side on Right |
Then start by applying one coat of gesso, unadulterated from
the container, on the reverse side to seal in the board. Seal the edges at this
point as well. Let dry. Drying time will vary as to the moisture in the air and
the ambient temperature. If it is dry, it should not be cool to the touch.
Using a large, empty Cool Whip container with lid, as the
mixing bowl and the storage for unused recipe, I assemble the following:
- 1 wooden paint stirring stick
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 container of crushed garnet
- 1 bottle or can of white acrylic gesso
- Cut, sanded boards, my choice of size
Mix the abrasive ground in roughly this manner:
To 3 cups gesso, mix in one cup of water and the entire
container of Matisse Derivan crushed garnet. If you prefer a toned support, mix
in acrylic color at this point, to the desired color saturation.
Mix thoroughly with a wooden paint mixer stick, suspending
the crushed garnet. There will be tiny little dark red dots similar in look to
vanilla beans in cream.
 |
One Coat Applied - Wet Area Still Shines
(I use wooden blocks under the boards to forestall sticking to the work table) |
With a foam roller, roll this mixture onto the sanded
boards. Go in one direction. Go in another direction on the second layer.
It is not a commercially made product, so do not
trouble yourself about evenness as there will not be a uniform deposit of
garnet. The unevenness of the materials deposit allows for some serendipitous
effects down the road when working with this support. You must wait until it is
totally dry to paint on another layer. Failure to wait until the first and any
subsequent layers are dry, before over-painting to even things out, will result
in picking up with your roller what you have initially laid down. In other
words it totally fouls up the works and you will have to do more remedial
layers to approximate a semi-even layer deposit. Keep your gesso thinned and the suspension
stirred for the best results.
 |
Finished Board With Uneven Texture
Happy Effects Waiting to Happen! |
I keep my little roller in a zip-lock snack bag to limit air
exposure between applications to not waste time, water and product washing out my roller, not to
mention my hands.
I hope you will try this as it is a really fun support to
work with.
I will be doing a free, one day workshop in Silver City on
how to proceed from the finished support on June 7th, 2014. Email me
if you would like to participate. For
hands on, there is a materials charge for your prepared board.
Calling All Artists!
