Pastel animal portraits

I prefer to use Rembrant or Conte pastels in my work. These are medium to hard dry pastels, as opposed to childrens’ oil pastels we are more familiar with. Dry pastels lend them selves to fine blending of colours which is often required for multicoloured animal coats. Placed on their side they can be used to fill in a large coat area while a finer line can be obtained by chipping the pastel itself and using the exposed edge or using Conte pastel-pencils. I also find it useful to finish a portrait with Faber-Castel pencils, using the ultrathin pencil tip for the very fine detail and hairs.

Coloured pastels are great for coloured animals, especially ones with complex coat patterns and colours. Both short and long coats work well in pastel. Using artist grade acid free paper, I begin with a dark base colour and then continue adding highlights until the subject I’m drawing appears to stand out in 3D. I generally spray the portrait with an artists grade fixative which is acid free, to ensure the pastel is fixed to the paper. The final layer and highlights however I do not fix as this can dull the pastel. In stead, I leave the last unfixed details as brilliant and translucent as possible. All pastel drawings require a mat border and glass when framing.

The colour of the paper is important when choosing a pastel portrait. There are many colours available and usually several colours are a suitable match for the portrait subject. It is also important to consider the style and colours in the home where the portrait will hang and perhaps even other pictures hanging. I am always happy to lend a hand when choosing paper colours. If working on a full body portrait I will shade under the animal to give the appearance that he/she is lying or sitting on a surface. I can add different surfaces such as cloth, grass, silk, box, etc, what ever you would like.

Order your own Pastel pet portrait. Malcolm Studios specialises in pastel portraits. Contact Malcolm Studios today!