Pastels: A method of painting or drawing with sticks of dry colour which have the minimum of binder; a reason why pastel pictures keep their bright fresh look almost indefinitely. The main danger for them is concussion, a sharp knock can cause particles of colour to fall off the paper. They are composed of pure pigment mixed with an inert filler such as kaolin with a minimal amount of gum tragacanth, casein or skimmed milk and are then formed into sticks by extrusion or a pressure mould. The technique was an evolution from early chalk-drawing. In the 18th century a number of French artists worked in the medium, including: Mauriee Quentin de La Tour (1704-88), Jean-Baptiste Chardin (1699-1779), Jean Etienne Liotard (1702-89), and Edgar Degas (1834-19I7) who exploited pastels to the full with his charming scenes from the ballet. Pastels should be used on a paper that has some 'tooth' to grip and hold the pigment particles. It can be manipulated with a brush, a fingertip or a tortillon. Fixing a pastel is debatable by some artists as the fixative is liable to change the tones and tints.

 

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Pastels: A method of painting or drawing with sticks of dry colour which have the minimum of binder; a reason why pastel pictures keep their bright fresh look almost indefinitely. The main danger for . . . View Full Definition

Tragacanth: A binding agent made from Astragalus plants, used in watercolour paints and pastels.

Gums: The principal binder for water-colour is gum arabic, it comes from certain acacia trees growing in Africa, Asia and Australia. Gum tragacanth is used as a binder for chalks and pastels; it i . . . View Full Definition