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Author: Phyllis_Franklin, Contributing Editor
 | Lay the white pastel sticks you have made on news print for an hour or two so that the newsprint can absorb excess moisture. |
| Transfer the pastel sticks to plastic wrap that has been wrinkled. The plastic wrap will keep the pigments from cracking as they dry completely. The pastel sticks should be ready to use within the next day or two. You can test the sticks to see if they are dry by touching them. If they are cool to the touch, they are not dry. Dry pastel sticks do not feel cool. |
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| If you need them in a hurry you can try putting them in the oven at 150° F. This way you can test them for the desired softness and if you need to adjust you can. If the color takes easily to a surface, the binder is right, but if your pastel crumbles during drying or breaks under slight pressure, it needs a stronger binder. If the color does not take easily to a surface, the pastel is too hard and a weaker binder is needed. You need to experiment here because some earth colors like terre verte or burnt sienna tend to dry too hard even when they are ground in plain water. However, when they are mixed with a small amount of chalk or black pigment, they become very soft and lay down well.
Keep notes and you will become an expert. |
 | Start with a clean glass surface or other non-porous work surface.
Choose your working pigment. Refer to your formula recipes and your notes always. |
 | Measure out the pigment to be used. In this example we are using 2 oz of Ultramarine Blue. |
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