Home › Forums › Explore Media › Pastels › Soft Pastel Talk › Question about Girault pastels
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February 28, 2012 at 10:49 am #989401
I’ve been trying to use pastel pencils for details in my paintings, but if I use them at the end, they do not work well for a top layer. I work mostly on PastelMat and La Carte. I’m assuming they are a bit too hard to be used on top of Terry Lugwigs, Sennelier and Unisons.
Now I’m thinking about a few Girault pastels, I had one stick once, and remember it being small enough for details, but remember it being firm too. It wasn’t my favorite pastel for overall painting, but now I’m thinking it might be good for details.
Are Girault pastels soft enough to use for top layer details? Would they work better than pastel pencils? (I’ve tried Carb Othello and Cretacolor) My Terry Lugwigs, Unisons and Senneliers don’t quite do the trick for details such as eyes if I’m working smallish. The firmness of the Girault would be a plus assuming they are soft enough for a top layer, I find it really hard to do much detail at all with a soft Sennelier, even though they are my smallest sticks!
Thanks.
February 28, 2012 at 12:12 pm #1156564Yes, and for small details sharpen the Girault(s) to a point with a razor and emery. Or use the edge on the ends. You can buy one at a time and try it.
Drusilla
Blog: http://drusillasart.blogspot.com
http://1-drusilla-montemayor.artistwebsites.com/
Life is short, back AWAY from the computer, get off yer butt and go PAINT!:evil:February 28, 2012 at 12:13 pm #1156551You could do a whole portrait using just Giraults. They’re a beautiful pastel, great for details. You can use them along with pencils, using the pencils first, then going in with the Giraults. I’ve done it many times. You are correct in assuming that the pencils don’t work very well if you want to go over Ludwigs, Unisons, or Senneliers. The pencils are much too hard, they just sort of push the softies around, but they don’t leave a mark. I love Giraults, they’re a nice combination of both soft and hard, somewhere in the middle. You can do an entire painting with them and have no need for anything softer or harder, if you so desire.
You can sharpen them, but I never would because they’re so expensive. I don’t like to waste them, it would just kill me. That’s what pencils are for.
Chris - WetCanvas Guide, Pastel Forum
February 28, 2012 at 12:15 pm #1156550This is not an easy question to answer. It seems people work in so many different ways – some apply pastel more heavily, some lighter, plus you have so many different brands of pastel and paper. I have quite a few Giraults and find that – for the most part – if I have used softies like Sennelier, then nothing really goes well on top of that except other softies. On the other hand, if I need a sharp detail, I can usually get good results with a hard pastel like Polychromos. I’m guessing however, that this is due to the harder pastel going through the softer pastel for the most part. Still, that is what I would recommend. Maybe you can buy one or two sticks of Girault, as well as a harder pastel, and try them out. (I know, it’s easy for me to spend other people’s money!)
Again, it will have a lot to do with the paper surface, too. And how many layers of the softies have been applied.
Don
February 28, 2012 at 1:37 pm #1156537Barbara
you may want to try ‘Charcoal Pencils’ for those details like eyes, etc……they are soft and come in many colors…..get one to try and if it works you can get more……
‘blue…:wave:
February 28, 2012 at 6:31 pm #1156557Thanks everyone!
Just like everything else, seems like Girualts may or may not work, depending on how I use them.
I’ve been eyeing the Terry Ludwig gray set, and will add a couple of open stock Giraults to the order. I had one stick before and didn’t care for the texture and size, Unisons and Ludwigs are my faves, but they may just work for details.
February 28, 2012 at 10:42 pm #1156530I use Girault as my main set. They’re wonderful for landscapes, for drawings, for broader details, but they’re not soft enough for detailed top layer work on top of softer pastels, not the way I use them anyway. You are much better off with Senneliers or Schminckes (even softer), shaping them as necessary. I think Ludwigs would work.
Yes, but… you should buy a handful of Giraults and try for yourself. Their hardness/software is very consistent throughout the line. We all draw and paint differently, and what works for you may not for me, and vice-versa.
Enjoy.
February 29, 2012 at 11:05 pm #1156538Once again I’m getting so tempted by Giraults. They’re so expensive but they seem like they’d have a great texture. I love being able to get detail. I’ve got one green stick and do like it a lot so I’ll probably indulge eventually.
Robert A. Sloan, proud member of the Oil Pastel Society
Site owner, artist and writer of http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com
blogs: Rob's Art Lessons and Rob's Daily PaintingMarch 2, 2012 at 7:59 pm #1156539Well, I’m about to be able to test this for you. I got some extra money in and after months and months of self control – gave in and ordered a set of 25 landscape Giraults from Jerry’s Artarama. When it gets here I’ll use them on a landscape and see how well they work for details.
Happily, even though they were out of the 25 General Assortment, I checked months ago and there are no overlapping colors between Landscape and General Assortment so I can have fun with these and add to them later on.
Robert A. Sloan, proud member of the Oil Pastel Society
Site owner, artist and writer of http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com
blogs: Rob's Art Lessons and Rob's Daily PaintingMarch 3, 2012 at 1:39 am #1156529I use mostly Mount Visions and Giraults for my portrait work and as long as I don’t use any real softies they work pretty well for details. I have had some luck using General brand pastel pencils for details, but mostly I use the MV for the base and then use the Giraults with some pastel pencil to blend. I try to not do any finger blending on the portrait . You should get a few just to try them out.The Girault are my very favorite pastel.
PatMarch 3, 2012 at 6:39 am #1156540One more testimonial to make me eager to try my new ones! Thank you. I’m sure if I use any real softies I’ll use the Giraults under them rather than over them, or use them for stick-blending if I’ve been using my Unisons first. They sound awesome.
I also have to admit the compact little box was attractive for being able to take them outside. They might be very good to bring to the park with my 24 Color Conte and a Pastelmat pad.
Robert A. Sloan, proud member of the Oil Pastel Society
Site owner, artist and writer of http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com
blogs: Rob's Art Lessons and Rob's Daily PaintingMarch 3, 2012 at 9:04 am #1156552Robert, you are going to be so pleased with the Giraults, I just know it. Anybody I know that’s tried them loves them. Even though Ludwigs are my favorite for landscapes, I use a Girault in a heartbeat if I need a specific color. The reason I like the Ludwigs for landscapes is because of the shape and the painterly feel, the combination is like no other. But, the Girault gives another dimension to painting, there is more control because of their consistency – they’re not as soft, yet soft enough to still look painterly. You will be hooked, I’m sure. I think if I was forced to pick which two brands I could have full sets of and use nothing else it would be Ludwigs and Giraults. I think the Giraults would give me the control, and the Ludwigs would give me the saturated color and softness, with the edges as an added bonus for even more “control”. I’m looking forward to hearing how you like them!
Chris - WetCanvas Guide, Pastel Forum
March 3, 2012 at 10:38 am #1156567hello
i don’t know the sanded surfaces
or Girault or most soft pastel ,
however ,
on occasion , for sharp thin detail ,
i have pointed up a Nupastel and get good results .
> the full 96 pc set ( lots of colours ) often shows up on sale
for less than a c-note ( sometimes much less ! )
and it’s fairly easy to shape them
for a chisel edge or point .
they are not as brilliant as the softies , but
shaping them up is only a few pennies worth of reuseable crumbsRobert – i’m curious as to how you compare
the Girault to the Conte ( which i like ) .Ed :}
a different world cannot be made with indifference
March 3, 2012 at 10:43 am #1156569Chris pretty much said it all (Chris, Ludwig/Girault my two favorites too!), but wanted to put in my two cents on Giraults. I have more of them than any other pastel, and use them in every painting. They’re a perfect balance of soft/dense, with a tiny bit of texture.
They are one pastel that works pretty much on any surface, and I use everything from PastelMat to Wallis, to my own gesso surface.
ChuasMarch 3, 2012 at 1:19 pm #1156566I’ve recently acquired some Giraults and I’m very impressed with them. They are harder than the softies, for sure, but in a very different way that is hard to explain. They’re hard on a bare surface, pastelmat and fisher 400 is what I’ve tried them on so far, but their consistency is such that I find they will give me detailed lines, even over softies. The darks are better for that than the lights.
I like them….I want some more!My website http://ruthmannpastelart.com/
Pastel Guild of Europe http://www.pastelguild.org/
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