im a pastel novice & need HELP!!!

[LA]

hi!!

i have recently bought a set of pastels with the intention to produce a pastel portrait in any style but am having great difficulties!! i am slowly coming to terms with portraits but do need any top tips on pastels u can offer!
i am hoping to use ingres paper, preferably coloured.
what advice do you all have!?

LA

[jnet11]

practice, practice, practice! remember that pastels are often hard to go over because the paper gets saturated with color, so plan your colors carefully, laying them down only in the places you want them and use something (or not) to smooth the edges ...If you have not been practicing with a pencil or charcoal, using those can greatly help your drawing and shading skills for the more difficult medium of pastel. tell us more of what you've been working on ...
welcome to wet canvas
jeanette*

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The excellency of every art is its intensity, capable of making all disagreeables evaporate, from their being in close relationship with beauty and truth. --John Keats

[4vincent]

If pastel portraiture is indeed the road you want to take, then I would say start with what works in your best advantage:
In the model/photo you're painting, try for a pose with definite light/shadow patterns that will help define the form.
In your materials and supports, go for a good quality to start with to help rather than hinder you in the process. (Ingres or Canson Mi-tients are okay to start with; later you may want to go with better supports that will allow more pastel application. Some like Rembrandt pastels as a "starter set"; there are better and worse brands. I 'd say find a brand you like and get as many workable colors as you can afford)
Finally, check out some books/videos on pastel portraiture. "Pastel" by Daniel Greene is a very informative one for one starting out. Good luck.

[arteitaliana]

Why do you want to start experimenting with pastels by choosing the most difficult of subjects: portrait?
Unless you are very experienced in portraiture I suggest you try a simpler subject: landscapes.
As I often say to my students " a crooked tree nobody notices, but a crooked nose...everybody see"
Start with an easy subject, get the feel of the medium, try different supports, different strokes, layering, direct painting, colored grounds...and have fun. The best way to keep painting is to have some degree of success. If you start with a difficult subject, a new medium, a large piece, a complex composition...you will probably get frustrated not because pastels are not the medium for you, not because you are not a good artists....but because you put too many things on your plate.

Start low and aim high....