Using Dark Pastel Paper for Your Artwork

Maggie sent me her picture of her dog and has asked for feedback, Maggie writes:"I used coloured Derwent pastel paper - not ideal, I know, but I've got a lot to use up.I found the nose quite difficult and think I may have ended up twisting the original angle in the sketch whilst trying to improve on the shading and colours."Considering Maggie used a dark pastel paper she has done a good job. I agree that the dog’s nose is slightly twisted further than it should be but it would be difficult to alter that now without erasing the whole nose and redoing it. There are many examples of dog’s noses in the animal section of the member’s site so it would be worth looking at them for guidance.Maggie was pleased with the way the open mouth turned out and again as this is a difficult area she has done well.Apart from the dark paper which is bound to affect the tones of the pastel pencil there is also the problem of the texture creating a crisscross pattern.Although our Ingres pastel paper has a tooth it is easier to disguise this pattern by filling in the tooth with base colours, the crisscross pattern is more difficult to hide.To receive feedback on your artwork, simply join our membership - plans start from just £3.99 per month.