| American Realism In Pastels... |
•
Ask The Artist •
“This page
is devoted to questions that you'd like to ask about my work and/or methods.
Please keep in mind that I don't offer critiques, but any other painting or
print
publishing questions are welcome”...Tom Sierak
EMAIL
YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
Provide your first
name & where you're from.
(Limit 2 questions.)
Heath - Mississippi, USA SUSAN -
Naperville, IL Do you work on an easel or in some
other way? CAROL,-
New Zealand
I've always greatly admired the work of Vermeer, Ingres,
Rembrandt, Rockwell, and others, along with several of the
I just stumbled on
your site and you work is awesome! I've been working with Prismacolor color
pencils for a while now,
but I'm looking for something that's more vibrant and can blend easier with less
elbow grease than the pencils,
which take forever to lay down color. I've been looking for a new medium,
but one that I could still render tight detail work.
Would you say that pastels are better at doing all of this?
I would recommend that you try the soft pastels which,
unlike oil pastels, allow
you to do layering and blending easily and the
colors are much more vibrant than what you get from pastel pencils.
I prefer using Rembrandt brand for nice even and consistent
coverage especially
in larger areas. I also use the Nu Pastels which
are harder and can be sharpened to a fine point for
detailed areas. At the same
time, these two brands blend well together which
is an important consideration.
(Some soft pastels do not “work” well together,
so again, experiment). I occasionally mix in a few
other odd brands, including
a few Stabillo-Othello or Conté
brand pastel pencils for very fine detailed areas but less and less. In fact,
my
more recent
paintings have been done without the use of any pastel pencils unlike
most of my early paintings which were done entirely with
pastel pencil!
James - California, USA
I'm new
to pastels. Do you paint all the way to the edge of the paper or do you
have to leave a margin? If so, how much?
I usually paint to the very edge of the
paper. It makes it more challenging for my framer when applying the matting
materials
but she's very competent.
Leaving about a 1” margin is a good idea if you choose to do that. It depends
on how your work is
framed and presented. Some galleries actually prefer the “floating” look where the entire paper is
visible and mounted onto a
rigid backing.
Usually works done on a paper with a deckled edge have a more appropriate look
for this type of presentation.
Eric - Washington, USA
You
don't spray fixative on your paintings. The painting must get bumped and
dropped a lot if it's going across country,
and I imagine that this is a risk to the painting's image.
Does any
of the pastel fall off of the paper during the shipping process?
Because of my painting method, there is very little residual pastel dust on the finished painting
to begin with.
Consequently, my
paintings ship very well. The only time I had problems with
any dusting on the inside of the framing glass
was the result of the
painting being dropped from the back of a UPS delivery
truck. I cleaned the inside of the glass and did
a few minor touch ups on
the painting and it was like new. Normal shipping and
transit has no adverse affects on my paintings
otherwise. A good rule of
thumb that I use when shipping original work (I
typically use UPS) is to insure it for a minimum of $5,000.
Items insured this highly
receive special “kid glove” handling and are kept in
high value “safe” storage areas, separate from most
other bulk packages during transit.
Lynn - USA
I know
you don't like using fixative, so, how do you know that a picture framer won't
smear your work while framing it?
You have to be very
adamant about the fact that the painting is unfixed, especially when dealing
with a framer for the first time.
A framer who’s a trained & certified PPFA member (Picture Framers Association of
America) is a pretty safe bet.
The framer you deal with should also make it very clear to anyone else handling
or working on the painting how to handle the
unfixed work. I’ve dealt with the same framer for about 10 years for all of my
original works and she’s a gem.
Don’t be afraid to shop around until you’re totally comfortable in who you deal
with.
How do you store your work?
I temporarily
store my paintings in large, sturdy, flat photo film boxes or shipping cartons.
After I’ve had a transparency
and digital file made of the painting I then have my framer mat it with a 2 to
3” matting, gold filet, and acid free needle
point backing material. I don’t always frame every painting immediately so the
matting keeps the painting flat and
somewhat protected, at least from a handling standpoint. It also allows for
convenient storing and minimizes the risk of
someone accidentally touching and/or damaging the work until framed and
permanently protected.
Michael - Rhode Island
First of all I
want to say I really admire your beautiful artwork.
You mentioned in one of your answers to a question that you
stored your artwork
in large flat photo film boxes or shipping cartons,
my question is where would
I purchase these?
Unfortunately, the large film boxes that
I use to store my unframed pastels appear to be going the way of the film
cameras.
I used to get mine at commercial printers and photo labs that used
large sheets of film on a regular basis at no charge.
You may still find some but they’re
becoming scarce. Another alternative is to create your own which is a little
time consuming.
Cardboard “pads” can be purchased almost anywhere in various
sizes. Then it’s just a matter of creating a box that is 1-2” in
depth by
gluing or taping a 1” sq. frame of wood around the inside edges.
Is it alright
to use pure white in the shine or highest highlight in a portrait?
I never use white to create highlights on flesh tones if that’s what you’re
referring to. White doesn’t occur (at least naturally) on
human skin and adding
it gives the portrait an artificial or pasty look. If the flesh tones and
values in your portrait are painted
correctly, you can use a VERY pale flesh or
yellow to create effective and even striking
highlights. In my humble opinion, white
can be used to highlight hair and
eyes, but it is not a natural looking highlight for flesh tones.
Stephanie - Oklahoma
Has there ever been an incident where a customer has contacted you about their
commissioned pastel painting fading?
No. The permanence of pastels is what makes
it such a great medium. I invite you to read more about it on
my website here.
Have you ever pastel painted on Suede Matt Board?
I can’t imagine
trying to use pastels on a suede surface, at least dry pastels, with my method
of working. It would never
be compatible with that surface. I do a lot of
blending and layering so I need a paper with a certain amount of texture and
tooth to hold the pastels in place.
Jana - East Germany
What colors do you use for light skin tones?
I
use a bone white, pale yellow-white, pink, flesh and a touch of yellow
orange where needed. I never
use
pure white as it gives the skin an artificial look.
Can you live
from the sales of your paintings?
I have made a living from selling, publishing, and licensing my paintings for
the last 12 years. Sometimes
it can be more difficult than others, but I always seem to get over the
"bumps".
JON - Skaneateles, NY
I find that it is very
hard to get such
detail to stay sharp as I smear it by accident while working on other
parts of the painting. (How can I avoid this?)
Try using a maul stick while you work. This allows you
to rest and steady your painting hand without
touching the surface of the
painting. You could also work from top to bottom to avoid trying
to work
over areas you've already completed.
What do you use for sketching before you use the pastels, and on what color paper, if
any?
I use a pastel pencil
(dark brown) to sketch out the painting, and I always use white paper.
For me
it's the perfect "color" which, of course, may not be right for someone else.
Never be afraid
to experiment with different colored papers.
Do you do your own
framing?
I don't do my own
framing as I don't have the proper equipment and it's just too involved for my
limited framing experience. I
have all of my originals framed by
a professional framer with a membership in the Professional Picture Framers
Association of America (PPFA). These framers
are located throughout the country and have to go through intensive training
programs before becoming certified.
Do you use foam
board at all for your support or in framing?
The backing that my
framer uses is called acid free needlepoint board. Even though it's a
cardboard like material, it's
extremely resilient and provides great protection for the back of my paintings,
which are done on paper. It should always
be non-acidic
LARIAN - Australia
Do you experiment and
use other mediums with your pastels?
What you're referring
to in art terms is "mixed medium painting", which involves the use of
more than one type
of medium on a painting (watercolor and colored pencil / charcoal and oils for
examples). I have done some experimenting with
mixed mediums, but prefer to work exclusively with pastels at this point in
time. I feel that I achieve
the look
I'm after
with just the one medium.
PAUL - Red Bank, NJ
When you're painting, how often do you use fixative?
I never use fixative on my pastel paintings. The beauty of the raw, unfixed, dry
pigments that make up pastels, combined
with the fact that there are no additives, chemicals, or oils that might cause
the painting to discolor, darken, or crack over
time, make for a very stable and lasting look/work. Fixative can also cause certain colors to
change when it's applied. For these reasons,
adding a chemical fixative is something that I avoid.
I work on a large drawing table adjusted to a vertical position so the painting
is parallel / perpendicular to my line of vision.
Painting this way prevents visual distortion, and subsequently distorted and
incorrectly drawn elements within my paintings.
How long does it take you to paint each picture and are you always pleased
with the finished work?
It depends on the size of the painting. I work in two basic sizes,
with the smaller sized paintings measuring 22 X 30".
This size takes me an average of 10-12 days of actual painting time. My
larger paintings measure 30 X 44" and can
take up to 3 weeks to complete.
I'm
not always completely pleased with the finished work.
However, the more I paint, the better the outcome.
Creating quality work
is analogous to exercising...the more you work
at it, the healthier/better you are.
Have you
painted all your life?
No. I graduated from art school a number of years ago and became a musician
not long after (the lure of my youthful
seed sowing
I guess), so
I have only been painting full time about 11 years.
RITA -
Kansas City, MO
Do you always draw your paintings before
filling them in, or just start painting
at times?
I don't do finished drawings of my paintings, but rather outline, before I start them. Using
the photos I've taken as reference material,
I outline the key elements for positioning
and composition. Once I'm satisfied, I basically approach the painting as
one would a coloring book,
working from top left to bottom right
so that any drift from the pastels will not affect what's below it in the
painting.
I also work from background to foreground, finding it easier to add
and build the layers of the painting this way.
Who was/is your biggest inspiration, and have you always
loved painting?
My biggest inspiration would have to be my mother in my personal life. She
always encouraged me at every turn.
Of course, I didn't always listen to her early on due to other youthful
pursuits, but I eventually realized how right,
and perceptive, she was as to my potential ability. Unfortunately, she died many
years before I had fully developed
my artistic skills. My dad is still here, and at 84, he's very proud of what I
do as an artist.
French Impressionists. There wasn't one particular artist who inspired me,
rather a number of them during different
phases of my own development. I've always loved drawing, which is what working
in pastels is a natural extension of.
I don't enjoy oil painting as much, and I currently "paint"
exclusively with pastels, and do indeed love working in this great medium.
ANDREA - N. Andover, MA
How do you come up with the background
ideas for your portraits/paintings?
I think of my paintings as
narratives or stories, so a background is a necessary part of what is being
said. I would imagine my
approach
isn't that much different from other artists who paint similar subject matter
and style. Rockwell obviously comes to mind, and was
certainly
a master at story telling. I try to keep a more everyday look
to my paintings and still convey the message and story.
Sometimes it works better than others.
How do you come up with your ideas?
More often than not, I get an
idea in my head and let it formulate over time. If I keep "seeing" the same basic
idea the same way, then
I know it's a good idea and ready to
photograph and compose. Setting it up with the appropriate people/models is fun and
challenging.
The great thing about painting kids ideas is that there's
often a spontaneous
element that takes place during the actual shooting that
often makes the idea an
even better one. From there, it's just a matter of taking the
necessary photos (sometimes 2 to 3 rolls and
several different sessions) until I
feel comfortable that I have all the reference material I need to do the painting. I generally use about
5 to 6 of the best photos to work
with.
TONY- Eagle, ID
What brand of pastels do you use, and which
do you find layer the best?
I use several brands of pastels,
including Nupastels, Rembrandts, Faber Castell Poloychromos, and a few others
not worth mentioning.
I also use a few pastels pencils for fine detail, but usually I accomplish what I need to with
the Nupastels & Rembrandts.
Any of these brands layer/blend well, including with each other, which is important.
What kind of paper or support do you
use to get such intricate detail?
I use a hand made paper that I get from NY Central Art Supply in NY City called
Pastel Deluxe, and I'm pretty sure that this is the
only location where it
can be purchased. The paper is key to layering and it depends on just how much
tooth it has. The heavier the
tooth, the more layers you can apply. It also depends on how heavily the pastels are applied. Pastel Deluxe has
enough tooth to
allow up to 3 layers of pastels, depending on how heavily I
apply it. Of course, everyone's method and style of working are different,
so it's pretty
important to experiment with different papers and pastel combinations.