Introduction to Pastel and Encaustic Painting
Pastel is a type of dry painting medium that is portable and used to create paintings with a velvety texture and a lot of richness. Pastels are pencil sticks composed of color pigments and wax binders. The word "pastel" originates from the Medieval Latin pastellum, meaning "woad paste," and the Late Latin pastellus, meaning "paste." The word pastel first appeared in French in 1662 and originated in northern Italy in the 16th century, used by artists such as Jacopo Bassano and Federico Barocci. Pastels gained popularity in the 18th century when well-known artists like Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Odilon Redon made pastels their primary medium.
On the other hand, encaustic painting, or hot wax painting, is a complex form of painting media where molten wax with added color pigments is used for making paintings. It is an oil-based, quick-drying painting medium that uses wax as a pigment binder. Encaustic painting was popular in ancient Greek and Roman art. The word "encaustic" comes from the Greek word "enkaustikos," meaning "to heat or burn." The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder explained the wax encaustic painting technique in his first-century book "Natural History." The Egyptian Romano-Egyptian Fayum mummy portraits, painted between 100 - 300 AD, are the oldest encaustic panel paintings still in existence. Famous encaustic artists include Jasper Johns, Pausias, and Benjamin Calau.
Composition of Pastel and Encaustic Painting
To create hard and soft pastels, pigments are ground into a paste with water and a minimal amount of a non-greasy binder, such as tragacanth gum or methyl cellulose. The pastels are then rolled, pressed, or extruded into sticks. Many of the colors, including the vivid yellows, oranges, and reds, are made from hazardous substances like cadmium. There are five basic types of pastels: hard pastels, soft pastels, pastel pencils, water-soluble pastels, and oil pastels.
To create the most basic encaustic media, colors are combined with waxes like beeswax and damar resin, along with other substances. While colored wax, inks, oil paints, and other pigments can be used for pigmentation, some artists prefer to use dried powdered pigments.
Specific Properties of Pastel and Encaustic Painting
Colored pencils allow artists to add precision and detail to their sketches while creating vibrant artworks. Compared to other painting materials, colored pencils are inexpensive and simple to use. While pastel pencils have wax-like binders, they are made a bit more brittle compared to colored pencils.
Encaustic paint has a texture similar to translucent clay. When hot, it can be used like liquid paint, but as it cools, it solidifies and can be sliced, carved, stamped, or even sculpted to give the painting a three-dimensional appearance. Encaustic paint and its byproducts are completely waterproof due to their oil or wax base. It can endure sunlight and doesn't fade even when exposed to the sun all day, though it is advised to maintain the painting at room temperature.
Key Features of Pastel and Encaustic Painting
Pastels are easily blendable and can be mixed using fingers, a blending stump, or a cloth. The final color effect of pastel colors is more similar to natural dry pigments than any other painting technique.
Encaustic paint has a viscosity similar to translucent clay. As it cools, it solidifies, allowing you to cut, carve, stamp, or even sculpt it to give the painting a 3D aspect. When hot, it can be applied like liquid paint. Unlike oil paint, the colors don't flow into one another because encaustic wax dries much more quickly.
Suitable Surfaces for Pastel and Encaustic Painting
The surface for pastel painting should have some degree of abrasion so that the pastel particles can adhere to the paper. The stick is dragged across a rough or toothy surface to create a pastel painting or sketch. Suitable surfaces for pastel paintings include Laid Paper like Ingres, Canson Mi Teintes, abrasive surfaces such as pumice, marble dust, or rotten stone, and velour paper.
Encaustic painting can be done on prepared canvas, plaster, or wood, similar to oil painting. Encaustic wax should be applied to a surface that is both solid and porous, allowing the wax to penetrate and provide a sturdy base for a painting.
Other Specialties of Pastel and Encaustic Painting
Pastel painting can be challenging because the substance is mixed and blended directly on the working area, with no way to verify colors on a palette before applying them to the surface. Pastel mistakes cannot be concealed like paint mistakes can. Handling pastels with utmost caution is necessary as they are not permanently affixed to the paper's surface. Pastels stick to the paper's surface and are quickly contaminated unless covered by glass or a fixative made of glue or gum solution.
Encaustic painting produces opaque or translucent effects by layering hot wax on laminated wood panels. Encaustic paintings require a heat lamp or heat gun to fuse and bind the media. They should be rubbed between 6 to 12 months using soft, lint-free cloths and stored at room temperature, avoiding direct sunlight.
Toxicity and Vegan-Friendly Considerations
Most pastel fixatives are poisonous, and many pigments, including vivid yellows, oranges, and reds, are made from hazardous substances like cadmium. All pastels are unsuitable for vegans since they use oil or fat as a binder, and certain pastel hues contain animal fats.
Encaustic paintings are safe to use because they are made of wax as a binder and color pigments as a binding agent. Encaustic paint is safe for vegans if acrylic wax is used, but not if beeswax is used, as it is an animal-extracted wax.
Conclusion
Both pastel and encaustic painting offer unique artistic possibilities and benefits. Pastel provides vibrant, blendable colors with a velvety texture, while encaustic offers three-dimensional effects and durability. Each medium has specific properties, surfaces, and techniques that artists must consider to achieve their desired results. The choice between pastel and encaustic painting depends on the artist's preferences and the effects they wish to achieve.
Additionally, GranNino offers a free art hosting platform where artists can upload unlimited artworks, including pastel and encaustic paintings. This platform provides a supportive community for artists to showcase their work, receive feedback, and connect with other creatives. For more information and to start uploading your artworks, visit GranNino .
Happy creating! 🎨
Leave a Reply