AUXILIARIE - Royal Talens

4.1 Soft pastelsThe composition of soft pastels allows colour onthe ground to approach that of pure pigment asmuch as possible. This is achieved through acombination of pigment, a minimum amount ofbinding agent and the purest and softest typesof kaolin, also sometimes referred to as pipeclay or china clay. The well-balanced proportionsof these ingredients result in a spontaneouscolour transfer and a velvety look. When usingpastels, the dry coloured powder of the pastel istransferred onto the ground. In theory, any groundcan be used, providing it has sufficient structure toits surface. It is advisable, however, to use specialpastel paper.In contrast to paint, pastels do not adhere tothe ground through a binding agent. The pastelpowder hangs, as it were, onto the fibres of thepaper. The particles can be fixed using fixativethat can be sprayed from a bottle with a fixativeatomiser or from a spray can.By fixing the work, the velvety look changesdepending on the amount of fixative used. If toomuch fixative is applied, the colours becomedarker and even then the work is not necessarilysmudge-proof. The best way to proceed is tolightly fix the pastel every time a new layer ismade. One can decide whether or not to lightly fixthe last layer depending on personal preferences.4646Applyingpastel fixativewith a fixativeatomiserApplyingpastel fixativewith a spraycanGENERAL