As a typical pastelist, I never seem to have enough of these colorful candies, so I’m constantly looking for something new and exciting. A couple of years ago I discovered an amazing product called PanPastel - it’s an ultra soft pastel in a unique pan format. First I bought a small portrait set and then – a full range of 80 regular pans and application tools, and this investment is worth it!
I use pans both alone and in combination with other materials: regular pastels and pencils, watercolor, tempera paints and graphite. And the more I use it, the more I like it! Why? - Well, first of all, it is an artists’ quality, highly pigmented product. It is produced with minimal binders and fillers, so it is rich, extra fine and super-blendable. - You apply PanPastel with specials sponges and tools, so your hands stay clean. - It allows for very soft and transparent marks, which you might need for portraits, flowers or landscapes (as I do). - It may be very expressive and painterly, and also very realistic, especially in combination with pencils. - It produces almost NO dust! - It can be erased pretty easily, yet it doesn’t smudge easy! - The range of 80 regular colors might seem quite limited, but you can pre-mix colors on a palette (like paint!) before its application to a surface, which also might be versatile. - The only real downsides I see are its price and bulkiness compared to regular pastel sticks, but to me these are more than compensated by what PanPastel gives me as a medium.
These days I see quite a few pastel artists using PanPastel for various subjects, one of my favorite artists painting with pans is Les Darlow, his landscapes are really awesome!
Irina Artamonova is a member of Red Rock Pastel Society of Nevada. She is living, painting and teaching in Moscow, Russia. Her next pastel intensive workshop will take place on April, 27-28th. For more details visit this link.
PanPastel is one of the top pastel products available on the market right now. And it is one of the sponsor partners of our FIRST ONLINE MEMBER EXHIBITION.
Deadline is approaching. Make sure to enter your beautiful pastels before MARCH 15th, 2019. Enter HERE.