Genista Pawtraits: ABOUT PASTELS

WELCOME TO GENISTA PAWTRAITS

"Genista Pawtraits" is where you can find samples of my work which I mainly do for pleasure, family and friends. However, I have recently started taking commissions for Pastel Pet Portraits. I aim to create exquisite pastel pet portraits from your photographs that bring out the spirit, character and personality of your beloved and cherished other family member, with their unique personalites, cheeky grins, they make us laugh and smile and love us unconditionally. What would we do without them?

I am a pet owner and animal lover myself, and I understand how much pleasure and comfort an original pastel portrait can bring, either by celebrating an adored pet or remembering one we have sadly lost.

A commissioned pet portrait or gift voucher makes a unique birthday, Christmas, wedding or anniversary gift that will be treasured forever by the recipient.

I hand paint each portrait using photographs as a guide. I am not trying to make the painting look like the photograph but hopefully to enhance it to bring out your pets personality and character as a painting. Several photographs can be used to get the required pose and changes can be made to remove e.g. a hand, collar, "red eye" etc. It is important to use as clear a photograph as possible as a guide as the quality of the photograph will directly influence the detail of the painting.

I love to paint/draw, it is my refuge at times and a celebration at other times. I paint/draw in many styles/mediums as you will see over the coming months. Please take a look at all my pages on this blog.

For Available Artwork please take a look at my pages and/or my Website. Visit my "Prices/Sizes" page and"How To Commission A Portrait" for information.

Please leave a comment if you have time or maybe even become a follower, you are more than Welcome......

Hillary Rose - "Genista Pawtraits"

(The House Of Genista)

UK

Sennelier Soft Pastels The Royal Selection Wooden Box Set

Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all coloured art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation.
The colour effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process. Pastel sticks or crayons consist of pure powdered pigment combined with a binder. The exact composition and characteristics of an individual pastel stick depends on the type of pastel and the type and amount of binder used. It also varies by individual manufacturer.
Dry pastels have historically used binders such as gum arabic and gum tragacanth. Methyl cellulose was introduced as a binder in the twentieth century. Often a chalk or gypsum component is present. They are available in varying degrees of hardness, the softer varieties being wrapped in paper.
Dry pastel media can be subdivided as follows:

Soft pastels: This is the most widely used form of pastel. The sticks have a higher portion of pigment and less binder, resulting in brighter colors. The drawing can be readily smudged and blended, but it results in a higher proportion of dust. Finished drawings made with soft pastels require protecting, either framing under glass or spraying with a fixative to prevent smudging.

Hard pastels: These have a higher portion of binder and less pigment, producing a sharp drawing material that is useful for fine details. These can be used with other pastels for drawing outlines and adding accents. However the colors are less brilliant than with soft pastels.

Pastel pencils: These are pencils with a pastel lead. They are useful for adding fine details.

Oil pastels: These have a soft, buttery consistency and intense colors. They are slightly more difficult to blend than soft pastels, but do not require a fixative.

Water-soluble pastels: These are similar to soft pastels, but contain a water-soluble component, such as glycol. This allows the colors to be thinned out using a water wash.