I am not taking on more students at this time.
As a matter of fact...
Sutter Street Pastels will be closing as of August 31 2022. I've come to this decision chiefly due to utilizing my studio at home for my painting- I will not be teaching.
" I believe that the process, the journey, the focus, is the joy and to explore some “what if’s” along the way. Take chances- Paint for your own satisfaction and enjoyment first and foremost. "
- B.Jamison
Recommended Materials for Pastelling
Prismacolor Nupastels (96 sticks)- minimum)
NOTE!! Whomever now owns production of Prismaclor Nupastels has decided to not make available separate replacement colors anymore. This is a BAD marketing decision. I wish they'd sell the product line off rather than do this.
The Sennelier Paris selection 120 half-stick set is a great addition to a pastelists' arsenal...this set is very versatile, the pastels are very soft and have an exceptional color range.
Carb Othello pastel pencils - set of 60
Bulldog Drawing clips
1” wide blue painters tape (not from dollar store)
Factis brand or white vinyl eraser- NO KNEADED ERASERS (they leave gooey residue on sanded paper!)
Small, Stiff brush- “Old School” Typewriter eraser pencils with the brush on them are excellent also! Pencil tip erasers are good, too
Moist Towlettes to clean hands
Paper towels
Drawing Board 20 x 25 inches approx. One can go to a big-box hardware store and get a piece of 1/4" pressboard cut to an even bigger size.
I make my own sanded paper which is very similar to Art Spectrum® brand paper but perhaps a tad toothier. I use a toned, medium - value paper and rarely use white.
About the Pastel Medium
Pastels are regarded universally as paintings, even though they are produced in a mostly drawing-like process. Pastels are permanent (AND more so) than any other medium. Pastel paintings from the 17th century are as fresh today as when they were first put down. I consider them to be a perfect segue between drawing and painting- the tactile sensations of laying pastel down on sanded paper is a unique and satisfying discovery. Pastels are made of finely ground mineral pigments, not dyes, and a binding agent. Cheap pastels use a lot of materials like calcium carbonate (aka chalk) and augment the mineral pigments with dyes which are not as permanent. Cheap art materials will frustrate the hell out of you. They don't cover well, colors are off and so on.
Oil pastels- are gooey sticks much more like crayons as they are made of ground pigments, flax oil and other stuff. I don't use them, don't know much about them.
"Soft" pastels can be confusing in that within this "soft" category there are hard "soft" pastels and varying degrees of soft pastels. On smoother papers one will find a softer pastel such as Sennelier or Schmincke will be more effective.
Hard pastels (I use Nupastels and Polychromos) are very effective on a sanded paper such as I have available for my classes (I make my own). I use the Nupastels first as a blocking-in layer and then continue on with softer pastels such as Rembrandts, Grumbachers, Senneliers, Great American, Diane Townsends, etc...or not- maybe hard pastels will be all I need. Sometimes, laying in a background color and then applying isopropyl alcohol (via brush) is a necessary step that makes exciting things happen.
Substrates for Pastels
I prefer to use a medium grey-toned sanded paper, approximately 500 grit (I make my own) which I have available for my students. Putting a sanded emulsion on top of canvas board or watercolor paper makes for intriguing effects. One reason pastel painting wasn't as popular as it is now may be due to not using it on a surface with enough texture.
Pastel paintings are typically framed using a mat or spacers to create a space between the glass and the artwork. This is to protect the image- I never use a final fixative to secure the pastel. Some artists will place the glass directly onto the pastel but I will not- the fear of condensation getting into the pastel bothers me.
Pastels are regarded universally as paintings, even though they are produced in a mostly drawing-like process. Pastels are permanent (AND more so) than any other medium. Pastel paintings from the 17th century are as fresh today as when they were first put down. I consider them to be a perfect segue between drawing and painting- the tactile sensations of laying pastel down on sanded paper is a unique and satisfying discovery. Pastels are made of finely ground mineral pigments, not dyes, and a binding agent. Cheap pastels use a lot of materials like calcium carbonate (aka chalk) and augment the mineral pigments with dyes which are not as permanent. Cheap art materials will frustrate the hell out of you. They don't cover well, colors are off and so on.
Oil pastels- are gooey sticks much more like crayons as they are made of ground pigments, flax oil and other stuff. I don't use them, don't know much about them.
"Soft" pastels can be confusing in that within this "soft" category there are hard "soft" pastels and varying degrees of soft pastels. On smoother papers one will find a softer pastel such as Sennelier or Schmincke will be more effective.
Hard pastels (I use Nupastels and Polychromos) are very effective on a sanded paper such as I have available for my classes (I make my own). I use the Nupastels first as a blocking-in layer and then continue on with softer pastels such as Rembrandts, Grumbachers, Senneliers, Great American, Diane Townsends, etc...or not- maybe hard pastels will be all I need. Sometimes, laying in a background color and then applying isopropyl alcohol (via brush) is a necessary step that makes exciting things happen.
Substrates for Pastels
I prefer to use a medium grey-toned sanded paper, approximately 500 grit (I make my own) which I have available for my students. Putting a sanded emulsion on top of canvas board or watercolor paper makes for intriguing effects. One reason pastel painting wasn't as popular as it is now may be due to not using it on a surface with enough texture.
Pastel paintings are typically framed using a mat or spacers to create a space between the glass and the artwork. This is to protect the image- I never use a final fixative to secure the pastel. Some artists will place the glass directly onto the pastel but I will not- the fear of condensation getting into the pastel bothers me.