Dry Pastel Supplies
- Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper
- Charcoal for shadows and chalk for highlights
- Dry pastel chalks, Rembrandt and Girault brands
- Pastel pencils:
- Stabilo Carbothello: great for covering the surface, blending the chalk, and adding details
- Caran d’Ache: they’re hard to sharpen, but their powder is opaque and luminous
- Faber Castell, Pitt: I love their colors; they’re easy to sharpen for adding details
- Breadcrumb eraser
- A utility knife for sharpening the pencils
I work primarily on Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper, whose surface allows me to build up layers and work on both shading and details.
I use charcoal to build up shadows and white chalk to bring out the highlights. For color, I mix dry pastel chalks—notably Rembrandt and Girault—with pastel pencils. Stabilo Carbothello, Caran d’Ache, and Faber-Castell Pitt each have different qualities: opacity, luminosity, softness, or precision. I’m constantly shifting between broad strokes and fine details, between lines and powder.
As I work, the pencils wear down, the pastels break, and the colors blend together: the materials gradually bear the traces of the pastel work as it takes shape.
Do you have any questions?
Whether you’d like to purchase a piece, commission a custom portrait, or simply discuss my artistic approach, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to answer your questions.