hints

I work with soft pastels extensively and found glassine paper a very useful product in many ways. Some of the following ideas you maybe able to adapt to making life a bit easier for you.

Store pastel works on top of each other with a piece of glassine paper between each painting. This would also be handy when travelling.
How? I would suggest taping your work to a firm board, and then a layer of glassine taped to the backboard to cover the painting. The next pastel work could be taped on this and once more another layer of glassine which would be taped to the previous piece of glassine. If there are a number of works built up this way it maybe desirable to tape a tag with name of painting to protrude from the edge. This way the top layers can be peeled away in one go right back to the painting that you want to see. This of cause will need to be done with care.

Use glassine to cover work when unattended, especially if sitting on the easel for a number of days to keep daily grime from settling on your work.

As I don't use a fixative for my pastels it is essential that I don't have pastel fallout onto my mats. I have found using glassine to press the pastel back into the pastel paper eliminates a lot of risk with dust coming away. I do use Art Spectrum paper which has quite a bit of tooth which also helps hold the pastel.
How? Lay the pastel work on a firm bench or table with the pastel upwards. With a clean piece of glassine paper larger than the work, place this carefully on top of the painting. Using the side of your hand, firmly wipe across the glassine paper pressing down as you go. Once you have done this all over your work, remove the glassine carefully. Clean the glassine paper before using it again with a dry cloth.

I have found a small piece of glassine paper especially helpful when mounting my work with hinging tape. I am able to press the tape onto the back of the patel paper without fear of damaging my painting. The image below will show you what I mean. Always clean the glassine paper with a dry cloth before moving it onto a new area of a pastel.

Beware: Never drag glassine across your painting as it will smudge the work.

Paint Chart

The idea with this colour chart is to find out how your colours work together on a 1:1 part ratio using two hues. When adding a tint (white) you will then see the different values that can be obtained from this one colour (hue). The picture below is only a sample of many colours that can be achieved. You may need more than one chart if you have more than nine colours. Those colours are placed in the first row of boxes. The "mother" colour that you will mix into each of the above row is placed at the left of the second column. The 1:1 radio mix is then placed in the second row under the colour that you have mixed with the mother colour. Place a generous amount of that same colour in the third box going down. Dip the pad of your finger into some white paint then rub onto that third box with a circular motion going down the page. Practice this on a piece of scrap paper until you feel happy with your results. Well that is it, you have completed your first effort. Now for a different mother colour on a new chart. Don't forget to add the first colour back into your first row on the chart.

Helpful Hints

150 gsm sheets of A4 paper is ideal for this project.
Place all your tubes of paint in a row in the same order that you have written on the chart. When a new mother colour is chosen, it is often easier to choose from the first colour through to the last. This way you will be able to keep up with what hue you have already used for the mother colour.
Any ratio can be used, but it is best kept consistent on your chart so that there is no confusion with what you have done when viewing later.
Don't forget to change the colour title in each chart to your mother colour that you are using

Download a Pdf version chart 25.5kb here
Download an editable Word Document19kb here

Paint chart

Storing oil Paint

Preserving oils outside of the tube will save many dollars over a given period of time. I tend to mix enough colours that I need for each project. The only drawback is storing my wet paints and keeping them in good condition while I am waiting for my layers to dry on my painting. Below are some ideas to keep your oil paints wet.

I leave my oils on the palette then place them in the freezer. The paints will not go solid like frozen water but do firm up slightly. Darks over time can still form a skin over the surface of the paint, which is best removed before use. When paints are needed, take out of freezer about 15-20 minutes before needed. This may vary according to the temperature of your studio.
Place paints under water in a container. Make sure all water has been drained off before use.
Shorter periods of time, plastic wrap can be placed over paints on the palette.