INTERIOR SCENES

Working in his studio, ROGER DELLAR tackles a complex scene in pastels, showing you how to develop a found composition and balance multiple light sources in one picture

- ROGER DELLAR

For this masterclass, I decided to paint a violin workshop. I was intrigued by its colour, light, activity and clutter. When my students are working from life, I am often aware that they are checking and comparing what is in front of them. By making a painting of a painting, I avoided this. In the studio, one is not constrained by time and accuracy – it is as if I were able to work en plein air without restrictions. It also gives a sense of freedom.

With the studio painting, I decided to change proportion, position, colour, tone and even perspective to make a better picture. I decided to block in the composition quickly with acrylics to give myself a tonal and colour base. I then laid down a coat of transparent pastel primer paste. I wouldn’t usually put pastel on top of a non-absorbent acrylic base but using the pastel primer gives it a good key.

Whether you use acrylic, gouache or ink, creating an underpainting for a pastel work is useful for several reasons. Firstly, it gives a more stable foundation by avoiding the build up of an unnecessary extra layer of pastel pigment. Also, the drop off in colour is less and you are able to achieve more varied colours in the darker areas than you would if using pastel alone. www.rogerdellar.com

1. Create an underpainting