Autumn Beauty

This peaceful country scene resplendent with autumn tones was chosen to demonstrate the artist’s mastery of pastels.

- Helen Miles

STEP ONE

I had started another painting on this sheet of Terracotta Colourfix, and decided to abandon it. After tapping and brushing off most of the existing pastel, I washed the paper with a brush lightly loaded with water; and blended some of the remaining pastel. The main shapes were next placed in with hard and semi-soft pastels. After checking the composition, I decided that the buildings were too large – so I moved them further back into the painting, allowing for a better lead-in for the viewer.

Starting with the sky and moving down the paper, I blocked in the main features – placing the lightest tones where needed so they remained fresh. At this stage I used two mid blues, one light blue and a touch of pink for the sky; and blended lightly. For the buildings, tree foliage and ground, I used a variety of reds, oranges, Sienna and yellow along with a purple/red; mid, dark and light tone blues; a mauve; and two greens.

I tape my paper to the backing board so there is a reasonable border around the work. The framer thanks me for this! Always start at the top of the paper, as the pastel will fall down the sheet. Tap the back of the paper occasionally (preferably outside) to ensure you have the cleanest possible base to work on.

STEP TWO

Working lightly and staying with the same tones, I defined the buildings and placed the tree trunks in position. Using dark and mid tone purples, I added shadows and the grassed area behind the trees.