Pastel Portrait Style

by Gretchen Kirstel

These two portrait paintings are completed in a combination of soft, medium, and hard pastels and pastel pencils, which enhance the portraits with detail.  Pastel is a stick of color made from the essence of color and graded amounts of oil.  The pastel is stroked onto a pastel board that has a tooth, much like sandpaper, and catches the fragments of color.  It is applied in layers, has a sparkle effect, and creates brilliant color.  It is also blended in some areas with fingers, brushes, or blending sticks.  This kind of painting is always put behind glass in a frame to keep it from rubbing or smearing once the painting is completed.  Besides pastel boards, sometimes Gretchen uses a variety of colored pastel papers to complete these works of art. The portrait, "Teton Teen" is 24" X 18" and was done in 2010.  This painting was completed by Gretchen Kirstel in her studio in Colorado Springs using three individual photographs.  One was of the teen, the second was of the cat, and the third was of the Teton Mountains.  The portrait, "Dad and his Dog", is 11" X 14" and was painted in 2009.  It was done live during three modeling sessions.  If you are interested in the purchase of a portrait done in pastel, email Gretchen using the Gretchen's Email tab.