Pastel on Linen
I have been asked to reply to some of the questions & comments about pastels on linen canvas. The canvas that I use is Frederick's Galactica 588. It's double-primed on one side & I use the unprimed side. I inspect this canvas prior to purchase to make sure there's minimal priming showing through to the unprimed side. I work on the linen canvas before it is mounted. I attach the linen to the wall with push pins & work on the piece until it's completed. After completion, I then mount the canvas onto Gator Foam or acid-free foam core, depending on how large the piece is. For very large pieces, I always use Gator Foam which is very very rigid. I use Super 77 spray glue. I've also used Elmer's Extra-strength Spray Adhesive which is acid-free, permanent bond. I mount it in my 40 x 60 vacuum press.
Pastels on linen are beautiful, but they are very fragile & do not ship well unless tightly sandwiched between two pieces of Gator Foam or something that holds them very rigid. They cannot be shipped in a frame. This has been a very popular look for my portraits. However, I'm also now using Wallis paper for my pastel work. It holds pastels like glue & is easily shipped. Working on linen with pastels requires mostly working in a linear fashion because the broad side of the pastel strokes do not work the same as on a sanded surface. But it gives a gorgeous neutral effect with the sepia background.
If anyone still has back issues of American Artist, I wrote an article for their Pastel Page for the August 1998 issue. This article discussed my pastels on linen.
I hope this answers any questions you may have.
|