Scumbling and Blending and Glazing... Oh My!


Well, I think it is time for a little pastel technique talk! I often use the term "blending" and I think most of you know what I mean. Blending is means gently rubbing together two pastels on the surface to create a new color.

Sometimes we might use our finger or a blending tool to do this, but it is best to let the pastels do itthemselves. This is achieved best by using sticks of the same hardness.

That is how I achieved the colors of the taffy in this painting.

But what is scumbling and glazing? They are both much like blending, but...
  • Scumbling is lightening a color by lightly covering the color with a lighter tint.
  • Glazing is darkening a color by lightly covering the color with a darker shade.
Blending            Scumbling            Glazing

Tea Time! pastel, 18x24"
 
I used a lot of scumbling and glazing in this painting!

Homework Challenge!
  • Watch this video and read the article by Richard McKinley on scumbling and glazing.
  • Plan on trying these techniques the next time you paint!

Judy


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