Create a Plain Background to make Pastel Portraits Pop!

[@benlin1526]

Your style of capturing the subject is better than just copying a photo, it becomes painterly.

[@mjpete27]

Good basic knowledge that everyone should know and if not ingrained in everyone perhaps a refresher for all of us!

[@mommyzethartcorner7685]

Oh I was wrong all along. thank you for this ms. Emma for the informationm my drawings will have an improvement for sure by following your tutuorialsm

[@daveswallow8291]

Thank you for your lesson. You had a couple of good points. The colors are piercing !

[@chriswhitehouse8982]

Very useful information Emma, thanks! I didn't know artists were using pastels in the 1700s, I learned something new.

[@chellz61]

Thankyou this was very helpful

[@spiritualstars]

I learnt something about the dark n light on background 👍🏼

[@adriannepatriciapower3271]

Oh my goodness...the light has just gone on....I can see it !.... wonderful explanation.

[@EmmaColbertArt]

Haha! Thanks, that's usually how it happens for me too! :-)

[@doreendebruin9668]

Very interesting, thanks

[@disgrace2012]

thank you Emma, very usu full tips..

[@flickaJay]

thank you. this is very helpful as i would rather have some color in the bg rather than just the paper but don't want to over do it. recently i have noticed in rembrandts self-portraits that he uses a light in the bg but you showed better just exactly how to look at it. hence, thank you so much.

[@EmmaColbertArt]

You're welcome! Glad you found it helpful :-)

[@lyndakowalke8858]

That is a hard one for me to learn all the values and gradients, that everything is in the right prospective full stop. This method certainly makes the main object pop, without really noticing it how? So much to think about. I also didnt know pastels have been used for so long. I would never have thought it possible such achievments can be obtained through pastels. I must have been living in another world, that I had never noticed or know of pastels. I think I never really took much notice, so much was taken for granted in the world of Art - I feel so stupid and so sorry I did not take these things more seriously as I was young - so much time wasted. But I guess there is a time for everything. 🙏💕

[@james-dt4ei]

Im so in love with your art work. U are amazing at what u do. Your a beautiful woken also lol. Thank u for everything u do for us. I love your style.

[@EmmaColbertArt]

Thanks James? :-)

[@james-dt4ei]

@@EmmaColbertArt your welcome mam. Your very inspiring.

[@lynnrushton7458]

Makes perfect sense! Now I get it 👍👍 cheers Emma‼️xx

[@evak8210]

Wonderful, thank you Happy New Year to you and your family!

[@robcpwoodturner]

Good timing for me, thank you 🙂👍

[@angiesart4u730]

Happy New Year Emma :o) .................Thank you for answering my question awhile back and sorry for the delay in Thanking you. I am still trying to get to grips with Velour but never say die! lol I come from a grahics art background, way back in the stone age, so giving up was not an option.! :o)

[@EmmaColbertArt]

Happy New Year Angie! Keep going, all papers are weird at first :-)

[@miguelc105]

Gracias Emma, feliz 2019. Saludos de México : )

[@Minimaltsuki]

Thank you for this!

[@MM-tk9ek]

So Beautiful...as ever...

[@OnlineCollegeofArtandDesign]

helpful!

[@choochoochooseyou]

Emma, would you use a dark paper and add a lighter background or a light paper and add the darks?

[@EmmaColbertArt]

There is no right answer to that as I've done both in the past. It's pretty flexible depending on what paper and pastels you're using. Using a dark or light paper will effect the end result but it's possible to go dark on light paper, and light on dark paper to great effect.

[@choochoochooseyou]

@@EmmaColbertArt Great. Thanks, Emma.

[@belindaroca4577]

Thank you Emma.. I would like to see you actually paint one of those backgrounds... 🙂

[@belindaroca4577]

Also.. I never know what color to use..

[@SuperXrunner]

I think that effect is called Chiaroscuro!?

[@EmmaColbertArt]

You're quite right, this would fall under that term. It's also used to describe how the likes of Caravaggio used the darkness contrasted with lit figures to create drama in his work. It's basically the play between light and dark which is exactly what I'm talking about here :-)