Weekly BobBlast Issue 438

Painting with Dry Pigments, Chalks and Powders

Welcome Back to Another BobBlast!

This BobBlast is all about painting without ANY water... that's right! No water, no paint, no fluids, opens or inks! This BobBlast is all about Painting with Dry Pigments, Chalks and Powders - even local dirt!

This quick video is a demonstration - how I start with powders - powdered charcoal and dry pigments. Then I work more color into the powder-covered surface - using charcoal and pastels.

My favorite pastels have a lot of pigment, as you will see in the video. I use Jack Richeson handmade Soft Pastels, Soho Jumbo Soft Pastels or Sennelier pastels. My favorite charcoal is Willow Charcoal - "vines" by Creative Mark and powdered charcoal from Generals. My surface of choice is either watercolor paper or BFK Rives Printmaking Paper.

The spray fix for this type of work is the all-natural, odor free, milk/casein formula by SpectraFix. It's great for all my pastels, chalk, pencil, charcoal, oil pastel and colored pencils. Casein was a good fixative for the Sistine Chapel ceiling way back when... This pump spray stays clear and does not change the original color. It is the best fixative I found for my works on paper.

I was fortunate enough to have a museum show - all charcoal and pastel drawings on seven foot Kozo paper. The final layer was SpectraFix. The drawings were hung directly on the walls without protective glass... And, after five thin layers of SpectraFix spray, nothing rubbed off. To view this exhibition, titled Impure Thoughts, click here. The above photo was taken while I was working on this exhibit. A mask is a must for keeping all the dust out of me.

Here is information on a new workshop!

Painting with Dry Pigments, Chalks and Powders

Curious about creating a painting using only dry pigments? Painting without water? Burridge will show you how to create what he calls “singulars” – paintings that have the look the of a monoprint, yet are singular originals with no printing press involved.

This concentrated workshop emphasizes experimentation with “dry” materials and pigments as well as pastels, charcoal, chalk, metallic and pencils – establishing a concept to create a series of singular abstract works. Bob will guide the workshop with hands-on demos, techniques and basic formulas. Plenty of painting time and critiques.

Painting with Dry Pigments, Chalks and Powders

December 10-11, 2022

Learn how to create a singular!