Margaret Ransome,

was a first time demonstrator for us and it was only her second time as a demonstrator! Putting her nerves to one side Margaret had prepared a demonstration in pastel of a still life. Margaret has studied under several tutors in the US, Holland and the UK, and although she is experimenting in other mediums, pastels remain one of her firm favourites.

 

Margaret ran through what she saw as the pros and cons of pastels, and the different types that you could purchase. She also ran through the various papers you can use, stressing the important thing was the ‘tooth’ of the paper, to enable it to hold layers of pastel. It was interesting to note that she did not use a fixer, feeling that it darkens the colours. Although Margaret was working from a photo on the night, she recommended working from real life in order to see the true colours.

Margaret made a point of working from the top left corner down to the right. This avoided smudging. If you are left handed reverse this! 

Her work seemed to be done in a specific way, starting with highlights before ‘scrubbing in’ the body colour. All her work was done very light handed, building up the colour layer on layer. Areas of contrast and shade had special attention. The ‘Golden Rule’ she stressed was to constantly keep your eye on the subject. Her work is very detailed, so a full picture was not possible in one evening, but in true Blue Peter fashion she was able to produce one made earlier.

 

 

Thank you to Margaret, the demo was enjoyed by the 24 members there, which is more than half the membership! So, well done Margaret!