First stage - The Layering Stage
An oil painter uses a palette to mix his colors for his painting before applying them. But in chalk we mix our colors for the drawing right on the paper!
Question:
Is an oil painter usually very concerned about how his palette looks?
No! It is just a tool in the process to make a beautiful picture. Most professional palettes of artists that I have seen are a big mess. Their only concern is to keep the colors in their own area, and leave some room for mixing others. That is our goal in this stage. So have fun and make a mess, but make it in the right area.
Here's how to see with your palette:
1. Estimate the median (average) color of the area you want to work on. This usually starts with the larger, lighter areas. This will keep them unsoiled by darker colors.
2. Layer the colors together, usually in overlapping fashion. Pay attention to lights and darks. Use a flat side of the chalk to avoid any harsh lines. Be sure you clean the chalk before each use.
3. Smoothly build up the chalk until it approaches the saturation point. This is the point at which the paper is almost completely covered. You can control this by the pressure, duration and amount of color used. Humidity, the hardness of the chalk and the smoothness of the paper will greatly affect the speed saturation of the paper. The direction of travel of the chalk on the paper also affects saturation. Crosshatching and overlapping small circles add the most.
