EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BLENDING STUMPS FOR PASTEL
A simple and obvious tool for some artists, or a gadget that’s not quite understood by other beginner artists… I’m here to enlighten and advise you on how to choose and use your blending stumps for dry pastel!
WHAT IS A BLENDING STUMP?
It’s for blending!!!! There, end of the article, leave your comments!
More seriously, there are several types of blending stumps:
- The stumps that resemble paper pencils,
- The foam/sponge Panpastel stumps,
- The kneaded eraser,
- Brushes,
- The homemade stump: paper towels.
WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
A blending stump is used to soften the transition between two colors and/or two textures created with dry pastel and/or to remove a bit of pigment. They make it easier and faster to achieve the desired material effect rather than trying to blend the two colors together by adding more pastel.
Paper Blending Stumps
These are the basic blending stumps! They look like large paper pencils. They come in various widths and are particularly suited for blending small details. In the photo, on the right, are new stumps, and on the left, stumps that have already seen quite a bit of use…
Panpastel Foam Blending Stump
They resemble makeup sponges. Suitable for large areas, these foams are quite fragile due to the abrasiveness of paper for dry pastel.
Kneaded Eraser
Very similar to modeling clay, it allows you to erase or lightly blend dry pastel. Beware, some brands are really poor quality: the kneaded eraser isn’t malleable at all, and you can’t do much with it… A very good one is the kneaded eraser from Faber-Castell!
Brushes
There are “special pastel” brushes available. But non-“special pastel” brushes won’t rebel if you use them with dry pastel. Different brushes for different effects… If you do painting, it’s wise not to use brand new brushes for blending pastel, but to give a second life to slightly worn brushes…
Paper Towels
Make a small ball of it and pass it over your dry pastel. This is the cheapest blending technique. It’s practical for backgrounds, but clearly not for details… or maybe for very large details… At which point they’re no longer details… Be aware: pastel paper is abrasive, so as soon as your paper towel square starts to disintegrate, change it.
BLENDING STUMPS AND COLORS
I recommend having roughly one blending stump per color, which will save you from having to reshape your stump each time you need to change shades
SHAPE AND TEXTURE
Like with pencils, you shouldn’t always try to have a blending stump that is perfectly pointed. You need to shape your stump according to what you want to do. A very pointed stump will be good for softening small details. A stump shaped at an angle will have a wider base for covering larger areas.
I personally have blending stumps that are over 15 years old and have become a bit harder, for which I’ve found a particular use. They help me smooth out certain strokes that might too prominently reveal the grain of the paper. With new stumps, the tip would be much softer and less precise.
CLEANING AND SHARPENING PAPER BLENDING STUMPS
A beginner student, not finding any advice, told me she tried to clean her blending stumps with water and soap… and immediately realized that it was definitely not the thing to do! It may seem funny to those who know, and she laughed about it later, which is precisely why I’m writing this article!
Even if you have multiple stumps for each color, a blending stump tends to end up black. The reason is simple: you can pull a lighter shade into the black without really impacting the black, but if you pull the black into a lighter color, you will dirty it (which can be intentional when mastered). Therefore, we often start by blending our shades together before finishing with the darker tones…
Even though it looks very artistic, I really advise against it for several simple reasons:
- There are tools made for this purpose, which are much more precise and suitable for each desired smudging effect.
- You get your fingers dirty, and you might potentially stain other surfaces with your finger.
- Even though it tends to disappear, in the past, some pastels had quite harmful pigments. Today, it’s very difficult to know their exact composition! But apparently, some pastels still contain heavy metals like lead. So, when in doubt, it’s best to avoid prolonged contact with the skin!!
- Even if you’ve just washed your hands, it will only take a few minutes for the skin to secrete a new layer of sebum (oil) and sweat (acid)… and thus bacteria.
- A dry pastel painting is already very fragile by nature, and the paper is very sensitive. So, it’s better to avoid bringing oil, acidity, and bacteria, at the risk of prematurely altering your work over time…
DISPELLING MISCONCEPTIONS
And let’s immediately debunk some rigid ideas that some artists propagate: I’ve heard several times that “a real artist shouldn’t use a blending stump” …………… without any valid argument!
I really dislike this kind of baseless, rigid idea. In my courses, when I say you should do this or that, I explain the valid technical or physical reason behind it! Everything should be explainable and explained! A statement without a concrete reason has no value.
The blending stump is a great tool that can be used in many ways, to create a variety of effects.
One might simply not need it in their style, but completely excluding this tool just limits possibilities.
So, for me, “a real artist” should be able to wisely use the tools at their disposal to give the best possible result to their work!
AND YOU?
Did this article help you?
Do you have any questions?
Which type of blending stump do you prefer?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! 😉
Do you want to improve, be proud of yourself, and sell your paintings better?
JI can help and advise you through my online video courses! From beginners to advanced, techniques in dry pastel, acrylic painting, and oil painting! Join the circle of ambitious artists!
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