Step 5: Blending Colors
To achieve a smooth look with traditional pastels, you rub them with precise blending tools, such as a tortillion or a blending stump. To mimic this traditional process, I often use two favorite Blenders: the Grainy Water and Smudge variants of the Blenders. A few hints about these blenders: The Grainy Water uses Grainy Flat Cover and blends showing a hint of texture. Smudge uses Grainy Hard Cover and reveals more texture as it blends color. Begin blending, experimenting with these brushes and various brush sizes while you work. Figure 11 shows a detail of my painting with the blended brushwork.
Figure 11 Notice the blended brushwork in this example.