pastels on parchment

[llawrence]

I am considering trying out pastel drawings on parchment. There are some historic examples of this technique, notably from Etienne Liotard. I am curious about any possible issues with this. I saw one Liotard pastel on parchment at the Getty museum a couple of years back, and it looked to be in great shape after 250 years or so - though of course you never know what has or hasn't been done to conserve it. (I even remember thinking at the time that it couldn't have been an original - it was in a small side room with no guard, where any stupid kid could have come along and smeared it out of existence!)

I understand that parchment can curl and deform - is it possible to stretch parchment on bars, as one stretches linen or canvas? As a side thought, would it also be possible to do the same for a tanned hide such as leather? I imagine that tanned leather would be too acidic for long-term art, but thinking about a soft leather like suede seems like it would be a wonderful surface for working on. I'm intrigued, but of course I don't want to spend a lot of time experimenting if the technique would not be sound...

[AMIEN]

I am considering trying out pastel drawings on parchment. There are some historic examples of this technique, notably from Etienne Liotard. I am curious about any possible issues with this. I saw one Liotard pastel on parchment at the Getty museum a couple of years back, and it looked to be in great shape after 250 years or so - though of course you never know what has or hasn't been done to conserve it. (I even remember thinking at the time that it couldn't have been an original - it was in a small side room with no guard, where any stupid kid could have come along and smeared it out of existence!)

I understand that parchment can curl and deform - is it possible to stretch parchment on bars, as one stretches linen or canvas? As a side thought, would it also be possible to do the same for a tanned hide such as leather? I imagine that tanned leather would be too acidic for long-term art, but thinking about a soft leather like suede seems like it would be a wonderful surface for working on. I'm intrigued, but of course I don't want to spend a lot of time experimenting if the technique would not be sound...

llawrence,

Here is CAMEO on parchment:

"A thin writing or drawing sheet prepared from the skin of a sheep or goat. Parchment was used as early as 2nd century BCE in Rome and the Near East. The skin is dehaired with lime then scraped, rubbed, and polished with abrasives (pumice) and fillers (chalk or talc) on one side to provide a smooth writing surface. Thin translucent sheets of parchment made from stillborn or newly born calves or lambs are called vellum. They are used for documents, fine books, drum heads, and lamp shades. The term parchment is sometimes applied to modern paper (wood pulp) products with that are finished to imitate the appearance of vellum or parchment (see vegetable parchment).

"Synonyms and Related Terms
"parchemin (Fr.); pergaminho (Port.); drumhead leather

"Hazards and Safety
"Adversely affected by moisture and high humidities.
"Susceptible to biodeterioration.

"Additional Information
"° R.Reed, Ancient Skins, Parchments and Leathers Seminar Press, London & New York, 1972
"° P. R³ck (ed), Pergament, Geschichte-Strucktur-Restaurierung-Herstellung, Sigmaringen, Jan Thorbecke Verlag, 1991. (German)

"Last updated on: 3/8/2010 9:48:47 AM"

So, if you can get some real parchment, we think you can try what you propose. It might be better to mount it on a rigid substrate, with an acrylic dispersion gel medium as you would mount canvas or paper. Also, consider the physical hazards to the material ... We would not go near any substitutes that imitate the real thing.

You could also try a chamois cloth, or sueded leather, but we can't comment on their durability.

If you want to try to find another surface for pastels, you could use a "pastel ground" or a "sandable ground," acrylic dispersion grounds made for your purpose from various manufacturers of acrylic dispersion products. Or, since there are about 1,000 suitable papers out there, look around for a maker that supplies papers with a soft surface that has a grab to it. Some "laid papers" may fit the bill.

[llawrence]

So, if you can get some real parchment, we think you can try what you propose. It might be better to mount it on a rigid substrate, with an acrylic dispersion gel medium as you would mount canvas or paper. Also, consider the physical hazards to the material ... We would not go near any substitutes that imitate the real thing.

You could also try a chamois cloth, or sueded leather, but we can't comment on their durability.

I have found a couple of places that offer real parchment. It's a little pricey, but I think I'm intrigued enough to give it a try. I'll also try out the chamois - thanks, I didn't think of that - and perhaps run it through the aging test you mentioned in another discussion, and see if it falls apart or not.

You've had some pretty unusual queries here, both from myself and from others. Your knowledge and responses are appreciated!

[llawrence]

Altoon Sultan, the egg tempera painter and author, describes her process for making parchment panel here. As you suggest, that might be the way to go.

[AMIEN]

I have found a couple of places that offer real parchment. It's a little pricey, but I think I'm intrigued enough to give it a try. I'll also try out the chamois - thanks, I didn't think of that - and perhaps run it through the aging test you mentioned in another discussion, and see if it falls apart or not.

You've had some pretty unusual queries here, both from myself and from others. Your knowledge and responses are appreciated!

llawrence,

We take great pleasure in helping artists when we can, no matter what the nature of their questions.

[AMIEN]

Altoon Sultan, the egg tempera painter and author, describes her process for making parchment panel here. As you suggest, that might be the way to go.

llawrence,

Sultan's process seems very sound; she did say she mounted vellum, not parchment. These have two very different surfaces, the latter being softer.

Also, we went to a related website, the Society of Tempera Painters, and found a number of unfortunate technical errors. Too bad!

[llawrence]

llawrence,

Sultan's process seems very sound; she did say she mounted vellum, not parchment. These have two very different surfaces, the latter being softer.

Vellum is not a grade of parchment? I had thought that parchment referred to a certain preparation of untanned animal skin, and vellum was particularly a parchment made from calves ("veal" and "vellum" having the same root).

Also, we went to a related website, the Society of Tempera Painters, and found a number of unfortunate technical errors. Too bad!

I've participated at the egg tempera forum in the past. Any particularly troubling errors that an occasional egg tempera painter should know about?

[altoonsultan]

I noticed that you sent visitors to my blog for my instructional post on stretching vellum. I'm sorry to seem to correct what is supposed to be expert advice, but vellum is a fine grade of calfskin parchment. There are different kinds of parchment, made from different animals, but calfskin is traditionally used for manuscripts. It has a beautifully smooth, velvety surface, a delight for painting. I don't know how it would work for pastel.

[AMIEN]

Vellum is not a grade of parchment? I had thought that parchment referred to a certain preparation of untanned animal skin, and vellum was particularly a parchment made from calves ("veal" and "vellum" having the same root).

I've participated at the egg tempera forum in the past. Any particularly troubling errors that an occasional egg tempera painter should know about?

llawrence,

As quoted from the CAMEO website, and here excerpted and highlighted: " ... Thin translucent sheets of parchment made from stillborn or newly born calves or lambs are called vellum. ..." We suppose you could call vellum a grade of parchment, though parchment can also come from a more mature sheep or a more mature goat -- and is thicker and less translucent.

As for the errors at the egg tempera forum, they are minor, having to do with the terminology for hardboards and MDFs vs. MDOs.

[AMIEN]

I noticed that you sent visitors to my blog for my instructional post on stretching vellum. I'm sorry to seem to correct what is supposed to be expert advice, but vellum is a fine grade of calfskin parchment. There are different kinds of parchment, made from different animals, but calfskin is traditionally used for manuscripts. It has a beautifully smooth, velvety surface, a delight for painting. I don't know how it would work for pastel.

altoonsultan,

Welcome to AMIEN.

llawrence sent visitors, including us, to your blog.

At the risk of repeating ourselves for the third time, this quote is from CAMEO, the Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online at the MFA in Boston, from a search for "parchment." We have added some emphasis to the pertinent parts.

Parchment is "A thin writing or drawing sheet prepared from the skin of a sheep or goat. Parchment was used as early as 2nd century BCE in Rome and the Near East. The skin is dehaired with lime then scraped, rubbed, and polished with abrasives (pumice) and fillers (chalk or talc) on one side to provide a smooth writing surface. Thin translucent sheets of parchment made from stillborn or newly born calves or lambs are called vellum. They are used for documents, fine books, drum heads, and lamp shades. The term parchment is sometimes applied to modern paper (wood pulp) products with that are finished to imitate the appearance of vellum or parchment (see vegetable parchment)."

(We strongly recommend the CAMEO site, especially for entries like this that are updated and have cited references.)

Based on what CAMEO says, we call prepared skin from stillborn or newborn calves or lambs "vellum," and prepared skin from older sheep or goats, "parchment."

We do not claim to offer "expert advice" at AMIEN; anyone claiming to be an "expert" about anything is bound to run into someone who knows more. Here, we offer unbiased facts when we can find them and admit it when we can't give a definitive answer.

We also grant anyone the right to interpret the meaning of various words in this strange world of art materials. Hence, people continue to use the word "gesso" when they are really referring to the acrylic dispersion grounds that, sadly, go by that name, and people continue to use the term "archival," when that word is meaningless in the context of durability. Both "gesso" and "archival" have been co-opted by industry and turned into marketing terms that have nothing to do with science and facts, and more to do with selling something. For some reason, artists buy into this kind of hype.