A Multi-Layered Framework for color pastel painting

We present a computerized framework for producing color pastel painting from the visual information extracted from a photograph. To express color pastel painting, we propose a multi-layered framework where each layer possesses pastel stroke patterns of different colors. The stroke patterns in the separate layers are merged by a rendering equation based on a participating media rendering scheme. To produce the stroke patterns in each layer, we review the physical properties of pastels and the mechanism of a convolution framework, which is the most widely used scheme to simulate stick-shaped media such as pencils. We devise the following computational models to extend the convolution framework to produce pastel strokes: a bold noise model, which mimics heavy and clustered deposition of pigment, and a thick convolution filter model, which produces various pastel stroke patterns. We also design a stochastic color coordination scheme to mimic pastel artists' color expression and to separate strokes in different layers. To demonstrate the soundness of approach, we conduct several experiments using the models and compare the results with existing works or real pastel paintings. We present the results for several pastel paintings to demonstrate the excellent performance of our framework.