I’ve just returned from teaching two different still life workshops to members of the Southwest Florida Pastel Society (SWFPS). I had an amazing time with a bunch of committed artists who were warm and friendly, and who put up with my insistence on them doing thumbnails! Naturally, I encouraged them to use a viewfinder to
I’ve just finished the HowToPastel’s 31-pastels-in-31-days Challenge. This year I decided to use only my Unison Colour 36-set of pastels. In the end, I created 29 pieces with this set. Only two pieces weren’t: the first day’s pastel which I did prior to making this decision to use the Unison Colour 36-set; and one created
Probably the question I get asked the most is: “What pastels would you suggest I start with? And by the way, I have a limited budget.” Choosing your first soft pastels should be easy but with all the choices we have, the decisions become more difficult. This week I answer the question!
You know I’m always on about the benefits of limiting your palette. When you’re starting out in pastels, the choice (and price!) of soft pastels can be overwhelming so I always suggest beginning with a small set of quality soft pastels. Play around with that set, get to know what the pastels in a limited palette can
One of the most common questions I receive about plein air painting is, “How do you decide what to paint when there is so much to choose from?” My answer? Using a viewfinder can help enormously! The landscape can be so overwhelming and using a viewfinder will help you isolate the part that appeals to
I don’t know about you but my pastels get miiiiighty dirty when I use them. Whether you wear gloves or not, every time you pick up a pastel, you transfer particles from the pastel you previously held to the new one. And so the pastels get dirtier and dirtier. Ugh I say. So, cleaning
Hiya, I am finally getting back to a normal-ish life and schedule after the madness of two shows (‘Emergence’ and ‘Caught Red Handed’) back to back. They went well and it was wonderful to work towards them and produce so much new and exciting work but things like regular blogging kinda took a back seat!
It’s about time I published a new video with a pastel painting tip. So here it is! I talk about how to sort a new box of pastels (a small starter kit) into values. The main thing you need to do this is SQUINT!! So without further ado, here’s the video: Please give me
Pierre. He’s French, very exuberant. He makes me laugh. Watch this video and you too will be charmed 🙂 The equally charming Michelle Montes, account manager for product education at Savoir Faire, is in the background moving about. I am sorry I didn’t have a chance to get her in the video too.
If you are a member of Facebook and a lover of pastels then rush to enter Sennelier’s Facebook contest posted a few days ago. Here’s what they have to say: “On the road for Summer or Winter ? No matter which side of the Earth you are, you can enter the draw to win
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