Paint The BIG Shapes First
Friday, 24 November 2023
Painting the big shapes first establishes the composition and value pattern. Big shapes give your work an underlying strength. Let’s look at five examples!
Menu
Welcome to
How to Pastel
the blog for soft pastel art lovers
How to Pastel is the go-to resource for improving your pastel painting!
Latest Edition
Recent Guest Artists
Judith Leeds – Capturing The Person Behind The Pose
Friday, 11 August 2023
Judith Kazdym Leeds’s journey from creating over 3,000 book covers to painting in pastels and oils.
David Shkolny – Laser Focused In The Landscape
Friday, 17 November 2023
From the importance of a balanced pressure in pastel strokes to the significance of unexpected textures, David Shkolny unveils how he captures the essence of the landscape
Tim Reilly – Creating Realistic Stone Textures
Friday, 28 April 2023
Tim Reilly is a master at creating stone and concrete textures in soft pastel. In this guest post, he shares the secret of how he does it!
Favourite Tutorials
My Painting Is Finished! Or Is It?
Friday, 7 October 2022
Pushing Colour-How To Make Your Bland Photo Into A Bold Painting
Friday, 12 February 2021
Experimenting with Canson Touch and Richard Diebenkorn
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
What’s a Low Key Painting?
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Notes from readers:
"...I am truly grateful for the work put into this newsletter. The content is always inspiring and helpful in my own journey with pastels...Thanks Gail for all your work!"
Lynda
" ...always inspiring and helpful in my own journey with pastels..."
"I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts, from sharing your own work & process to the wonderful artists you feature! I always come away inspired!"
Beth K
"...Your spirit comes through your own love of the artists you highlight. Love this site so much."
"... when I see your email in my in-box, I feel excitement and joy that I can see and read about my own love of pastel painting through yours and your wonderfully-presented artists and work.
Your spirit comes through your own love of the artists you highlight. Love this site so much.
Anita L. B.
Sign up to receive expert insights, inspiration and an experienced take on art!
Recent Editions
David Shkolny – Laser Focused In The Landscape
Friday, 17 November 2023
31 Comments
From the importance of a balanced pressure in pastel strokes to the significance of unexpected textures, David Shkolny unveils how he captures the essence of the landscape
Letting Go Of The Outcome
Friday, 10 November 2023
18 Comments
Letting go of the outcome of a painting can free you up to take risks. Basically, this mindset gives you creative freedom! Ruminations following the month of 31-pastels-in-31-days Challenge.
John Russell – Portrait of George de Ligne Gregory
Friday, 27 October 2023
10 Comments
When a pastel painting takes my breath away, I want to share it! Let’s look at the details of this portrait by English artist John Russell
Andrew McDermott – How To Loosen Up
Friday, 13 October 2023
17 Comments
Guest Andrew McDermott shares tips for spontaneity, textures, and maintaining a loose painterly style, all while having fun with your artwork.
17 Reasons I’m Grateful To Be An Artist!
Friday, 6 October 2023
8 Comments
Discover the many reasons Gail Sibley is profoundly grateful to be an artist at this time of Canadian Thanksgiving
Preparing For The Challenge: 31in31 Fast Approaches!
Friday, 29 September 2023
18 Comments
Preparing for the HowToPastel 31-Pastels-in-31-Days Annual Challenge: Your ultimate guide to success through the month of October. Join us!!
Unconventional Colours: My Self-Portrait in Quirky Hues
Friday, 22 September 2023
6 Comments
Dive into the fun of seeing my self-portrait come to life with unconventional colours. Restriction can be so beneficial!
Understanding Colour Temperature
Friday, 8 September 2023
4 Comments
Uncover the magic and mysteries of colour temperature. Let’s look at why it’s so important to understand this aspect of colour!
Working in a Series – Unlocking Creative Potential for Artistic Growth
Friday, 1 September 2023
9 Comments
Let’s delve into the creative potential and transformative possibilities that come from working in a series!!
Search
Gail Sibley
Artist. Blogger. Teacher.
My love of pastel and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about pastel inspired the creation of this blog. It has tips, reviews, some opinions:), and all manner of information regarding their use through the years – old and new. Please enjoy!
Get exclusive tips, reviews, and resources directly from Gail.
Featured Artists
Tutorials
Categories
Improve Your Pastel Paintings
Learn from a professional artist!
Sign up for an online course and start right away. Courses are simple to use and you’ll be following along in no time.
Ongoing learning?
Join IGNITE!
IGNITE! is a membership programme at the Gail Sibley Art School. There’s no timeline and no grades. Only super motivating, always engaging, deeper learning with exclusive access to Gail and the IGNITE! community.
How to Pastel Community.
We're on Facebook!
Here you’ll find encouragement, generous sharing, and inspiration from our members.
