About
the blog for soft pastel art lovers
Inspired by my love of pastels and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about them the How to Pastel Blog has tips & tricks, reviews, step-by-step progressions, guest bloggers, and a great community on Facebook.
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A bit about me
I am very lucky to have been born and brought up in Jamaica, a land of beauty and complexity, of warmth and coolness, of vibrancy and tension. Many say that my Caribbean upbringing influenced my palette and I think they may be right. I do know that it shaped my worldview. Check out these sites to learn more about me and my work.
My Art Practice
Gail Sibley
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Friday, 26 September 2025
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At my last workshop, someone leaned in, all secretive, and whispered: “I don’t want to share my paintings until they’re… you know… perfect.” And I had to laugh — in a nice way but also with a raised eyebrow — because if
More Editions...
Everett Shinn – The Art of Simplifying Urban Chaos
Friday, 13 September 2024
A detailed examination into a pastel painting of New York by Everett Shinn. We’ll see how he gets to the essence of the scene.
Ambiguity In Art – How It Can Benefit Your Own Work
Sunday, 31 March 2019
Ambiguity in art: art work having several possible interpretations or meanings; of an uncertain nature. And why am I bringing this up? Think of the Mona Lisa’s smile. It’s ambiguous- we don’t know why she’s smiling and there are so many possible stories we could create. She’s kept us intrigued all through the centuries and
Anna Wainright And Her Evocative Landscapes
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
The pastels by Anna Wainright have awed me over and over again ever since I discovered this artist a couple of years ago. I featured one of her pieces in one of my first monthly round-ups and I remember having the dickens of a time choosing between three paintings! So I’m tickled pink that she’s here to tell
October’s Striking Pastels
Friday, 6 November 2015
I’m once again excited to share with you the 10 pastels that I’ve selected from the 87 (yes!) that I collected over the month of October. More and more artists are showing their work on various groups so the choice has multiplied over the last little while. As always, a difficult selection to make and as always, my own personal choices. Along with the many pieces I
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Maria Marino – Responding Emotionally To The Landscape
When I think of the work of Maria Marino, I think of pastel paintings full of vitality, texture, and colour. And
Paint Like No One’s Watching (Or Cares About What You Are Doing)…. In Zagreb
You know that saying, dance like no one’s watching? Well I think you could also say, paint like no one’s watching!
Using The Unison Colour 36-Set Of Pastels – My Experience
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 Messy Middle – Don’t Quit!
I recently had the experience of watching one of my demo videos with a friend and I cringed when we watched the part where everything looks an absolute mess. That unpleasant feeling led me to writing this post.
Thumbnail Sketches – What Can Happen If You Deviate From Them!
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
When All Else Fails, Crop!
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
High Key Painting – What IS That??
Friday, 10 October 2014
Painting A White Object With Colour
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Painting metal – my newest pastel video!
Sunday, 1 December 2013
![Pastels on black aper: Gail Sibley, "Untitled [at this point], Mount Vision pastels on Sansfix pastel card, 5 1/2 x 7 3/4 in](https://www.howtopastel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_9649-2.jpeg)
Using Pastels On Black Paper
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
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6 thoughts on “About”
Gail! Just got turned on to your website by a fellow artist from Wellington, Ontario… both of us former presidents of the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada. I work primarily in pastel and it will always be my medium of choice! I could never give them up! Being a landscape artist for years, I would now like to change things up a bit and try abstract. I was inspired by your article about the progression of your abstract painting…it’s given me the courage to take that (for me) giant leap and go ahead with an image I’ve had in my mind for a long time. Thank you! I look forward to future e-mails! Your’s is one of the best Pastel websites I’ve come across. Look forward to receiving your emails.
Kathryn
Thank you for writing Kathryn, and for your enthusiasm! It comes over loud and clear 🙂 I am wondering which article on abstraction you are referring to. Perhaps you can add a comment directly on the blog? Good luck with your leap. I know how difficult it is to make. It’s ongoing risk-taking that’s for sure! Please let me know how it goes.
Look forward to hearing more from you
I just read your article in the April issue of “Pastel Journal”. Thank you so much. I felt as if you were speaking directly to me. I am going to tear it out and tape it to my studio wall.
Marcia
Marcia, that’s the best reward a writer/artist could hear!! Thank you for letting me know. (As yet, I still haven’t received my copy!)
Hi Gail. I’m really excited and pleased to have discovered your website. I live in southern Australia and I started painting with pastels a few years ago (self taught) , but went a bit stale after doing a couple of workshops- mostly because the pastel artists here who I came across seem to be very conventional and felt that I wasn’t learning much. I’ve been working in oils since and enjoyed it- as I’ve realised, it’s similar in many ways. You showcase so many exciting works – use of colour, composition etc. , and your quick tips are helping me rethink how to approach my work. Looking forward to hearing more about your workshop in Tasmania, or perhaps one in Europe in a couple of years’ time.
Hi Judi,
Thanks for writing such a lovely introduction to yourself and your work. Certainly oils are similar to pastels in the way one builds a painting. Interesting that! I’m glad though that my blog may bring you back to the pastel side 😀 Even if not, so much of what’s here can be applied to the other media available for painting.
I look forward to having you in one of my workshops whether in Tasmania or Europe!!