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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Visit NowMost Recent Edition
Friday, 3 April 2026
8 Comments
Do you need an art studio in order to paint regularly? Perhaps the better question is: what makes a space support your return to the work?
More Editions...
Painting a Night Scene – How To Do It Convincingly
Friday, 28 September 2018
Recently, when I was asked by a coaching client about painting a night scene, we went over some particulars of what goes into painting a night scene. It really comes down to paying attention to value and colour and what happens to both at this time of day. Most of the values in a night scene
Pastel Demo At Opus A Marvellous Experience!
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
Opus Art Store Pastel Demo Wow, did I ever have a fun day on Sunday doing my pastel demo!! I can’t believe I’m saying that what with a bit of anxiety days before around the whole thing – what was I going to paint? how nervous would I be? how would it turn out? I got
Barbara Jaenicke – The Abstract Underpainting
Friday, 24 January 2020
I am deeeelighted to bring to you an artist whose landscape work I have long admired. She has been featured in my round-up. You’ll see that Barbara Jaenicke is a master of subtle shifts in colour intensity and temperature as well as edge yet paints very clearly designed paintings with a strength that belies the
The Art Of IAPS 2022
Friday, 8 July 2022
I’m sitting in a comfy chair and looking around at the beautiful surroundings, watching people I know and don’t know go by and I hear myself tell myself, “Gail, you are soooo lucky to be here, right now, in this place.” Which place you may ask? The IAPS 2022 Convention at the Hotel Albuquerque in New Mexico, USA. Now back home, I’m slowly getting
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Joan Eardley – Her Pastels Of Glasgow Tenement Kids
When I first started blogging on www.gailsibley.com, I wrote a post about an artist I had recently discovered – Joan Eardley (1921-1963).
Do You Call Yourself An Artist?
Do you call yourself an artist? Or do you have trouble identifying yourself this way? Here are some ideas about why that may be.
15 Minutes To Paint En Plein Air In Cayman
15 minutes to paint? Yes, it’s possible! See how I skipped my usual thumbnail sketch (!), grabbed my pastels, and made the most of a fleeting plein air moment.
Odilon Redon…a portrait painter??
Okay, fess up. Did you know that the French Symbolist Odilon Redon (1840-1916) painted portraits? I didn’t realize this until
Overworked Pastel? No Problem! Just Rework It
Sunday, 11 January 2015
Playing With Colour To Create Unique and Bold Paintings
Friday, 7 April 2023
![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
Making A Statement With Your Art
Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Painting the Night – A Step-by-Step Pastel Nocturne
Friday, 12 December 2025
Blurred Boundaries #5 – a pastel progression step-by-step
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
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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!!