What happens when you give yourself fewer choices? During a recent limited palette workshop at Dakota Art Pastels, four colourful studies presented me with an unexpected dilemma. The painting that excited me most wasn’t the one I was about to choose. Here’s what happened when I followed my passion instead.
Students often assume tiny marks need tiny tools. In this pastel portrait progression, I show how big, chunky pastel sticks can create delicate details — from shaping the face to adjusting an eye near the end.
Surrounded by lush mountains, tropical flowers, and sparkling Costa Rican views, I chose to paint…a bathroom. Follow the progression of A Slice of Blue Loo and discover why the subjects that seem ordinary, odd, or unexpected may be exactly the ones worth trusting.
Sometimes it’s not the whole scene that makes you want to paint — it’s one gesture, one shadow shape, one small visual surprise. Here’s what drew me to this scene and how that shaped the painting.
While painting in La Manzanilla, Mexico, I noticed a quiet thread running through three small pieces — pairs of people together, talking, waiting, simply being. These beach conversations became an exploration of connection, restraint, and the power of suggesting just enough.
Join me as I share the progression of a pastel nocturne — from thumbnail and charcoal block-in to layered colour and deepening night with glowing light — along with the thinking behind each stage.
Ever told yourself there’s just no time to paint? It’s easy to think that but a few snatched sessions in a tiny Greek village reminded me of what’s possible. In this post, I share three quick plein air paintings each created in well under an hour, how thumbnails made it happen, and why even short bursts at the easel can bring so much joy.
Plein air painting with my Mum led to two paintings of one scene — and one powerful lesson about how thumbnails bring freedom to your art.
A light plein air painting trip with no easel and no grand plans—just five scenes, painted in the moment, with whatever was at hand.
![Gail Sibley, [Not yet titled], Unison Colour pastels and a Sennelier pink on UART 400 mounted on board, 15 1/4 x 11 1/2 in -close up of face](https://www.howtopastel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/11.-Gail-Sibley-Not-yet-titled-Unison-Colour-pastels-and-a-SEnnelier-pink-on-UART-400-mounted-on-board-15-14-x-11-15-in-close-up-of-face-Feature-image-300x229.jpg)
Explore each stage of this pastel painting and learn about the woman who sparked its creation.
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