Pastels 101 - The Ultimate Soft Pastel Online Course

Unconventional colours: Gail Sibley, “Happy Me With Green," Unison Colour pastels on UART 320, 6 x 6 in. Done in about 45 mins. This was a painting I did for one of our October 31-pastels-in-31-days Challenge so time was limited!

Unconventional Colours: My Self-Portrait in Quirky Hues

Friday, 22 September 2023

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

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: Gail Sibley, "Scissors 4 - Dressed in Yellow," Unison Colour pastels on UART 800, 6 x 10 in

Working in a Series – Unlocking Creative Potential for Artistic Growth

Friday, 1 September 2023

Let’s delve into the creative potential and transformative possibilities that come from working in a series!!

Paint what you love: Gail Sibley, "Vesuvius Beach Ladies Club #1, pastel on Wallis paper, 11 x 18 in. Sold.

Paint What You Love (And Ignore The NaySayers!)

Friday, 25 August 2023

How the story behind The Vesuvius Ladies collection of paintings proves the importance of this idea!

Seeing art in the real-Edgar Degas, "Woman at Her Toilet," c.1894, charcoal and pastel on paper, 95.6 x 109.9 cm, Tate Britain, London, England - as I saw it

Seeing Art In The Real vs Online – Does It Matter?

Friday, 18 August 2023

Gail shows you the difference between seeing an Edgar Degas painting online and seeing it in person!

Judith Leeds, "Dreams of Youth," pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes, 18 x 24 in. I was walking through the lobby of an assisted living facility and saw this woman sleeping in a chair. The light on her grabbed me but it was also my feeling of her being in another world. I sat quietly and did a number of value sketches and colour notations. I worked over this composition many times in my studio and decided to subdue the background to have the focus just on the woman.

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.

Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves? One Thing That May Help

Monday, 7 August 2023

As artists, it’s amazing how hard on ourselves we can be! Just a few mistakes, just a few missed days in the studio and bam, and we are beating ourselves up. Here’s one thing to do about that!

Unison Colour HQ – Where Handmade Pastels Come To Life

Saturday, 29 July 2023

Gail shares her visit to the home of Unison Colour pastels in the UK. She’s in awe of the truly handmade nature of these pastels!

Featured Artists

Stephie Clark, “Sweet Ladies,” Pastelmat and soft pastels, 20 X 20 cms. Sold

Stephie Clark – How To Create Depth In Florals

Friday, 17 June 2022

Aaron Schuerr, Canyon Oasis pastel, 10x12in. Private collection

Aaron Schuerr – Art And Struggle

Friday, 27 May 2022

Lynn Howarth, ‘Her Coat of Many Colours,’ 2019, soft pastel on PastelMat, 50x70 cm.

Lynn Howarth – Portraits That Capture Likeness And Soul

Friday, 22 April 2022

Laura Pollak, "Embedded," 2019, soft pastel on UART, 20 x 16 in. Sold

Laura Pollak On Planting Lightbulbs!

Friday, 25 March 2022

Tara Will, "Feels Like Home," 2021, soft pastel, 19 x 25 inches.

Tara Will – Painting The Energy Of The Landscape

Friday, 25 February 2022

Albert Handell, "The Swirl of Life," watercolour and pastel on Wallis paper, (painted on location), 12 x 18in.

Albert Handell – Moments in Time

Friday, 21 January 2022

Seeing Art In The Real vs Online – Does It Matter?

Friday, 18 August 2023

Gail shows you the difference between seeing an Edgar Degas painting online and seeing it in person!

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.

Unconventional Colours: My Self-Portrait in Quirky Hues

Friday, 22 September 2023

Dive into the fun of seeing my self-portrait come to life with unconventional colours. Restriction can be so beneficial!

Latest Post 👆

Understanding Colour Temperature

Friday, 8 September 2023

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

Let’s delve into the creative potential and transformative possibilities that come from working in a series!!

Paint What You Love (And Ignore The NaySayers!)

Friday, 25 August 2023

How the story behind The Vesuvius Ladies collection of paintings proves the importance of this idea!

Featured Artists

Doug Dawson, one of my favourite pastel artists, offers a great tip

Sunday, 8 December 2013

Lyn Diefenbach, "Counterpoint," Sept 2017, Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 24 x 24 in. Available.

Lyn Diefenbach – Revealing The Complexity Of The Natural World

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

Diane Fechenbach, New Year Blues, 2014, Ludwig, Unison, and Girault pastels on Wallis paper, 11x14 in. From a plein air sketch made on the annual New Year day paint out.

Diane Fechenbach – Warm Up To Snow

Friday, 26 March 2021

Richard Suckling, "Horadada," Unison and Sennelier pastels on Sennelier LaCarte 9 ½ x 12 ½ in. Painted from a lovely tapas bar in the village on the sea front with a nice bit of shade.

Richard Suckling – Studio Artist Takes On Plein Air Painting

Tuesday, 17 January 2017

IAPS Interviews – Questions Answered!

Monday, 22 June 2015

Yuji Sakuma – Expressing A Model’s Heart And Soul

Friday, 26 February 2021

Kathy Hildebrandt, "The Pepsi Generation," Pastel on UART paper, 16 x 21 in

Kathy Hildebrandt – Painting Childhood Memories

Wednesday, 19 December 2018

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Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves? One Thing That May Help

Monday, 7 August 2023

As artists, it’s amazing how hard on ourselves we can be! Just a few mistakes, just a few missed days in the studio and bam, and we are beating ourselves up. Here’s one thing to do about that!

Unison Colour HQ – Where Handmade Pastels Come To Life

Saturday, 29 July 2023

Gail shares her visit to the home of Unison Colour pastels in the UK. She’s in awe of the truly handmade nature of these pastels!

Painting in the Yorkshire Dales, Rain or Shine!

Saturday, 1 July 2023

Painting in the Yorkshire Dales during my recent workshop came with unpredictable weather and stunning views! All part of the fun!

Painting On Location – Stop Avoiding It!

Friday, 16 June 2023

Five obstacles that can come up to prevent us from getting out and painting on location and how to get past them

Adding Figures To Your Landscape

Saturday, 10 June 2023

Adding figures to your landscape can be fraught with problems! Here are six with tips on how to deal with them!

Christine Debrosky, "Sedona Lace," 2016, Terry Ludwig, Great American, Schmincke and various other pastels on burgundy Pastelmat, 18x24 in. Sold. I am always taken with shadowed tree branches up against an illuminated backdrop. In this case, a twisted juniper and a rosy Sedona cliff face. It becomes like stained glass with the etched twigs like leading holding the glowing colours.

Christine Debrosky-Working Hand In Hand

Friday, 26 May 2023

Christine Debrosky shares her thoughts on how her plein air work influences and informs her studio work, and vice versa.

Packing for a Plein Air Trip - My wood tray with assorted stuff: Styrofoam tray for pastels in use, tissue standing in for wet wipes that I need to go buy!, compact mirror, Body Shop Hemp cream, sketchbook and pencils, bungee cord, two types of tape, viewfinder.

Packing for a Plein Air Trip to PACE

Friday, 19 May 2023

Packing for a plein air trip shouldn’t be difficult. The problem is our tendency to want everything with us. Here’s how to pack light!

Gail Sibley, "Mother and Son with the Lark's Wing," Unison Colour on UART 500, 12 x 8 in

A Painting of Mother and Son with Miró (Gallery Goers Series)

Thursday, 11 May 2023

A painting of mother and son in front of a Miró painting from Gail’s gallery goer series. Gail takes you through its creation step by step.

Shower ideas: Photo credit - Victor Furtuna from unsplash

Shower Ideas – Their Refreshing Power

Friday, 5 May 2023

Shower ideas. I love them! What is it about the shower that inspires our creativity and unlocks our problem-solving abilities? Let’s find out!

Tim Reilly, "Remember #9," 2012, pastel on Crescent Illustration Board, 12 x 12 in. Sold.

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!

Mary Cassatt And Her Portrait Of Mabel S. Simpkins

Friday, 21 April 2023

Gail Sibley takes a close look at Mary Cassatt’s portrait of Mabel S. Simpkins. There’s much to learn about how Cassatt worked and what it can teach us as we work on our own portraits

A Painting Buddy – Why Every Artist Needs At Least One!

Friday, 14 April 2023

A painting buddy can offer valuable feedback, emotional support, and motivation to help you grow as an artist. Here are five benefits.

Playing With Colour To Create Unique and Bold Paintings

Friday, 7 April 2023

Tired of dull and lifeless paintings? Learn the art of playing with colour. I’ll show you how I transform a dull reference into something bold through colour exaggeration and imagination…and letting go!

The Making Of “Black Hats” – From Concept To IAPS Exhibition

Friday, 31 March 2023

The 42nd IAPS Open Division Online Exhibition is now open for viewing. And I’m happy to say that my painting, Black Hats, was accepted into the show. Oh what a feeling!!! I’m even more delighted to share that this acceptance gives me the fifth point necessary to add IAPS/MC after my name. Whoo hoo! So

Find Something To Paint En Plein Air Every Time!

Friday, 24 March 2023

Sometimes it really is difficult to find something to paint when on location. Gail Sibley offers five tips for when the going gets tough.

Carol Strock Wasson, Winter Haze, 2023, Pan Pastel and Blue Earth pastels over a monotype print. Working over monotypes is new and exciting. I struggle to know when to stop, allowing just enough of the print to show through the pastel

Carol Strock Wasson – Mastering The Greyscale

Friday, 17 March 2023

Guest Carol Strock Wasson often paints with limited and controlled values, creating evocative and glowing paintings. She shares tips and wisdom on how you can create this magic!

Gail Sibley, Flowers in Neutral, Unison Colour on recycled UART 600 paper, 11 x 6 in. Detail

Recycle UART Paper For Your Next Painting!

Friday, 10 March 2023

It’s easy to recycle UART paper making it perfect for the budget conscious student! Gail goes through the progression of a piece done on recycled UART.

Taking Small Steps: The Key to Achieving Your Art Goals

Sunday, 5 March 2023

We all know that, for us, art-making is our way to express ourselves. It’s how we explore our creative side. But, for many of us, finding the time, motivation, and skills to make art can be a challenge. That’s why taking small steps is so important. It’s by taking small steps that we travel our art path. Small consistent steps will build momentum and help you move past obstacles that

Bill Cone pastel. This painting and the one below were painted a few years after my earlier ones. They were painted one after another, in the late afternoon.

Bill Cone – On Returning To The Same Location

Friday, 17 February 2023

I’m a huge fan of the pastel paintings by Bill Cone! Truth be told, I was slightly anxious about reaching out to ask him if he would consider contributing a guest post to HowToPastel. But I did and, oh my, he said Yes!! I can’t wait to share his words of wisdom with you! Before we get going, a teaser image and a wee bit about Bill Cone. (He took

Fiona Carvell, Wild Abandon, 2021, Unison Colour Pastels on UART paper, 18 x 18 inches. Available. Exhibited with The Pastel Society UK 2022

Fiona Carvell – The Physicality Of Still Life

Friday, 27 January 2023

I’m delighted to introduce you to pastellist Fiona Carvell. I can’t remember when I first came across Fiona’s work but I do remember that I was knocked over when I saw her cool ladle and kitchen utensil paintings. I was already familiar with her money plant still life paintings with their intricate relationships between subjects and their cast shadows and which I love. With the appearance of the reflective series,

What Pastels Should I Buy?

Friday, 16 December 2022

What pastels should I buy? This is probably the most common question I get from those who are just starting out in soft pastels. And it’s often followed by: I’m so confused! It’s a simple question, right? But, the answer isn’t so simple.

Hi!

I'm Gail!

Artist. Blogger. Teacher.

There are so many ways to be artistic, and no one way is better. I believe, that art is a journey that we can all take, and that being creative is something that is healthy and possible for anyone.

In the How to Pastel Blog I let my love and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about pastels inspire and encourage others to explore the art form. The blog has tips, reviews, guests, and all manner of information about pastel use through the years – old and new.

So, please enjoy my posts and subscribe to receive the latest issues.