
Unconventional Colours: My Self-Portrait in Quirky Hues
Dive into the fun of seeing my self-portrait come to life with unconventional colours. Restriction can be so beneficial!
Dive into the fun of seeing my self-portrait come to life with unconventional colours. Restriction can be so beneficial!
Uncover the magic and mysteries of colour temperature. Let’s look at why it’s so important to understand this aspect of colour!
Let’s delve into the creative potential and transformative possibilities that come from working in a series!!
How the story behind The Vesuvius Ladies collection of paintings proves the importance of this idea!
Gail shows you the difference between seeing an Edgar Degas painting online and seeing it in person!
Judith Kazdym Leeds’s journey from creating over 3,000 book covers to painting in pastels and oils.
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!
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!
Gail shows you the difference between seeing an Edgar Degas painting online and seeing it in person!
Judith Kazdym Leeds’s journey from creating over 3,000 book covers to painting in pastels and oils.
Dive into the fun of seeing my self-portrait come to life with unconventional colours. Restriction can be so beneficial!
Uncover the magic and mysteries of colour temperature. Let’s look at why it’s so important to understand this aspect of colour!
Let’s delve into the creative potential and transformative possibilities that come from working in a series!!
How the story behind The Vesuvius Ladies collection of paintings proves the importance of this idea!
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!
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 during my recent workshop came with unpredictable weather and stunning views! All part of the fun!
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 can be fraught with problems! Here are six with tips on how to deal with them!
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 shouldn’t be difficult. The problem is our tendency to want everything with us. Here’s how to pack light!
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. 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 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!
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 can offer valuable feedback, emotional support, and motivation to help you grow as an artist. Here are five benefits.
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 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
Sometimes it really is difficult to find something to paint when on location. Gail Sibley offers five tips for when the going gets tough.
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!
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.
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
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
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? 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.
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.
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