Wanderlust Collective

TRAVEL INSPIRATION ARTFAQ CLASSES

Feb 24 / by The Wanderlust Collective /Art, Art Class, Blending, Pastels

History

Pastels are traced back to the Renaissance. They originated in Northern Italy during the 16th century, and became a favorite among the masters, including Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. They used chalks for sketching.

Introduction

Today I want to share some techniques you can do with your pastels. Here is a cool trailer I put together for my course.

Still Life in Pastels Trailer

Produced by The Wanderlust Collective

Pastels are a fun easy medium that are versatile to draw or paint with. Enjoy!

"We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents."

Bob Ross

Edges

You can create a full painting with pastels. You can blend them to look just like an oil painting, or use them loosely to create a more impressionistic look. In this picture I worked on cleaning up edges and giving this pear piece a more crisp look.

If you are new to pastels and would like to try them out, you have come to the right place. In this clip I go over blending, creating shadows, and shapes with one tool you can find in your own home. I invite you to step out of the box and try pastels out, you won’t regret it.

Produced by The Wanderlust Collective

Blending

Cleaning up the edges in your work and blending are important. You can make a pastel piece look more realistic when you blend the colors and give it a cleaner look.

Produced by The Wanderlust Collective

There are many things you may have around the house that you can use for acrylic textures. A old rag, paper towels, and sponges will give you some cool effects in your art pieces. In this short demo I show you how to get some cool textures using these materials.

"Where Do We Go From Here?"

Start out with a simple pastel set, there are many kits available in stores. Using pastels should not be daunting. Just give it a try, what is the worst that can happen, you get dirty. I encourage you to explore and find the many ways they can be used. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you. Happy Painting!