Using pastels is like entering a color and texture carnival—vibrant hues, soft edges, and the ability to create with every stroke. A decent course won’t, however, merely hand you pastels and declare, “Go wild!” You will, instead, develop abilities gradually. You probably will discover five basic skills here along the road. Check this out!
1. Confidence in Layering Colors
The hidden weapon of pastel painters is layering. Beginning with light, broad strokes, you will progressively add bursts of color to create depth and brightness. Knowing which colors complement one another stops your work from looking muddy rather brilliant. Letting the paper see through also gives your topic life.
2. Mixing to create seamless transitions
Pastels really want to be smudged. You will practice producing dreamy sky, realistic skin tones, or softly blurred still lifes using your fingertips, mixing utensils, soft tissue, or softener. Often the most fulfilling aspect of class is spending a significant portion of it softly mixing colors.
3. Creating texture with different strokes
Different strokes give fur, leaves, cloth, and more life’s textures. You will pick side strokes for large areas, tip strokes for details, and even lighthearted scribbles for character. Your pastel sticks suddenly turn into a flexible instrument for texturing.
4. Shadows and Highlights for Realism
Not necessary to be afraid of light and dark. You will learn how to push contrasts to provide your work three-dimensional depth. Perhaps a strong white highlight or a rich purple shadow gives your figures vitality. It makes great satisfaction to see your artwork acquire volume.
5. Correcting and Adding Final Notes
Though you will learn to employ fixatives to prevent smudging your work, pastel dust is unavoidable. Your teacher will walk you through improving details and rescuing bits from inadvertent abstract space.
Every method is like a thread in your artistic tapestry. By course’s conclusion, you will weave them all into paintings surprising even you—and your hands will bear the vivid markings of your artistic path.