Why We’re Drawing Beetles (and Why You Might Want To, Too!) - Mastering Colour, Shine & Edges

Something small has made a big impact in Art Club and I'd love to share it with you 💛

We’ve been drawing beetles - not just because they’re beautiful and a bit quirky, but because they are incredible teachers when it comes to pastel skills. From colour transitions and shiny surfaces to crisp edges and soft blending, these little creatures have it all.

And what started as a technical exercise turned into something more: a chance to slow down, notice the details, and build confidence one colour layer at a time.

A Beetle Is More Than a Bug

It's amazing how much these shiny little insects help us stretch our skills. Drawing beetles helps us practise:

Smooth colour transitions
Creating a metallic shine and depth
Crisp vs soft edges
Blending in small spaces
Fine details in a relaxed, focused way

This week, we focused on edge control, sharpening a line in the right place, or softening a transition before adding dot patterns, made our beetles come to life! 💫

Using a sharp pastel pencil (and watching how the tip wears down) really makes a difference when adding tiny textures and dots.

🎨 Seeing Colour Differently

Colour perception came up a lot! I showed how to blend olive green, light blue, and dark blue — and we talked about how our eyes can sometimes trick us. 👀

Your lighting, your printer, your mood can change how you see colour. My son is slightly colour blind, which reminded us how personal colour really is.

To help with colour judgement, I shared my favourite trick - using a hole-punched piece of card to isolate a colour from the rest of your artwork. So helpful!

Top tip: Don’t reach for black too quickly! Build your darks first with navy or purple, and bring in black only if needed. It keeps your colours fresh and alive.

💡 Gentle Blending = Better Results

Blending is tricky, too much and it turns to mush. Too little and it looks harsh. So what’s the sweet spot?

Use a light touch
Try sandwiching colours (dark-light-dark)
Don’t over blend, let the pencils blend themselves together rather than using a blending tool

We also used blue pencil dots to add texture — but be careful! If your pencil tip flattens, your circles turn into rectangles. 😄

Sometimes, it’s not about adding more… it’s about slowing down and seeing what’s already working.

🌱 Confidence, One Layer at a Time

What I loved most this week was watching your confidence grow — even if you didn’t notice it yourself. 💕

Stronger colour choices
Bolder decisions
More deliberate mark-making

This is the beauty of Art Club - we don’t rush, we don’t judge, we just learn together, with kindness and curiosity. 💫

Next week, we’ll be working on another beetle (with a new twist!), and I’ll send out a colour list beforehand so you can get ready.

Here are some of the Art Club Members beetles, didn't they do well! Thanks to Jude, Senga, Pat, Clare and Keith for sharing their beetles.

✨ Want to Try This Yourself?

If you’ve ever struggled with blending, colour confidence, or getting your subjects to shine, this is your invitation to join us! 💌

Inside Art Club, you'll find:

🖍 Weekly Zoom sessions (plus full recording the next day)
🎨 Bite-sized tutorials that are easy to follow
💬 A friendly, inspiring community
💛 A gentle pace with guidance and support every step of the way

You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Let me help you get there.

👉 Click here to learn more about the Soft Pastel Skills Hub

Let your next pastel be your best yet.
With warmth and encouragement,
Sue x

P.S. Here's a video of my top tips and a time lapse of the black beetle: