The Soft Pastel Skills Hub & Art Club
How to read a photo reference to be able to pastel it.
Beautifully soft bokeh backgrounds - helpful if your bokeh backgrounds have unexpected swirls or look like a bunch of random circles and generally don't look that realistic, smooth or peaceful.
How to pastel leaves - a really simple effective technique and the total opposite of how we do the bokeh background.
How to use the natural texture of the pastel and paper to create textures - less pastel is needed and you get the result quicker.
How to mix pastels so you don't need to use brown / black / orange. This creates a more vibrant realistic painting.
How to use white to brighten your colours because edges matter.
When to use artistic licence to increase contrast and therefore interest and focus on your painting.
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind UK time - 2pm)
members need to login to access. If you can't access, contact Sue.
How to create dirt that's interesting
How to create realistic grass
How to create a large patch of grass and dirt and make it look interesting, realistic and random rather than neat and tidy!
Here's a little challenge for you, to create 3 identical eggs using:
Monochrome
Premixed browns
Primary colours + black and white
The challenge is to focus on the values so at the end all 3 of your eggs have the same value despite you having used completely different colours to create them.
Colour Temperature: Warm & Cool
Colour Temperature Examples
Chroma Explained
Chroma Examples
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind UK time - 2pm)
members need to login to access. If you can't access, contact Sue.
Primary Secondary & Tertiary Colours
Hue Vs Colour
Values & Contrast
Tints, Tones & Shades
More to come next month
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind UK time - 2pm)
members need to login to access. If you can't access, contact Sue.
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind BST - 2pm)
members need to login to access. If you can't access, contact Sue.
I'll show you how to create a sparkly bauble hiding in a Christmas tree (it's really not as hard as it looks).
And I'll teach you a little about colour theory whilst we pastel this purple bow together. With limited supplies, I'll tell you and show you the difference between Hue, Value & Chroma.
This month in Art Club we'll be pastelling acorns at different times of the year and a conker!
Acorns Week 1
Acorns Week 2
Conker Week 3
Not only will I show you how to pastel pumpkins, I'll also show you how to do it without using green, orange or black!
I'll show you how to create these colours with blue, ochre, brown and yellow.
This is a much longer Hub tutorial than usual so I've broken the tutorial into 4 bitesize parts with the first video being all about the central pumpkin, if you just want to learn how to create the shape.
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October Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (BST) 4 Tuesdays a month:
Week 1: Drawing & Composition
Week 2: Testing Ink & Background
Week 3: Pastelling
Week 4: Finishing Elements
Includes themed images collection and word list for you to be inspired by
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind BST - 2pm)
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To join our growing collection of waves in the Hub, 3 more beautiful waves to try!
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September Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (BST) 4 Tuesdays a month:
Week 1: Drawing & Colour Choices
Week 2: Background Outline & Face
Week 3: Face, Chest & Arm + A Little Homework
Week 4: Body, Legs & Background + Homework
Week 5: Tail, Grass + Leaves
Week 5: Finishing
Whiskers
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind BST - 2pm)
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Revisiting an old portrait and making it better by changing the focus. Surprising results at my recent exhibition!
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I'll show you how to create these effective ink backgrounds.
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2 eye demonstrations to help you improve your skills. the eyes truly are the key to portraits, get them right and you're 90% done!
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3 tutorials to learn the techniques of pasteling wool and tiny sheep.
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Watch this tutorial to learn how to pastel this tricky rug.
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Sometimes you don't want to create a large painting, so in this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel small!
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Watch this waterfall tutorial to learn how to pastel realistic, running water.
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June Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (BST) 4 Tuesdays a month:
10th Drawing beetles
17th Black Beetle Part 1
24th Black Beetle Part 2 and Colour Selecting for the Green Leaf Beetle
1st July Green Leaf Beetle Part 1
8th July Green Leaf Beetle Part 2
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind BST - 2pm)
Watch this demo to learn how to pastel wet dog fur.
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3 tutorials to learn how to pastel wood and lichen
I encourage you to take some photos of your own branches and study the difference between your photograph and real life.
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May Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (GMT) 4 Tuesdays a month:
The blue bubble
More bubbles
Marbles Part 1
Marbles Part 2
Tuesdays: 13th, 20th, 27th 4th June
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind GMT - 2pm)
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5 tutorials to learn how to pastel different types of clouds
Cumulus Clouds From Cartoon To Realism
Cirrus Clouds
Altocumulus Clouds
Cumulus & Cirrus Clouds
Stormy Cumulonimbus Clouds
A demonstration to show you how to pastel this sunset sky,
April Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (GMT) 4 Tuesdays a month:
Background Colours
Fox Background
Fox Colours For Next Week
Fox Part 1
Fox Part 2
& Part 3 - the homework
Fox Part 4
Fox Part 5
Tuesdays: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th + 6th May
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind GMT - 2pm)
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How to pastel tight poodle curls
In these two tutorials I'll show you how to pastel tight curly poodle fur.
I'll show you how to navigate the chaos of curly fur and trace your outline
How to, again make sense of the curls so you can pastel them without losing your drawing
How to pastel curly chaotic poodle frizz
I'll show you how to navigate the chaos of curly fur and trace your outline
How to, again make sense of the curls so you can pastel them without losing your drawing
How to soften the fur and add light
Understanding Perspective - Basic and Complex Perspective
The difference between 2D and 3D shapes
How 3D shapes are used by Architects and Planners
The difference between these 3D shapes and real life perspective
Real life examples of perspective with simple and complex examples.
A Concise Perspective Guide
March Art Club 6.50pm for 7pm (GMT) 4 Tuesdays a month:
You can use any paper you like for this project. I'll be using Canson Velvet. Any colour paper will do except cream or dark green. To practice techniques have a spare piece or paper as well as a piece to draw the chick. 7x9 inches.
How to draw the chick
How to pastel the grass part 1
How to pastel the chick part 1
Finishing the chick and grass
Tuesday 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind GMT - 2pm)
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March is all about how to pastel grass with an introduction followed by 3 tutorials
This tutorial will help you understand how to pastel grass in general. It's nice and big and not too much detail so you can focus on the technique.
This grass is the kind of grass you would find in some pet portrait compositions. Where you have some in focus grass and then it recedes to soft focus.
There's one very important colour that makes the daisies come alive!
***PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE LOGGED IN TO ACCESS***
View the complete tutorial here
Supplies & Reference Image
How To Draw Using The Grid Method
Tuesday 4th Drawing & Colour Choices
Tuesday 11th Background
Tuesday 18th Pastelling Our Little Owl
Tuesday 25th Foreground Tree
(GMT & BST are UK times. EST is 5 hours behind GMT - 2pm)
How to pastel this translucent cat eye and fur. I'll show you 2 ways to pastel the fur.
This tutorial will help you understand your browns in order that you will be able to choose colours better. Also available this month, the Ochre pastel pencil colour chart.
A fun quiz to help you understand browns.
This is for you if you have student supplies and your dark greens, blues and violets really aren't that dark at all.
Black shadows are flat and boring, I'll show you, with 3 examples how you can make them more interesting.
Tuesday 7th Hoarfrost Leaves
Tuesday 14th Pasqueflower
Tuesday 21st Winter Rose
Tuesday 28th Berries
In this tutorial I'll show you how I choose colours for my subject when I'm sent many photos of the same animal that are all different colours.
I'll show you how I eliminate these photos, how I communicate with my customer to ensure I'm on the right track and how I actually choose the colours. Includes my actual process in steps.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel a fleece fabric and how to fade it out to less detail so that you don't need to draw all of it.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel this tricky coloured dog's nose which is a brown-ish, pink-ish with a few additional colours!
I'll show you how I chose my colours and two sets of pastel pencils that can achieve this colour.
I'll show you how to firstly create the nose with less detail (if you have a poor reference photo) and then add more detail.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel the bib of dungerees.
I'll show you how to get the texture of denim, how to create the tiny stitching and how to pastel the buckles and button CLICK HERE
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel these denim jeans.
I'll show you how to get the texture of denim with directional strokes, how to create a worn out effect with frayed material and create the stitching CLICK HERE
GIMP is powerful computer software similar to photoshop. It's Open Source and free to use.
I'll show you how to create your own line images for tracing CLICK HERE
5TH 7pm: 3D Green Leaf Curling Red Leaf
12TH 7pm: Red Toadstools + Challenge
19TH 7pm Orange Toadstool Trio
26TH 7pm: Holly & Berries
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel these denim jeans.
You'll be practicing soft blends and directional strokes, not only to create the jeans but to create the form of the legs underneath to make them look 'lived in' CLICK HERE
I'll show you how to pastel this tricky looking background and floor CLICK HERE
How to pastel plimsolls and create simple effects CLICK HERE
In this tutorial I'll show you how to create tiny writing for things such as dog collars.
In this exercise you can practice controlling your pastel pressure. This will be useful if you find yourself being heavy handed with pastel sticks
I'll show you a few different ways to hang your paintings, showing you which ways work best for different size paintings and hanging systems.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel short clumps of lion mane fur.
I'll show you how to navigate the chaos of fur and trace your outline.
How to select your supplies using two brands (professional and student)
How to use pastel sticks to create a loose textured underpainting
How to add wiry fur detail with pastel pencils.
In this tutorial I'll show you how to pastel longer flowing lion mane fur
I'll show you how to navigate the chaos of fur and trace your outline.
How to use pastel sticks to create a loose textured underpainting
How to add wiry fur detail with pastel pencils.
Liver chestnut is a dark shade of reddish brown BUT in natural light, full sun and shade it can change colour dramatically from dark almost black to very light peach/pink colours.
That is why there are a couple of tutorials here showing the different colours. Also, I'll show you how to adjust printer settings so you get a more accurate colour print out.
Thanks to Jude Sullivan for the reference photos.
Along with the other white support in the Hub, I've added a tutorial on how to get white pastel to look vibrant over darker colours.
Putting white pastel pencil over darker pastel often leads to a muddy mess or a washed out grey white. I'll show you how to achieve a whiter white with a few techniques.
Learn how to:
Mix the basic colours for the fur underpainting
Pastel out of focus fur
Pastel short, thick layered fur
Combine pastel pencils with sticks so you don’t saturate the pastel paper.
Learn how to gently soften the focus of fur without making the colours muddy.
What can you do if you don't have the exact colours you need? In this tutorial I'll show you how to choose your colours when you have a limited choice. Go directly to the tutorial here
I've used a limited pastel palette and also limited my pastel pencils to show you that you don't need the exact colours to create the almost exact colours. You're going to love what I do with that white stick. Go directly to the tutorial here
new this month
scroll down to see the art work
Wicker Example 1
How to draw and pastel wicker
Wicker Example 2
How to draw and pastel smaller wicker without going crazy!!
Access all previous lessons here
In this first example I'll show you how to draw this weave freehand with some great tips for accuracy. Then I'll show you how to pastel wicker, like a wicker basket weave or a wicker chair weave but also the principals of all painting and art by using tone to create a 3D effect and realism. I'll show you how to keep track of the weave so you don't lose your place and how to layer and tint the pastel so you can create colours that you don't have.
Wicker or weave is very uniform and repetitive and this kind of item can fill you with dread when you realise the repetitive nature of it. Therefore I'll be showing how I pastel this faster whilst still keeping it uniform and creating the 3D effect.
new this month
scroll down to see the art work
Fleece Blanket: How to achieve the pile texture of a fleece dog blanket
Dog Paw: How to pastel a very dark brown/black shaggy dog paw with very little definition.
Access all lessons here
I'll show you how to 'see' the fur direction when you have a very black paw where you can't really see anything except black.
How To Pastel Sand:
My super simply yet highly effective technique for pastelling the texture of sand. I'll show you how it's done and then how I used it in a painting.
Access all previous lessons here
How to pastel the sea from a distance on a sunny day. You'll get the photo reference that I took this from so you can pastel the whole photo if you wish or just practice this portion to help you with your own paintings
This is a close up of a wave with 3 clearly different sections. I'll show you how to do each section then how to bring it together at the end.
The sea on a dull day is green and grey. I'll show you how to create this colour without have specific pastel colours. You also get the original photo reference so you can pastel the whole photo or use the portion for practice in your own art.
I'll show you how to pastel the water reflections in this beautiful scene using pastel sticks and a few pastel pencils. This is a recap for you if you already have the full tutorial of this and remember to use your 20% discount code if you want this complete tutorial. (see Community section, Hub Perks for the code)
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Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
Access all previous lessons here
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