Soft pastel is one of the most fascinating and adaptable painting materials. Pastel societies have grown up all over the world and are still quite popular. Soft pastel is popular among professional and amateur painters due to its distinct appearance and application methods. However, some people may find delicate pastel painting challenging and untidy.
Do you want to try your hand at soft pastel painting but aren’t sure where to begin? Whether you’re new to pastels or seeking some more sophisticated pastel methods, these painting ideas may help you. Read on to learn how to use these quick and easy creative methods!
What is soft pastel?
Pastels are made up of a thick paste consisting of color, chalk, and a binder. Soft pastel ticks are created by combining the pure color powder with a clay binder. They are simply gently compressed powder sticks with the capacity to deposit vivid color strokes. They are frequently applied by hand on textured paper or card and blended using fingers, a paper stump, or a color shaper. To facilitate blending, a range of liquids such as water, rubbing alcohol, acetone, and oil painting solvents can be used to soft pastel.
There is no method to pre-mix colors before applying them to your work, as there is with oil, acrylic, bulk watercolors; color changes are produced by layering different hues over one another on the piece itself.
How to select soft pastel colors
Before you can learn how to utilize soft pastels, you must first obtain the most important art ingredient – soft pastels. Because of the impossibility of pre-mix colors, soft pastels are available in more color hues than most paint ranges. The most highly recommended products frequently feature a high pigment concentration and a high-grade binder.
For beginners, Unison pastel sets are a wonderful investment. Unison is appropriate for a beginner who wants high-quality art equipment. Starting with a Unison set of high-quality pastels will let you improve your abilities much faster.
As you acquire expertise, it will become clear which colors you are drawn to the most. You may want to invest in more hues to close the gaps between colors and tones in your collection.
Painting ideas with soft pastel
Soft pastels for beginners are an excellent tool for experimenting with various types of paper and creating a wide range of effects. Toned paper is widespread, and it will change the colors you put down, opening a whole new universe of color choices.
Because soft pastels are formed of pigment, the outcome will vary depending on the surface. A smoother surface will make blending simpler, but an abstract painting on a richly textured material has the potential to seem three-dimensional.
Here are 5 painting ideas with soft pastel for you to create and improve your artwork skills:
Simple fruit
For the most realistic still life drawings, position a fruit dish in a spot with a distinct light source, such as next to a sunny window, and sketch from observation.
This step-by-step still-life tutorial explains how to overlay color and form to make a three-dimensional illusion, making it an excellent resource for realism-oriented painters.
Cloudy sky
It’s a terrific spot for soft pastel novices to start. Use the oncoming storm clouds as an opportunity to take a few reference photos for future sky paintings the next time rain clouds come in.
Blended tree
With this ingenious project, you can master the ombre effect in your artwork by focusing on mixing two colors at a time. Because soft pastels are such a great medium for moving from one hue to another, don’t be afraid to try out a variety of color combinations.
Flower
Take a hint from the great artist and sketch your own close-up of a new bloom, which is a classic art concept in and of itself. For this project, it’s ideal to draw from observation, so have a selection of flowers on hand for careful inspection.
Landscape
Challenge yourself to sketch basic landscapes at various times of day to investigate light and shadow. Create a woodland walk at sunset using warm hues, or try to represent a sandy shore in the morning with cool colors. At strange hours of the day, these light study drawings give a perfect cause to examine your surroundings with a fresh new viewpoint.
With contrasting textures and color palettes, succulents and desert landscapes look fantastic when drawn in soft pastel. Break out your paints and attempt this unusual work of art that mixes a watercolor base coat with soft pastel detailing overtop.
Bottom line
Unless you already have hundreds of colors, you may have to accept that you won’t be able to find a perfect match for what you’re looking at. Always remember to have fun when painting beautiful pictures and portraits.
Working with clashing or uncommon colors may occasionally result in lively or interesting artwork. Take things slowly, and the most essential thing is that you enjoy yourself.
