Discover the limitless possibilities of pastels with this beginner's guide to creating modern, lively, and colorful pastel artwork.
Artist and teacher Rebecca de Mendoça offers beginners a complete course in using pastels. Step-by-step exercises and longer projects help you to build the essential skills you need to paint a range of subjects, including landscapes, still life, portraits, and animals. Vital drawing techniques are explained and demonstrated, along with easy-to-follow explanations of color theory, composition, and the pastels themselves.
This volume includes techniques for using both hard and soft pastels, eight skill-building projects, and a wealth of finished artwork to provide ideas and inspiration.
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Yes, you can access Pastels for the Absolute Beginner by Rebecca de Mendonça in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & Art Techniques. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Landscape painting is a huge subject, so to make it simpler, I have divided it into sections, each one looking at specific subject matter.
An important thing to remember is that the landscape changes constantly depending on the weather conditions, the time of day and the time of the year. So we are not just capturing the structures that we see, we are also trying to convey what the atmosphere is like to the viewer. We looked at ways to mix colour to create atmosphere and distance in the colour section. We are now going to focus on how to change our mark making to draw the features and forms of the landscape.
Moorland Stream
This painting, reproduced here at actual size, is a good example of tonal recession but also mark making with pastels. To create that feeling of distance on the misty moor, I have used yellow ochres in the foreground, and contrasted them with lilacs and cool greys in the distance.
I have varied my marks, from soft smudging in the misty distance, to pressing hard with angular strokes for the rocks, and swirling, dancing marks for the water.
Hills: The lie of the land
There aren’t any hard edges on rolling hills, so we can let the pastel roll and twist to describe the flow of soft curves.
Rolling hills charcoal sketch
It is very useful to do tonal sketches to get a feel for what you are going to paint. I like to use charcoal and a cream or white soft pastel. I can twist and turn my marks to get a feel for the rolling hills, and smudge to create a feeling of distance.
Rolling hills colour sketch
A quick ten-minute sketch using a limited palette, capturing the softness of the rolling hills as they recede into the misty distance. Remember ‘less is more’: by leaving out details, you can convey more atmosphere.
Mark making for rocks
Rocks are hard and heavy, often with sharp edges. By using the pastel on its edge and making jagged marks, and pressing hard in places, we can capture that energy.
1 Using the pastel on its edge and pressing hard, draw the pastel to make a deliberate clear mark.
2 You can add the dark shadows of rocks by drawing the edge of the pastel away from the line. Again, press hard and make a strong movement.
3 Using this combination of techniques enables you to quickly build up the faceted surface of a rocky outcrop.
Tonal contrast and sharp edges
To create the effect of strong facets I use a big tonal contrast, pressing hard where I want the darkest shadows or brightest highlights, giving dramatic contrast.
Tip
To get sharp marks, you do not need a point, just an edge. If you drop a pastel on the floor and it breaks, keep the shards. They will come in very useful for sharp marks and details.
Moorland rocks sketch
Here the sharp edge of the cream pastel has been used to create highlights.
Cliffs at Tintagel
This sketchbook piece used charcoal and white pastel. I made sharp, hard jagged marks to capture the rocky cliff in the foreground, but applied less pressure for the cliffs in the background, to create a feeling of distance.
Rocky Tor
Before I start any landscape painting, I have to think about the tonal contrasts, and how I will create a feeling of atm...
