How to create skin textures with pastel - "Alpine tree frog" WIP 1-12
Pastel is a great medium for creating the illusion of texture on your subjects - not only is the sanded paper substrate inherently bumpy...
Painting 'plein air' - Cathedral Rock and Bunya Mountains NPs
Wondering how to get started with plein air painting? How to find the time? Where to go and what to take? What subjects to paint? Not...
Using pastel pencils, hard pastels and soft pastels together - "Golden Whistler"
Creating a wildlife portrait and not sure at which stage (or part) of the painting you should be using pastel pencils, hard pastels and...
When unexpected things happen - "Shrike-thrush"
Have you ever encountered that point in a painting where you might either completely ruin it by the next few strokes, or, if you're very...
Pointillism with pastels - "Pacific Baza" WIP1-3
Tired of smudgy dull hues in your paintings from blending too many colours? Looking for a way to visually blend pure colours without...
Using hard pastels vs soft pastels - "Grebe"
How do you use hard pastels in a pastel painting? What are they good for? What are their benefits over soft pastels? What brands are...
Creating a recognisable portrait: a hundred different babies - "Caitlin" WIP5-8
Have you ever struggled to make your human portraits resemble whom they're supposed to? Do your portraits go through numerous renditions...
How to paint layered complex backgrounds in pastel - "Dejected" WIP time lapse video
How do you tackle a pastel painting where the background is quite complicated and layered? Like a mess of foliage or branches? How do you...
How to tell when your painting is finished? - "Shore" WIP1-3
Ever find you're not sure when to 'stop' with a painting? Do you find you tend to overwork your paintings, and that they're taking...
A different style - featuring pastel paintings by Jenny Grogan
Ever find yourself in a style rut? Can't work out how to improve your paintings? Maybe you should try a new medium or subject, or spend...
