Fantastic fox drawing. I have found the only way to sharpen pastel pencils is by using a knife and sand paper. Don't bother using a pensil sharpener you will end up breaking them. The are meant to be used on the side for covering larger areas, so I like to expose more of the led. A lot of people then only sharpen them near to the end of their drawing when they want to start doing the detail. I only started using mine a few months ago, I have only broke a led once using a knife.
Ive just had my F,C, pastel pitt pencils and I am really looking forward to seeing what is going to happen with them. I loved your demo of the fox head. I haven't used pastel pencils yet so hear goes.
Can we take a moment to appreciate that this video length is exactly 11:11 🙌🏻✨! Excited for this fox drawing 🦊! These pencils such have nice pigment 😍! I could see how these would cut down the time in shading. That would be annoying though not being able to get a fine point from sharpening. Although using colored pencil for the fine details does sound like a good idea 👍🏻! Pastel Pencils are perfect for quick pieces- definitely going to look into this set! 💗
I didn't even realize it was 11:11! Hahah thats so funny! I'm glad you liked the fox- luckily, I have seen artists use colored pencils along with pastels, I'll definitely need to try that out in the future😊thank you for watching💙
That is such an amazing pastel painting. It's alive. I was into pastels a lot for some of the reasons you mentioned such as how fast you can work. The fatter pastels are good for the sky and other background components. i get tired of dealing with powder shedding and then seeing sometimes bad changes as a result of using fixative. Luckily nowadays we can photograph the artwork but alas for the pastel original. Maybe its a kind of poetic feature of pastel to have it be so transitory in nature. They go away fast but they can be created fast. I was just using the pastel sticks but details were easier to add once I got some pastel pencils. Lately I've been working with water brushes and watercolor. I keep buying all this gear so much I'm starting to remind myself of you...minus the advanced artistry.
Thank you😊 pastel is so vibrant and lively. I wish that I could use it more often but it does irritate me when I use it. I am also into watercolor right now. It’s fast and not messy once it dries. I have too many supplies😄😄😅
Wow!!! What a beautiful fox! I was wondering in starting a new art journey with pastel, since it's been a long time dedicating myself to watercolor. With this video, believe me!, you definitely prove to me that this is the way to go! Thank you!!! Please, do more content on pastel 😍🙌
I completely recommend trying out pastel! Give it a chance, but also try Pastelmat because it gives me so much less grief than other paper! Thank you for watching!💜
I absolutely love how your fox came out! I have the basic set of 20 pan pastels. It has all the main colors and black and white and honestly that's all you need, you add white for tint colors and black for dark colors. You can then buy other pans as you realize your using that color more for convenience. I want to do some wildlife or pet portraits coming up with a pan pastel base and pastel pencils for details. I just have so many tutorials I want to get done, not enough time lol.
Yeah pastels are so easy to blend and make new colors with, that I’m sure I wouldn’t need a large set of pans! I’m super excited to try them out, maybe a little nervous too. I’ll definitely watch any tutorials you make because I’m not completely sure how to use them! Thanks for watching😀
@@AlexisCassandraArt You can blend on the pans themselves, I did that in the botanical pastel tutorial. You can also blend them on the paper, or a scrap piece of paper on the side (smooth like cardstock is best). After the cupcake tutorial I will be doing a spooky Halloween forest and jacko lantern in pastels.
The little red sharpener from General's is good for pastel pencils, or use a craft knife. I prefer the hand held red sharpener because I'm a klutz and will probably cut myself with the craft knife, though that method is preferred by many artists on TH-cam. I enjoy using colored pencils on top of pastel pencils, they play well together. I used to enjoy using soft pastels, but have lung damage now and they're too dusty for me. The pastel pencils don't seem to bother me as much at all. I use pan pastels and pastel pencils for my base layer. I'm just an old granny with a hobby, I'm not at your level, but I thought I'd share. Enjoyed your video very much, the fox was gorgeous!
I also love the little General sharpener! I am not sure I would be good with a craft knife either. I would love to get my hands on Pan Pastels at some point. Thank you for your tips and for watching the video:)
I full heartedly agree, Alexis was able to learn to draw and paint at this high level, really excellent art she is making, and not taking one hour of practicing pen-knife sharpening pastel or any pencils? I don't get it this agony around pastel pencil sharpening. It's very common that pastel pencil artists use knife to sharpen pastel pencils, that is part of the craftmanship.
I have the stabilo pencils that i use in conjunction with my soft pastels/ I use terry ludwig, unison, schminke, rembrandt, and nupastels. To sharpen my stabilo pencils, I use an x-acto XLR electric sharpener. It works great and, gets them to a fine point. Best part is the price: 19.95 from Blick Art Supplies.
Derwent Helical desktop sharpener or Swordfish Ikon will sharpen your pastel pencils. The Derwent does both brands you have. As for pastel sticks I love unison - they are pure pigment (where pencils have clay in them) so colour rendition is brighter. However, I think investing in some pan pastels since you have two sets of pencils might be the better option since your style is fine realism.
Thank you! I’ll need a good sharpener if I keep using the pencils bc it’s just too much time to sharpen them with the tiny handheld one. Yes, I’ll probably go with the pan pastels as I’m not sure I’ll have a use for the sticks. Thanks so much for the tips!
The medium of soft pastel is all about the seeing the stroke work in your art. I use Rembrandt soft pastel set. I learned years ago by following Foster Caddell. You should check him out. He was one of the best ever in the pastel world.
What a gorgeous drawing and I loved listening to your review of these pencils! I've never tried them before but I do miss drawing with pastels... they just don't like me 😂
The fox came out nice. To answer one of your questions, the thing I really don't like about pastels, or pastel pencils is that you can never really fix them. All it takes is one touch and they smudge. There is no fixative that works, and when you use lots of it, you end up with something that looks quite different from what you drew. Some people don't mind not fixing stuff, but the fact that I know something can be ruined so easily really bothers me :)
I worry about that too! I just use pastel mat which keeps most powder at bay, then store the work in my portfolio, sometimes with wax paper over it! Colored pencil stays in place a lot better though so I know what you mean
Your work is awesome!!! I actually hate the hand sticks of pastel. I hate getting it all over the place, especially my hands. I chewed up an entire set of pastel pencils except one. Not actually a set since I bought them open stock. But I had at least a dozen. Schwan Stabilo, made in Germany. I never got to create anything with them since they never sharpened even to a blunt and by the time I resorted to a sharp single blade I had one left. They are the softest brand ever! I may have to try the Faber Castell Pitt. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!! I hate the messiness of pastel but the vibrancy is amazing. The pencils are no joke to sharpen. You know those little red sharpeners that come with charcoal pencil sets? I think you might have luck using them with pastel as long as you clean them afterwards by sharpening a regular graphite pencil. I will have to try that out again. Faber castell Pitt are great!
First of all, I love the fox! 🥰 It's a real beauty 1. Pitt Pastel 2. Softer pencils 3. Pastel sticks 4. Pan pastel About Pitt Pastel Hold them at a low angle ant cover larger areas for the 1st layer. By that get the values in place. After that, hold them at yet again a low angle and push the pencil in the direction of the pencil whilst constantly rotating the pencil. That way you'll always get fine lines. And finally, sharpen with a razor blade or box cutter. Combine the 3 and you will not ever need to sharpen the pencil to a fine point. 💁♂ Common mistake : Layer 5 and now I need to add a spot of ultra bright detail. And so I have 3 choices. A) I rease the 5 layers on that spot with a paint brush and rubber B) I sharpen the pencil to a needle point and force burnish the pigment into the picture C) Plan my picture ahead, set the 1st and 2ond layer white, and simply scrape off the top layers when I need to add highlights later About softer pastel pencils I'd use them to make certain colours seriously pop out. And when I don't use clairefontaine pastelmat paper with heavy teeth. About pastel sticks They are simply efficient. Of course I want to decorate my picture right away with the many details. But sticks force me to think about values before I commit to details. That then enables me to judge way in advance if my choice of colours were correct. If not, well then I've just waisted maybe 1 hour of work. No biggy, it's just far less frustrating. Sticks come in many shades of hard to soft grades. Jaxell, Rembrandt, Senelier, etc. Hard for 1st layer, soft for top layers. And when I commit to only sticks, I get somewhat of an impressionistic feel. Hyper realistic = ah, a cool fox. Impressionistic = this - oooh, this fox is ... there is something I feel on this🤔 About pan pastel WICKED! I get to mix base 1st layer colour patches on the paper. The 1st layer with pan pastel is so super thin that is barely even counts as a layer. And yet still the colours are super vibrant. I get the most bang for the € from pan pastel. Bottom line: Pan pastel to start Stick to get the shapes Pitt pastel to add the 3rd details layer Soft pencils to make highlights pop Senelier for creating things that make us look twice
This is an amazing guide, thank you! I would still need to invest in some pan pastels and sticks but pan pastels have been more on my mind in recent years, might be worth a try someday soon! Makes sense not to use up all the pastel pencils for the big areas and lower layers. thank you again for your comment:)
Good seeing you again. love the fox. And thanks for showing the pencils could you use a sandpaper to get the point or flat for details we use sandpaper when I was in drafting class. take care
I heartily agree with more art supplies solving any problem! 😂 That's the same fox that I drew a while back on the toned paper....it is such an excellent reference photo! I found another cool one on Unsplash that I really want to draw soon. My experience with pastel pencils is extremely limited and I have yet to buy a full set of them. You did really well with them, and your version of the fox is most excellent (the neck fur was definitely the most difficult!). I like the idea that pastel pencils are a faster medium than coloured pencils. But the whole issue with sharpening them along with their chalky texture are things which put me off a bit. Do you prefer one set over the other, Faber Castell vs Carbothello? I wouldn't even know which ones to buy so recommendations are welcome!
Thank you!! I need to go back and see your fox and I’m excited to see you create another soon! Foxes make such good subjects for art I’ve noticed😂 I think that the sharpening can be a problem, but I have yet to experiment and take recommendations for sharpeners that work with pastel pencils. I bought my sets years ago so I’m not sure if this is entirely accurate, but the Carbothello set was cheaper and the pencils have a softer core, while the Faber Castell set was a bit pricier (but still reasonable) and they have more of a medium core rather than ultra soft. For this reason I like the faber castell set better because I have an easier time creating detail. Both sets are great though and in my experience, it’s mostly the paper that makes a difference. Anything other than Pastelmat has been insufferable for me😂
@@AlexisCassandraArt Thank you! I can agree that when I tried my few pencils on the toned paper, it was an exercise in frustration. Pastelmat all the way!
Hello! I love your art work!❤️❤️❤️ There is one big advantage to using pastel pencils: #1 you have to start with the darkest color and then add the highlights and details. Pastelmat is one of the best papers out there for artwork pastels. This paper supports many layers, and gets a good highlights at your work. My advice to you, is to start with the Stabillo Carbothello, they are more Soft than the Pitt pastels, for your first layers, or the Rembrandt Soft Pastels, and then the Pitt pastels for details. #2 Cover as much as you can in your first layers, add the layers without using pressure. #3 you can use your fingers to blend, cotton swabs that you used in this beautiful drawing, paper stumbs or blending tools, ◀️ the last is a hit! you don't get your hands dirty and you can mix the pigment with each other. #4 If you are not using the Pastelmat, and you use a paper that is not sanded paper, you must seal it with a fixative spray, I recommend the SpectraFix Fixative, it's very good, and it's also used to fix the works in charcoal. #5 sharpen it with a craft knife, they are too soft for any sharpener. **Important note: don't use the fixative spray on the Pastelmat, your work get dark** I hope that this advice are benefit to all of you, in the Pastel World 🥰🥰🥰
Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate all of your kind and helpful comments you have left😊💙 The paper i use is pastel mat and now I know not to use a fixative with it. I didn't know that before. It definitely is different from using colored pencils. I will have to pull out my pastel pencils again sometime soon and try some of these techniques. Thank you again!☺
@@AlexisCassandraArt oh!🥰 you're welcome dear! I like to share information about my experiences, just like you. And yes, it's good that you return to your pastels technique, they are wonderful! although they are a little different from some media, you will see that you are going to learn a lot from them! I'm watching your videos, because the truth is that I'm not that good at colored pencils... I'd really like it, if you could do, more of these videos 🥰 I'm practicing with colored pencils in professional mode... but I find it hard to do the animal fur. I'd love to see how you do it dear. Thank you for making these videos so important to all of us ☺️ and we are always to support each other. 🥰❤️💞
What pencil sharpener did you use - i have 3 different ones and they are trashing my pastel pitt pencils - have tried to sharpen with a knife but not too successful with this either. BTW I don't use pan pastel but I do use soft pastel and work on top with coloured pencil and pastel pencil.
I don’t have a legit sharpener for them yet- only one that works decently is my little red generals sharpener that came with a pack of charcoal pencils ! Will need to experiment. And I’ll def be trying out the pan pastels soon:)
Pastels frustrate me, and I have gotten rid of most of my pastel sticks, but have kept my pencils because they seem easier to work with. I have some Pastelmat and I will eventually get around to trying it. 😂
Hi Alexis I think that's one nice fox, fur looks great! Haven't tried pastels before, but am thinking of trying. Seen videos where it's faster than colored pencils. Are you putting a fixative on your pastel works? Nice 🙂
Thank you! It’s definitely faster and sometimes I just want a piece completed within a couple days. I haven’t fixed my work before even tho I have a fixative, I’m a little scared tbh😂
@@AlexisCassandraArt quit being scared, lol I use fixative and final fixative on graphite and charcoal, as long as your careful it doesn't affect the piece, on charcoal, maybe sometimes it gets a wee bit darker. 🙂 You should try it, and, you can make a video 😉 Save someone from spraying hairspray on their work 🙂😃🙂
A thought on sharpening.I use a razor type knife to cut Back the wood to thin out the pencil. Go to a hardware store and get a “ bastard” file yea that’s the name. Its used to file steel, and it can be 10”x about 1”, and it has 1 fat side. Lay the file down it’s flat side up. Slide the pencil across the file to expose the nice piece of pastel . When the pencil is thin and pastel is exposed , makes a point on pencil by rubbing it on fine sand paper.
I know that this is the proper way to do it, I suppose I am just lazy, maybe because they only need to stay that sharp for the fine detail but I'll use them blunt the rest of the time hahaha
I feel like its unfair to try to use them the same way as coloured pencils and be disappointed they dont act the same. They arent meant to say sharp and the fine details go on top after you create soft blended underlayers. Also theres other tools meant to make up for this, and yeah theres mixed media options as well
This is true, I guess it also depends on the hardness of the pastel. I get frustrated easily with sharpening, but these pencils sharpen pretty well considering they are pastel
Absolutely the biggest problem with pastel is the price of Pastelmat. Practically, this is the only type of paper that is decent enough for detail-rich layered pastel (pencil) art. All pastel tutorials are made on Pastelmat, this is the "de facto" standard paper, and its price is absolutely intimidating. This is far the most important factor which holds a number of beginners back to go for pastel. Even the second level of pastel papers are brutally expensive. So, pastel is the medium for the art aristocracy.
If you guys have any requests for pastel pencils, let me know!
Yes, may you please color a puffin?
@@JosueMartinez-ww1vj ooh! I’ll add that to my list❤️
@@AlexisCassandraArt Thanks!
Fantastic fox drawing. I have found the only way to sharpen pastel pencils is by using a knife and sand paper. Don't bother using a pensil sharpener you will end up breaking them.
The are meant to be used on the side for covering larger areas, so I like to expose more of the led. A lot of people then only sharpen them near to the end of their drawing when they want to start doing the detail.
I only started using mine a few months ago, I have only broke a led once using a knife.
Thats good to know, I guess I just need to get some sandpaper then! I really don't use my pastel pencils too often. I should pull them out more maybe
Ive just had my F,C, pastel pitt pencils and I am really looking forward to seeing what is going to happen with them. I loved your demo of the fox head. I haven't used pastel pencils yet so hear goes.
Let me know how it goes! They're fun to use. Don't forget to ventilate and don't blow the dust because it can get in your eyes!
“The best way to solve any problem is to buy more art supplies.” Exactly lol.
My ongoing motto
Can we take a moment to appreciate that this video length is exactly 11:11 🙌🏻✨! Excited for this fox drawing 🦊! These pencils such have nice pigment 😍! I could see how these would cut down the time in shading. That would be annoying though not being able to get a fine point from sharpening. Although using colored pencil for the fine details does sound like a good idea 👍🏻! Pastel Pencils are perfect for quick pieces- definitely going to look into this set! 💗
I didn't even realize it was 11:11! Hahah thats so funny! I'm glad you liked the fox- luckily, I have seen artists use colored pencils along with pastels, I'll definitely need to try that out in the future😊thank you for watching💙
These pencils are amazing and I have been using them more recently in my work. Thanks for sharing your fox drawing
I agree, they’re awesome! Thanks for watching!
That is such an amazing pastel painting. It's alive. I was into pastels a lot for some of the reasons you mentioned such as how fast you can work. The fatter pastels are good for the sky and other background components. i get tired of dealing with powder shedding and then seeing sometimes bad changes as a result of using fixative. Luckily nowadays we can photograph the artwork but alas for the pastel original. Maybe its a kind of poetic feature of pastel to have it be so transitory in nature. They go away fast but they can be created fast. I was just using the pastel sticks but details were easier to add once I got some pastel pencils. Lately I've been working with water brushes and watercolor. I keep buying all this gear so much I'm starting to remind myself of you...minus the advanced artistry.
Thank you😊 pastel is so vibrant and lively. I wish that I could use it more often but it does irritate me when I use it. I am also into watercolor right now. It’s fast and not messy once it dries. I have too many supplies😄😄😅
Wow!!! What a beautiful fox! I was wondering in starting a new art journey with pastel, since it's been a long time dedicating myself to watercolor. With this video, believe me!, you definitely prove to me that this is the way to go! Thank you!!! Please, do more content on pastel 😍🙌
I completely recommend trying out pastel! Give it a chance, but also try Pastelmat because it gives me so much less grief than other paper! Thank you for watching!💜
I absolutely love how your fox came out! I have the basic set of 20 pan pastels. It has all the main colors and black and white and honestly that's all you need, you add white for tint colors and black for dark colors. You can then buy other pans as you realize your using that color more for convenience. I want to do some wildlife or pet portraits coming up with a pan pastel base and pastel pencils for details. I just have so many tutorials I want to get done, not enough time lol.
Yeah pastels are so easy to blend and make new colors with, that I’m sure I wouldn’t need a large set of pans! I’m super excited to try them out, maybe a little nervous too. I’ll definitely watch any tutorials you make because I’m not completely sure how to use them! Thanks for watching😀
@@AlexisCassandraArt You can blend on the pans themselves, I did that in the botanical pastel tutorial. You can also blend them on the paper, or a scrap piece of paper on the side (smooth like cardstock is best). After the cupcake tutorial I will be doing a spooky Halloween forest and jacko lantern in pastels.
I love Panpastels too🥰
The little red sharpener from General's is good for pastel pencils, or use a craft knife. I prefer the hand held red sharpener because I'm a klutz and will probably cut myself with the craft knife, though that method is preferred by many artists on TH-cam. I enjoy using colored pencils on top of pastel pencils, they play well together. I used to enjoy using soft pastels, but have lung damage now and they're too dusty for me. The pastel pencils don't seem to bother me as much at all. I use pan pastels and pastel pencils for my base layer. I'm just an old granny with a hobby, I'm not at your level, but I thought I'd share. Enjoyed your video very much, the fox was gorgeous!
I also love the little General sharpener! I am not sure I would be good with a craft knife either. I would love to get my hands on Pan Pastels at some point. Thank you for your tips and for watching the video:)
Wow so beautiful 😍 i always like to sharp my pastell pencils with a stanley knife👍
You, my friend, have talent😂 thanks for watching!
I full heartedly agree, Alexis was able to learn to draw and paint at this high level, really excellent art she is making, and not taking one hour of practicing pen-knife sharpening pastel or any pencils? I don't get it this agony around pastel pencil sharpening. It's very common that pastel pencil artists use knife to sharpen pastel pencils, that is part of the craftmanship.
@@AlexisCassandraArt i am shure you can so this too😋.
I think Faber Castell suggests using a special knife or blade to sharpen pastell pencils. Pastell pencils will dull some sharpeners.
Smart, now I just need to master sharpening with a blade😭
I have the stabilo pencils that i use in conjunction with my soft pastels/ I use terry ludwig, unison, schminke, rembrandt, and nupastels. To sharpen my stabilo pencils, I use an x-acto XLR electric sharpener. It works great and, gets them to a fine point. Best part is the price: 19.95 from Blick Art Supplies.
Nice, I’ll need to try that pencil sharpener! Thank you for the tip:) that’s an lot of pastel products I haven’t tried and I’d like to try😅
Amazing art! So talented
Thank you so much !!
You look so much like Kristy Partridge.
Beautiful work!
Oh thank you I love Kirsty!
he is so soft and fluffy, the neck area is really well done 😀
i like using pastels, they just are so fragile I hardly ever do
Thank you!💙They are definitely so soft and fragile, argh! But the pigment is beautiful.
Beautiful
Thank you!
Derwent Helical desktop sharpener or Swordfish Ikon will sharpen your pastel pencils. The Derwent does both brands you have.
As for pastel sticks I love unison - they are pure pigment (where pencils have clay in them) so colour rendition is brighter. However, I think investing in some pan pastels since you have two sets of pencils might be the better option since your style is fine realism.
Thank you! I’ll need a good sharpener if I keep using the pencils bc it’s just too much time to sharpen them with the tiny handheld one. Yes, I’ll probably go with the pan pastels as I’m not sure I’ll have a use for the sticks. Thanks so much for the tips!
The medium of soft pastel is all about the seeing the stroke work in your art. I use Rembrandt soft pastel set. I learned years ago by following Foster Caddell. You should check him out. He was one of the best ever in the pastel world.
I’ll have to look into that! I remember trying oil pastels in art classes for Impressionism, but never soft ones. I wish I tried the soft ones sooner
What a gorgeous drawing and I loved listening to your review of these pencils! I've never tried them before but I do miss drawing with pastels... they just don't like me 😂
Oh man they can be finicky! But they’re so beautiful and pigmented. Thank you so much for your comment❤️
The fox came out nice. To answer one of your questions, the thing I really don't like about pastels, or pastel pencils is that you can never really fix them. All it takes is one touch and they smudge. There is no fixative that works, and when you use lots of it, you end up with something that looks quite different from what you drew. Some people don't mind not fixing stuff, but the fact that I know something can be ruined so easily really bothers me :)
I worry about that too! I just use pastel mat which keeps most powder at bay, then store the work in my portfolio, sometimes with wax paper over it! Colored pencil stays in place a lot better though so I know what you mean
I use Ampersand pastel board and I always use fixative when finished. I have never had a problem with colours darkening
Your work is awesome!!! I actually hate the hand sticks of pastel. I hate getting it all over the place, especially my hands. I chewed up an entire set of pastel pencils except one. Not actually a set since I bought them open stock. But I had at least a dozen. Schwan Stabilo, made in Germany. I never got to create anything with them since they never sharpened even to a blunt and by the time I resorted to a sharp single blade I had one left. They are the softest brand ever! I may have to try the Faber Castell Pitt. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!! I hate the messiness of pastel but the vibrancy is amazing. The pencils are no joke to sharpen. You know those little red sharpeners that come with charcoal pencil sets? I think you might have luck using them with pastel as long as you clean them afterwards by sharpening a regular graphite pencil. I will have to try that out again. Faber castell Pitt are great!
Most amateurs/beginners try to take off too much wood. Slow and steady, thin shavings. Remember use a thin blade. HTH
First of all, I love the fox! 🥰 It's a real beauty
1. Pitt Pastel
2. Softer pencils
3. Pastel sticks
4. Pan pastel
About Pitt Pastel
Hold them at a low angle ant cover larger areas for the 1st layer.
By that get the values in place.
After that, hold them at yet again a low angle and push the pencil in the direction of the pencil whilst constantly rotating the pencil.
That way you'll always get fine lines.
And finally, sharpen with a razor blade or box cutter.
Combine the 3 and you will not ever need to sharpen the pencil to a fine point.
💁♂
Common mistake :
Layer 5 and now I need to add a spot of ultra bright detail.
And so I have 3 choices.
A) I rease the 5 layers on that spot with a paint brush and rubber
B) I sharpen the pencil to a needle point and force burnish the pigment into the picture
C) Plan my picture ahead, set the 1st and 2ond layer white, and simply scrape off the top layers when I need to add highlights later
About softer pastel pencils
I'd use them to make certain colours seriously pop out.
And when I don't use clairefontaine pastelmat paper with heavy teeth.
About pastel sticks
They are simply efficient.
Of course I want to decorate my picture right away with the many details.
But sticks force me to think about values before I commit to details.
That then enables me to judge way in advance if my choice of colours were correct.
If not, well then I've just waisted maybe 1 hour of work. No biggy, it's just far less frustrating.
Sticks come in many shades of hard to soft grades.
Jaxell, Rembrandt, Senelier, etc.
Hard for 1st layer, soft for top layers.
And when I commit to only sticks, I get somewhat of an impressionistic feel.
Hyper realistic = ah, a cool fox.
Impressionistic = this - oooh, this fox is ... there is something I feel on this🤔
About pan pastel
WICKED!
I get to mix base 1st layer colour patches on the paper.
The 1st layer with pan pastel is so super thin that is barely even counts as a layer. And yet still the colours are super vibrant.
I get the most bang for the € from pan pastel.
Bottom line:
Pan pastel to start
Stick to get the shapes
Pitt pastel to add the 3rd details layer
Soft pencils to make highlights pop
Senelier for creating things that make us look twice
This is an amazing guide, thank you! I would still need to invest in some pan pastels and sticks but pan pastels have been more on my mind in recent years, might be worth a try someday soon! Makes sense not to use up all the pastel pencils for the big areas and lower layers. thank you again for your comment:)
Good seeing you again. love the fox. And thanks for showing the pencils could you use a sandpaper to get the point or flat for details we use sandpaper when I was in drafting class. take care
Thank you Terry! I think sandpaper may work but I got a recommendation for a good sharpener and I’ll probably invest in that.
I heartily agree with more art supplies solving any problem! 😂 That's the same fox that I drew a while back on the toned paper....it is such an excellent reference photo! I found another cool one on Unsplash that I really want to draw soon. My experience with pastel pencils is extremely limited and I have yet to buy a full set of them. You did really well with them, and your version of the fox is most excellent (the neck fur was definitely the most difficult!). I like the idea that pastel pencils are a faster medium than coloured pencils. But the whole issue with sharpening them along with their chalky texture are things which put me off a bit. Do you prefer one set over the other, Faber Castell vs Carbothello? I wouldn't even know which ones to buy so recommendations are welcome!
Thank you!! I need to go back and see your fox and I’m excited to see you create another soon! Foxes make such good subjects for art I’ve noticed😂 I think that the sharpening can be a problem, but I have yet to experiment and take recommendations for sharpeners that work with pastel pencils. I bought my sets years ago so I’m not sure if this is entirely accurate, but the Carbothello set was cheaper and the pencils have a softer core, while the Faber Castell set was a bit pricier (but still reasonable) and they have more of a medium core rather than ultra soft. For this reason I like the faber castell set better because I have an easier time creating detail. Both sets are great though and in my experience, it’s mostly the paper that makes a difference. Anything other than Pastelmat has been insufferable for me😂
@@AlexisCassandraArt Thank you! I can agree that when I tried my few pencils on the toned paper, it was an exercise in frustration. Pastelmat all the way!
Hello! I love your art work!❤️❤️❤️
There is one big advantage to using pastel pencils:
#1 you have to start with the darkest color and then add the highlights and details. Pastelmat is one of the best papers out there for artwork pastels. This paper supports many layers, and gets a good highlights at your work. My advice to you, is to start with the Stabillo Carbothello, they are more Soft than the Pitt pastels, for your first layers, or the Rembrandt Soft Pastels, and then the Pitt pastels for details.
#2 Cover as much as you can in your first layers, add the layers without using pressure.
#3 you can use your fingers to blend, cotton swabs that you used in this beautiful drawing, paper stumbs or blending tools, ◀️ the last is a hit! you don't get your hands dirty and you can mix the pigment with each other.
#4 If you are not using the Pastelmat, and you use a paper that is not sanded paper, you must seal it with a fixative spray, I recommend the SpectraFix Fixative, it's very good, and it's also used to fix the works in charcoal.
#5 sharpen it with a craft knife, they are too soft for any sharpener.
**Important note: don't use the fixative spray on the Pastelmat, your work get dark**
I hope that this advice are benefit to all of you, in the Pastel World 🥰🥰🥰
Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate all of your kind and helpful comments you have left😊💙 The paper i use is pastel mat and now I know not to use a fixative with it. I didn't know that before. It definitely is different from using colored pencils. I will have to pull out my pastel pencils again sometime soon and try some of these techniques. Thank you again!☺
@@AlexisCassandraArt oh!🥰 you're welcome dear! I like to share information about my experiences, just like you. And yes, it's good that you return to your pastels technique, they are wonderful! although they are a little different from some media, you will see that you are going to learn a lot from them! I'm watching your videos, because the truth is that I'm not that good at colored pencils... I'd really like it, if you could do, more of these videos 🥰 I'm practicing with colored pencils in professional mode... but I find it hard to do the animal fur. I'd love to see how you do it dear. Thank you for making these videos so important to all of us ☺️ and we are always to support each other. 🥰❤️💞
Great sharing ,awesome😃👍very nice friend, ❤️❤️✌️
Thanks for watching!
What pencil sharpener did you use - i have 3 different ones and they are trashing my pastel pitt pencils - have tried to sharpen with a knife but not too successful with this either. BTW I don't use pan pastel but I do use soft pastel and work on top with coloured pencil and pastel pencil.
I don’t have a legit sharpener for them yet- only one that works decently is my little red generals sharpener that came with a pack of charcoal pencils ! Will need to experiment. And I’ll def be trying out the pan pastels soon:)
The Fox looks like he's going to give me a side quest after I returned from defeating a dragon
He came out great 🦊
LOL he does look kinda magical. Thank you for watching😊
Pastels frustrate me, and I have gotten rid of most of my pastel sticks, but have kept my pencils because they seem easier to work with. I have some Pastelmat and I will eventually get around to trying it. 😂
I hear you. I’m not good at using charcoal, graphite or pastel sticks, too messy😂 I’m sure you’ll love the pastelmat. Thanks for watching!
Nice drawing ...✍️
Thank you!
@@AlexisCassandraArt Welcome
Saying Hi after a long time 🤓
Hi Alexis
Hello! Thanks for stopping by!!
jesus that picture is well good
thank you!
Hi Alexis
I think that's one nice fox, fur looks great!
Haven't tried pastels before, but am thinking of trying. Seen videos where it's faster than colored pencils.
Are you putting a fixative on your pastel works?
Nice
🙂
Fixative isn’t needed with pastelmat. What I normally do if I use a fixative is I use it in between layers, not the final layer.
Thank you! It’s definitely faster and sometimes I just want a piece completed within a couple days. I haven’t fixed my work before even tho I have a fixative, I’m a little scared tbh😂
@@Kyomiibrown looks like I chose the right paper!
@@Kyomiibrown you don't get any smudges without fixative?
Just curious if your selling the pieces without a final fixative.
Thanks
@@AlexisCassandraArt quit being scared, lol
I use fixative and final fixative on graphite and charcoal, as long as your careful it doesn't affect the piece, on charcoal, maybe sometimes it gets a wee bit darker.
🙂
You should try it, and, you can make a video
😉
Save someone from spraying hairspray on their work
🙂😃🙂
😍😍😍
🦊😍
A thought on sharpening.I use a razor type knife to cut Back the wood to thin out the pencil. Go to a hardware store and get a “ bastard” file yea that’s the name. Its used to file steel, and it can be 10”x about 1”, and it has 1 fat side. Lay the file down it’s flat side up. Slide the pencil across the file to expose the nice piece of pastel . When the pencil is thin and pastel is exposed , makes a point on pencil by rubbing it on fine sand paper.
I know that this is the proper way to do it, I suppose I am just lazy, maybe because they only need to stay that sharp for the fine detail but I'll use them blunt the rest of the time hahaha
Good work...
Keep it up and stay connected with us Thanks...
Thank you!!
I feel like its unfair to try to use them the same way as coloured pencils and be disappointed they dont act the same. They arent meant to say sharp and the fine details go on top after you create soft blended underlayers. Also theres other tools meant to make up for this, and yeah theres mixed media options as well
This is true, I guess it also depends on the hardness of the pastel. I get frustrated easily with sharpening, but these pencils sharpen pretty well considering they are pastel
Can you draw the 9 tails since you have a fox obsession 🤪🤪🤪
That sounds mythical🦊
@@AlexisCassandraArt its from Naruto
こんにちは私も習位初めですがキツネを描くのが、大好きです
日本の北海道のキタキツネ牧場が毎回可愛いキツネ達が観れて、お勧めです
thank you, I would love to go to Japan one day:)
Absolutely the biggest problem with pastel is the price of Pastelmat. Practically, this is the only type of paper that is decent enough for detail-rich layered pastel (pencil) art. All pastel tutorials are made on Pastelmat, this is the "de facto" standard paper, and its price is absolutely intimidating. This is far the most important factor which holds a number of beginners back to go for pastel. Even the second level of pastel papers are brutally expensive. So, pastel is the medium for the art aristocracy.
Yes, i cant argue with that. It’s expensive. And it can irritate the eyes or nose or even throat while using so I have limited my use
I don't think I have any of these l, maybe a few
They’re nice!
I don’t use pastels so I cannot recommend anything 😊. I mainly wanted to say the fox is amazing!
Thank you so much😊
@@AlexisCassandraArt your welcome. 🤩
Absolutely HATE stick pastel.... but pastel pencil are my favorite medium I know weird
I can totally understand hahah