this is probably the longest video i’ve watched the entire thing through without getting bored at a single point. im trying to start pastels, so ive been doing a lot of research on them. usually, half of the time the creator is just on the screen talking and not getting into any sort of information yet. this video gets to the point and has so much useful information.
I love the way you emphasise the importance of value, its something that can take a long time to sink in with new artists. I always think of a saying I heard years ago....' Value does all the hard work, while colour takes all the credit'. very true, this is the first video of yours I have seen so I subscribed straight away ;-)
And I thought for decades that this kind of art is impossible for me, then I saw how you "copied" the outline of the bird, and I was: OMG! Just do this! THANK YOU for this tutorial!😍😍
You're welcome 😊 There are plenty of ways to get your outline done! Whether you choose to freehand, use the grid method, transfer method, projector, trace etc - it's totally up to you!
Actually to add, because of your video I started a work myself yesterday and with your tips amd tricks it turned out awesome!! First pastel work ever. Thank you so much 💕
The whole reason I started playing with pastels was because I saw a video where the artist painted a human form using non traditional colors, but the correct values. She also applied multiple transparent layers which made the painting very colorful. So not realistic, other than the shapes and values were correct. So I love that you pointed out the importance of values in this and another one of your videos. You might have mentioned it in more, but I just found your channel so am working my way through your videos, which are fabulous! 😃
I'm glad the videos are helpful! I talk about values in nearly every video because they are so important when it comes to realism! The colour choice is really not important but it's something people seem to focus on too much 😊
I’ve been dabbling with pastel pencils for a few years now, (I usually work in colored pencil) but learned more in this video in all that time combined! Thanks for a great video! These tips are game changers for me!
*Kirsty* I came across this video by accident and I am so glad I did. I have had a full set of pastel pencils for over 10 years now, but other than opening the tin and doing a swatch, I have been to afraid to even try and use them (if that makes any sense). After watching your explanation how to use them and what to do with them, I now have the confidence to have a go and try, as you made it less daunting and simpler to do than other TH-cam artists I have seen. Thank you.
Thanks so much, I've just started to get back into art again and my father gifted me with some pastel pencils and was feeling overwhelmed how to use them..the idea of taking a picture and in black/white compare to the piece you're working on is a fab idea :)
I just only watched 5 minutes of your video (im gonna watch the rest after this comment) and im blown away by your art that u slide in between the instruction. Just had to say that before i watch the rest. Love it, already!!!
for sharpening any pencil I always use my craftsknife, I just have so much control about length and width of the lead plus when the knife gradually loses its sharpness I can just use an upside down ceramic cup to sharpen the knife I turned 16 yesterday and I got a beautiful set of CarbOthello pastell pencils from my mom, I haven't tried pastell pencils before and I just knew that they tend to break when using basic sharpeners, so I wasn't quite sure if I could use my knife or not, thank you for showing me how you do it! My mom loves birds and I want to practise using the pastell pencils so I can gift her a drawing of her favourite bird some time soon
Congrats for the wonderful bird and most of all for the super useful insights, techniques and hints you provided, this is one of the best instructional videos I've seen, you really know how to provide key info about your process, loved it!!
Thank you so much. I have bought the carbothellos a time ago and never really got a connection with those. I will definitively give it a new try.such a beautiful piece that you‘ve created!!!
Thank you for this explanation Kirsty, super explanative. My first problem as a beginner pastellist, is the cost! Pastelmat paper seems such an extravagance for learning, and here in tropical North Qld, my supplies suffer a lot from humidity. I have a few different brands of pastel paper, which I'm learning to manipulate with soft pastels and pastel pencils, and my goal is to be confident enough to buy Pastelmat. Secondly, I've heard pastellists say they never use their finger to blend as the acids in our skin, even clean skin, can deteriorate the artwork. Your thoughts? Thanks for taking the time to help out in this way, and give us all inspiration. Your work is magnificent!
I'm glad it was helpful 😊 Yes, Pastelmat can be expensive but there is honestly no other paper that can achieve the same results that Pastelmat does, unfortunately! I just try and think of it in comparison to buying a good quality canvas for oil or acrylic painting - it's not too expensive in comparison to that! I always make sure my fingers are washed and dried thoroughly (no moisturiser etc) when I use them to blend my work but there is still technically some risk of oils transferring Also, pastel artists who use sticks will usually hold their sticks with their fingers which could technically end up transferring the oils from their fingers to the sticks, then their sticks onto their artwork anyway If there were a good alternative, I'd definitely stop doing it but most pastel artists I know will use their fingers and haven't had any problems with it so far so I'm not too worried about it You could always skip the steps where you blend with your fingers and try to use a cotton tip lightly or try it with a glove on your hand (it won't work the exact same way but it would be better than nothing) if you are really worried about it 😊 Hope that helps!
this video helped me so much! i'm gonna just start with pencil pastels and it's great for me to see that i'm doing everything right to get that final result... thank you for all your tutorials i really find them easy to follow and helps me to improve ... cheers!
Thank you Kirsty - that was wonderful, easily explained for newbies like me. So many tips and things to note, fantastic! Will see how it goes, perhaps I should have drawn alongside of you, the next time. I liked the idea of not stuffing it full of details, think that comes with the experience. Wish me good luck and enjoyment doing it - not holding my breath, firgetting to breathe or loosen up lol. 🙏💕
I use a foam roller to apply a thin layer of clear gesso to the paper. I like to use 184 lb. paper because it is thick and won't buckle when the moist gesso is applied to it. This gesso ( the brand I use is Liquitex ) imparts a fine grained tooth to the paper. If I make a mistake, I can erase the pastel and reapply some gesso to the area with a small soft brush to begin again.
You are an amazing teacher! Learned so much from your videos, I am a new subscriber. I have a question, when doing a background like the one you are doing in this video, can’t you use Pan Pastels since you are doing a big area?
As soon as I get the notification I always watch the video , I really like the information you share with a tutorial. Thank you 😊 soo much I am a huge fan of your artwork. You are an incredibly amazing artist. Lots of love from India, and God bless.
Excellent video. I'm struggling with quantities of pastel versus tooth, at the moment. This helped. I want a smoth result but I don't know how to achieve that and still have a lot of layers, without the pastel falling off.
Glad it was helpful! It comes with practice, you will get used to how much pastel you need to use to achieve the results you like without filling up the tooth too quickly 😊
Thank you so so much for your amazing inspirational tutorials. Your artwork is beautiful! I've never worked with pastels, but after watching this video I am soooo eager to get my hands dirty and give it a go or a fail 😂 LOL
Transferring your drawings, a picture, etc. To your drawing paper you can use a tool called a " Lucy ". It is a machine that claps to your table. Using prisms that you look through to project your piece onto the drawing paper and then you trace the outline. Thank you for your tutorials, vary informative. Both to the beginner and the advanced. I used to use color pencils in my youth. Using black paper.
You're welcome! The pastel pencils I'm using are soft pastels which feel very chalky - so you might be more interested in coloured pencils or oil pastels because they feel "creamier/oilier" than the chalky pastel pencils! I haven't use oil pastels but I do have a lot of tutorials for coloured pencil 😊 th-cam.com/video/hNh14jXHAC4/w-d-xo.html
This is such a great tutorial. I have my tools ready and im going to have a go.. iv subscribed in a view to joining your patreon.. I can't wait to start now.. thankyou ❤️
Have to tried ampersand pastelbord? It's the best except for the cost. It's like pastelmat but feels like sanded surface. Takes lots of layers... excellent for blending ...could use wet media as well
I actually use Ampersand Pastelbord for coloured pencil with the Brush and Pencil products (like the powder blender etc) I just find that it's not as easy to frame, and I'm also limited to the standard sizes! It's also a little bit grainier/toothier than the Pastelmat which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you want to do with it 😊
Amazing, I didn't know that! It's worth trying if you want to use a fixative! Clairefontaine also advertises their Pastelmat as not needing a fixative, but I know that some people might prefer it, so they can try this (also, Spectrafix is a decent fixative for pastels too, but again, I don't recommend any because it's not necessary when you're using Pan Pastels and pastel pencils on Pastelmat) 😊
Subscribed! I like the way you work as it matches the way I naturally tend to draw also. I've never liked drawing section by section either. Thanks for the tips as I am looking to start using pencil pastels and will be using your videos as a guide.
I used Photoshop, but there is a "sketch" feature on a photo editing website called www.ipiccy.com which does something similar! If you're a member on Patreon, I have an entire tutorial showing you how to do it on ipiccy or Photoshop, but it's too hard to explain in a comment 😊
This was such a good introduction to pastel pencils and tips for using them. I would love to give this bird a try. When I clicked the link to the reference photo, it just took me to the main screen but not to the photo. Could you send me a link to the photo please? Thank you so much!
I'm glad it was helpful! I usually just include the main website I got the reference on my TH-cam tutorials (I attach the actual reference photo, along with any helpful edits like a traceable outline, to my longer tutorials inside the KR Fine Art Academy) But I did a quick search on Pixabay and managed to find the reference here; pixabay.com/photos/bird-european-bee-eater-africa-4384303/ Have fun 😊
I've just discovered your channel and will be heading directly to your Patreon! You explain things so well. I wondered, would a good way to get more detail in in your final layer be to switch to coloured pencil for the finer parts? Or would that not work? I'm a coloured pencil artist looking to branch out into pastels but I don't know if I can relinquish the detail that my polychromos allow
Thank you, and welcome to Patreon 😊 You can add coloured pencil on top of pastel (a lot of people do it) but it's not my preferred way of working (mostly because you can't get anywhere near as many layers, and I do a lot of layers in my work to make it look more realistic!) I actually have a video on that exact topic here th-cam.com/video/eOPo4kwtSzs/w-d-xo.html
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt Amazing, I will check that out now! Your Patreon is great, so many useful videos that I'm just going to have to spend the next week binge watching.
I m a beginner to Art and run into a lots of infos in a short time and decided to try pastel pen drawing, ordered my Faber pencils and following Colin, but what a very nice discovery to run into your chain as well !You are a Great artist ! the only thing I would like to mention to you ,is that you speak a little fast...giving lots of info and it takes a lots of concentration to catch on everything you say. You know you are reaching to people different ages and cultures and they may have problems with that too... So If you could speak a litlle slower would be GREAT! This is the first video I watch and will check out everything! Thank you so much for all you info's and proffessionalism ! Merci Beaucoup!
Hi there! Thank you, I'm glad the tutorial was helpful 😊 If you watch some of my latest videos, I've tried to slow down and have a few more gaps between sentences so hopefully that helps! Over on my Patreon channel, there are quite a few people who don't speak English as their first language who say the tutorials are very easy to follow (they are all in real-time so I can really slow down and take my time to explain things - so that may be another option for you if you are interested!)
Thank you for such a great detailed video. I've just ordered my first set of pastel pencils and I'm wondering if you could recommend a cheaper paper initially just for practising on as I found the clairefontaine here in Australia is quite expensive.
You're welcome! Unfortunately, Pastelmat is a unique paper that has no equivalent option! Every other paper I've tried has either looked very grainy or doesn't take many layers. The paper is actually the most important supply for pastels because you won't get the same results on other papers, and you will end up having to re-learn your techniques again when you start on Pastelmat, so I usually recommend people save money by purchasing a smaller set of pastel pencils/Pan Pastels rather than trying to save money on Pastelmat Buying larger sheets and cutting them down to size can be a good option to save money in the long run, but it is more expensive out of pocket to start with, unfortunately! Pads can be cheaper to get you going but you get less paper for your money this way www.theartshop.com.au usually stock Pastelmat and if they don't have it displayed on their website, you can email/call them and ask them to order it for you (they are the cheapest art supply store I have found in Australia) There is also www.softpastels.com.au who always have a large range of Pastelmat but it's slightly more expensive I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but honesty, Pastelmat is worth its weight in gold! I try to think about it as if I were purchasing canvases for oil/acrylic painting - Pastelmat is still cheaper per piece of artwork than a decent quality canvas and I try to keep that in mind when I'm looking at prices 😊
You're welcome 😊 I like blending stumps with charcoal and graphite, but they get really muddy/messy with pastel because they tend to hold the colours and spread them around Whereas with a cotton tip, you can switch ends or get a new one when you start to blend a different colour 😊
Thank you for the detailed video for beginners. I have never tried pastels before and wanted to know how to use them. I came across your tutorial and I decided to try it. I only have Faber Castell pit pencils and soft pastel sticks. I am very happy how it is turning out so far. Once completed I will put it on instagram and tag you. Again, thank you very much for the tutorial. I will definitely do more work in pastels. .. Aditi
No, they are still making this paper! I buy mine from Jacksons in the UK (they ship worldwide - I live in Australia) because it can be hard to find in some countries 😊 www.jacksonsart.com/en-au/clairefontaine-pastelmat-pastel-paper-gummed-pads-360gsm-au?___store=jacksonsart_au&acc=07a96b1f61097ccb54be14d6a47439b0
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt My apologies!! Somehow I ended up looking everywhere for the wrong version, completely my fault! Thank you so much for responding and all the wonderful tips.
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt I figured out the confusion!! The original link in your video description is now dead and contains the descriptor "orange-label". So when I did my own search I included orange-label which came up with no hits. When I found the red cover version I assumed the line had been changed at some point by the manufacturer. Whew, hope that helps clear things up! You might wanna update that link? Now I'm off to order my first pad, thanks again so much!
Hi Kirsty, I incidentally run into your channel, feeling I was blessed as you explained in detail and very helpful to a beginner like me. I can't wait to subscribe. Before I join your Patreon , I want to get the right materials ready. I have a few questions: 1) For pastel pencils, do I get the soft core ones, or the oily ones? 2) When do we use the soft, and when to use the oily? 3) In addition to pastel pencils (soft or oily) , do I need to get coloured pencils too? 4) For paper, you have mentioned Clairefontaine pastelmat (very expensive , as I have just checked online ) is the best you have experience, however, what do you think of painting pastels on Strathmore Vellum Bristol as well as on cotton canvas panels ? Would much appreciate your generous guidance. Thank you.
Hi Lilia, I'm glad the tutorials are helpful! I recommend either the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils or the Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils. They are both "soft" pastels (I don't use oil pastels at all) and both sets are fantastic - very similar in feel, but different colour ranges. You don't need both sets to start with, whichever is accessible to you will be fine (you can choose a similar colour from the set you have) I usually use pastels by themselves, or coloured pencils by themselves (two separate mediums) So if you are interested in coloured pencil later down the track, you can always look into that separately! All that being said, I do have a few tutorials where I combine pastel and coloured pencil, but usually I keep them separate 😊 I believe that Clairefontaine Pastelmat is essential for pastel artwork - it makes a huge difference in your work because of the amount of layers you can achieve, but it still gives you a smooth result - I haven't come across any other pastel paper that is similar, unfortunately! I know it can be expensive, but I only recommend this paper for pastels. If you need to save some money, I would suggest purchasing a smaller set of Pan pastels or pastel pencils and add to your set over time - I wouldn't recommend trying to save money on the paper because you won't get the same results as the tutorials PS: If you don't know what Pan Pastels are, I'd suggest watching these tutorials because I do use them quite often in my Patreon tutorials; th-cam.com/video/L0ISnZw5RyE/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/4AhIYXsKCDs/w-d-xo.html If you decide to start coloured pencil as well, the paper choice is more flexible (I use 3 or 4 different papers and there are even more options out there that will work as well!) I have a supply list on my website that might help you out (I don't use every supply in every tutorial - but you can see in the TH-cam and Patreon descriptions exactly what I am using for each project) www.kirstyrebeccafineart.com/supplylists I hope that all makes sense!
Thankyou :) No I don't! With the supplies that I use, it's not necessary to "fix" my work. There is minimal dust fall off and they will be framed behind glass, so there's no need to risk ruining the artwork with fixative You'll find that the majority of pastel artists don't use fixatives because they tend to alter the colours/ruin pieces of artwork and a lot of fixatives don't actually "fix" the pastel in place anyway!
Can I please ask what are the numbers for on the paper ? I have often looked for this paper as I’ve heard it recommended several times but I can’t seem to find out what’s the difference between the numbers on the paper pad, is this something I should worry about. Yours said No 3 whereas when I search on Amazon it always says No 2. Thank you in advance x
The number is the combination of colours inside the pad 😊 Check out this website (it's an Australian store but it shows the exact colours in each pad or single sheets etc) www.softpastels.com.au/pastel_paper/pastelmat/pastelmat.php I tend to buy the single larger sheets so I can pick exactly what colors I want 😊 Hope that helps!
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt Thank you so much 😊 your a gem xx I love your work and your tutorials are so helpful and very peaceful to listen to and watch xx I’m so happy I found your channel 🤗 xxx
Hi Kristy. I am new to pastel pencils and thoroughly enjoyed this tutorial. I looked through the reference pictures and did not find this one. Just wondering if you changed it, because I would like to learn how to render the colors in yours. Thank you.
Hi Marianne, Glad you enjoyed the tutorial 😊 Yes I changed the reference photo but this is the link to the original one! pixabay.com/photos/bird-european-bee-eater-africa-4384303/
Hi, I just got a 24 pack of the Stabilo pencils and a few sheets of pastelmat, so this was really helpful! I've heard that pastel pencils are good for fur/animals, but I'm just wondering if they're any good for drawing people? Thank you!
Not really - I usually like to use brown, dark grey, or sienna because they are all mid-tone colours. I choose it based on the general colour scheme of the piece (if there are more browns/warmer colours - I will choose brown, if there are more cooler colours or grey - I will choose dark grey etc) But it honestly doesn't matter too much because pastel is opaque and I cover the whole piece including the background so the colour of the paper doesn't show through at all anyway!
Yes you definitely can! I use a mix of Faber Castell Pitt pastels and Stabilo Cabothello in most projects - and I've also used Derwent Pastel Pencils and Caran D'ache a few times as well 😊
this is probably the longest video i’ve watched the entire thing through without getting bored at a single point. im trying to start pastels, so ive been doing a lot of research on them. usually, half of the time the creator is just on the screen talking and not getting into any sort of information yet. this video gets to the point and has so much useful information.
I'm glad it was helpful! I do tend to ramble at times, but I try and give as much useful info as I can 😊
I hope you enjoy your pastels!
Just bought Pitt and I do agree! Very good video 🫶🌸🦄🌸
I love the way you emphasise the importance of value, its something that can take a long time to sink in with new artists. I always think of a saying I heard years ago....' Value does all the hard work, while colour takes all the credit'. very true, this is the first video of yours I have seen so I subscribed straight away ;-)
Definitely! I could paint a blue tiger, and it will look realistic if my values are right 😊
Welcome!
👍👌👌👍👍
And I thought for decades that this kind of art is impossible for me, then I saw how you "copied" the outline of the bird, and I was: OMG! Just do this! THANK YOU for this tutorial!😍😍
You're welcome 😊
There are plenty of ways to get your outline done! Whether you choose to freehand, use the grid method, transfer method, projector, trace etc - it's totally up to you!
Actually to add, because of your video I started a work myself yesterday and with your tips amd tricks it turned out awesome!! First pastel work ever. Thank you so much 💕
Glad to hear it! 😊
Beautiful art. The cockatoo pic is stunning. ❤ thank you for sharing
The whole reason I started playing with pastels was because I saw a video where the artist painted a human form using non traditional colors, but the correct values. She also applied multiple transparent layers which made the painting very colorful. So not realistic, other than the shapes and values were correct. So I love that you pointed out the importance of values in this and another one of your videos. You might have mentioned it in more, but I just found your channel so am working my way through your videos, which are fabulous! 😃
I'm glad the videos are helpful! I talk about values in nearly every video because they are so important when it comes to realism! The colour choice is really not important but it's something people seem to focus on too much 😊
Your video is wonderful and very helpful, you teach a lot of tips that many people never mention. You inspire me to work more in this media. Thank you
Glad it was helpful! 😊
I liked how you explained almost everything! You earned a new subscriber :))
Welcome aboard! 😊
Couldn't have said it better. Same here!!
I’ve been dabbling with pastel pencils for a few years now, (I usually work in colored pencil) but learned more in this video in all that time combined! Thanks for a great video! These tips are game changers for me!
Glad it was helpful!
*Kirsty*
I came across this video by accident and I am so glad I did. I have had a full set of pastel pencils for over 10 years now, but other than opening the tin and doing a swatch, I have been to afraid to even try and use them (if that makes any sense).
After watching your explanation how to use them and what to do with them, I now have the confidence to have a go and try, as you made it less daunting and simpler to do than other TH-cam artists I have seen.
Thank you.
You're welcome! I hope you have fun creating with your pastel pencils 😊
Thanks so much, I've just started to get back into art again and my father gifted me with some pastel pencils and was feeling overwhelmed how to use them..the idea of taking a picture and in black/white compare to the piece you're working on is a fab idea :)
You're welcome, glad it was helpful 😊
You are a wonderful teacher. I love that you move right along. I'll follow you. I have confidence now. Thank you so much.
Thank you, I'm glad they are helpful! 😊
I just only watched 5 minutes of your video (im gonna watch the rest after this comment) and im blown away by your art that u slide in between the instruction. Just had to say that before i watch the rest. Love it, already!!!
Thank you so much 😀
Thank you .. I found this so helpful. You are a fab teacher ! Such beautiful work.. I’m excited to start xx
Thank you, I'm glad it was helpful 😊
Omg, this is an amazingly informative tutorial. I'm learning pastels, and am SO glad I've found you. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
👍🙂all friends also try this video
Thank you for explaining some of the mystery I was struggling with for weeks! Great video there, please keep them coming! :)
Happy to help!
Wow! Absolutely beautiful. Your work is amazing. Very informative tutorial. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful 😊
for sharpening any pencil I always use my craftsknife, I just have so much control about length and width of the lead plus when the knife gradually loses its sharpness I can just use an upside down ceramic cup to sharpen the knife
I turned 16 yesterday and I got a beautiful set of CarbOthello pastell pencils from my mom, I haven't tried pastell pencils before and I just knew that they tend to break when using basic sharpeners, so I wasn't quite sure if I could use my knife or not, thank you for showing me how you do it!
My mom loves birds and I want to practise using the pastell pencils so I can gift her a drawing of her favourite bird some time soon
Happy birthday!
Yes, sharpening pastel pencils with a blade is the best way to do it (in my opinion)
Good luck with your bird drawing 😊
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt thank you!
@@kiwimiwi5452 I'm so glad you found the tutorials helpful! 😊
Congrats for the wonderful bird and most of all for the super useful insights, techniques and hints you provided, this is one of the best instructional videos I've seen, you really know how to provide key info about your process, loved it!!
Thank you, I'm glad it was helpful! 😊
I really enjoyed my first play with pastels and drawing this pretty bird. Thank you
My pleasure 😊
Your work is beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much. I have bought the carbothellos a time ago and never really got a connection with those. I will definitively give it a new try.such a beautiful piece that you‘ve created!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Beautiful. Well explained
Thanks a lot 😊
Wonderful guide! Thanks, and I appreciate all the tips and tricks 👍🏻
You're welcome 😊
Really enlightening! Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial.
You're welcome 😊
Great video! The explanation along the way is appreciated. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Such a beauty and such engrossing and connecting way of explaining the process and details. Thank you 💐💐💐🙏
I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊
This is the first video i watch about pastel pencils and now it seems like i've missed out on so much. Thank You. :)
*subscribed to learn some more*
Glad it was helpful! 😊
You have good sense of explaining the real situation while dealing with such detail work . Great👍
Thank you 😊
This is an amazing video I’m new to pastels and your videos really helped me!
Thank you so much 😀
Kirsty, such a great tutorial!
Thanks so much! 😊
Thank you very much, I will surely try the points that you have mentioned...
Thank you for this - it's kind of perfect 😅. All the information needed in a short time and thanks for the transfering tip!
Glad it was helpful!
This was so much help. Thank you.
You're very welcome 😊
Excellent tutorial, thankyou
You're welcome 😊
What a great tutorial Kirsty, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just watched your tutorial and i am hooked just Subscribed i am totally beginner
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Welcome 😊
you just got a new subcriber thanks for going into so much detail !
Welcome!
Same!! Well done 👏👏👏
Thank you for this explanation Kirsty, super explanative. My first problem as a beginner pastellist, is the cost! Pastelmat paper seems such an extravagance for learning, and here in tropical North Qld, my supplies suffer a lot from humidity. I have a few different brands of pastel paper, which I'm learning to manipulate with soft pastels and pastel pencils, and my goal is to be confident enough to buy Pastelmat. Secondly, I've heard pastellists say they never use their finger to blend as the acids in our skin, even clean skin, can deteriorate the artwork. Your thoughts?
Thanks for taking the time to help out in this way, and give us all inspiration. Your work is magnificent!
I'm glad it was helpful 😊
Yes, Pastelmat can be expensive but there is honestly no other paper that can achieve the same results that Pastelmat does, unfortunately! I just try and think of it in comparison to buying a good quality canvas for oil or acrylic painting - it's not too expensive in comparison to that!
I always make sure my fingers are washed and dried thoroughly (no moisturiser etc) when I use them to blend my work but there is still technically some risk of oils transferring
Also, pastel artists who use sticks will usually hold their sticks with their fingers which could technically end up transferring the oils from their fingers to the sticks, then their sticks onto their artwork anyway
If there were a good alternative, I'd definitely stop doing it but most pastel artists I know will use their fingers and haven't had any problems with it so far so I'm not too worried about it
You could always skip the steps where you blend with your fingers and try to use a cotton tip lightly or try it with a glove on your hand (it won't work the exact same way but it would be better than nothing) if you are really worried about it 😊
Hope that helps!
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt thanks ... good point about the pastel sticks, I didn't even consider that!
Nicely drawing
Thank you so much 😀
thank you, realy enjoyed this tutorial.
You're very welcome!
Thank you very much, I was delighted!. Good advice and very well explained. Nice to see you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
this video helped me so much! i'm gonna just start with pencil pastels and it's great for me to see that i'm doing everything right to get that final result... thank you for all your tutorials i really find them easy to follow and helps me to improve ... cheers!
Glad I could help!
This video had amazing tips. Thank You
Glad it was helpful!
Super helpful 👍👍👍 thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Kirsty - that was wonderful, easily explained for newbies like me. So many tips and things to note, fantastic! Will see how it goes, perhaps I should have drawn alongside of you, the next time. I liked the idea of not stuffing it full of details, think that comes with the experience. Wish me good luck and enjoyment doing it - not holding my breath, firgetting to breathe or loosen up lol. 🙏💕
Good luck and remember that we create art for fun - it doesn't need to be stressful 😊
New here today, you gave so many useful tips. Very much appreciated 👏 going gavubg a look at what else you can offer me!🤩👏👏👏 thank you.
I'm glad they were helpful 😊
I use a foam roller to apply a thin layer of clear gesso to the paper.
I like to use 184 lb. paper because it is thick and won't buckle when the moist gesso is applied to it.
This gesso ( the brand I use is Liquitex ) imparts a fine grained tooth to the paper.
If I make a mistake, I can erase the pastel and reapply some gesso to the area with a small soft brush to begin again.
Thanks for sharing!
i love ur painting thanks for d tutorial godbless & keep safe always...
Thank you so much 😀
You are an amazing teacher! Learned so much from your videos, I am a new subscriber. I have a question, when doing a background like the one you are doing in this video, can’t you use Pan Pastels since you are doing a big area?
I'm glad you're enjoying the tutorials! Yes you definitely can use Pan Pastels! I use them quite often 😊
My artist partner convinced me to impulse buy some pastel pencils and this tutorial is very helpful! I'm super excited to give them a try
Glad it was helpful! Pastel pencils are a lot of fun 😊
Gosh I love this, so talented 😍
Thank you 😊
Such a fantastic tutorial! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
EXCELLENT CONTENT- GREAT INFORMATION!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!
YOU ARE VERY TALENTED. BEAUTIFUL ART!
You are so welcome 😊
As soon as I get the notification I always watch the video , I really like the information you share with a tutorial. Thank you 😊 soo much I am a huge fan of your artwork. You are an incredibly amazing artist. Lots of love from India, and God bless.
Thankyou so much!
I'm glad the tutorials are useful for you :)
Beautiful work. So helpful to learn
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video. I'm struggling with quantities of pastel versus tooth, at the moment. This helped. I want a smoth result but I don't know how to achieve that and still have a lot of layers, without the pastel falling off.
Glad it was helpful! It comes with practice, you will get used to how much pastel you need to use to achieve the results you like without filling up the tooth too quickly 😊
Wow, so much info ! Very helpful for a beginner, thank you! Subscribed 💜
Glad it was helpful 😊
Thank you so so much for your amazing inspirational tutorials. Your artwork is beautiful! I've never worked with pastels, but after watching this video I am soooo eager to get my hands dirty and give it a go or a fail 😂 LOL
You are so welcome! :)
Haha pastels are my favourite! You'll love them!
Transferring your drawings, a picture, etc. To your drawing paper you can use a tool called a " Lucy ". It is a machine that claps to your table. Using prisms that you look through to project your piece onto the drawing paper and then you trace the outline. Thank you for your tutorials, vary informative. Both to the beginner and the advanced. I used to use color pencils in my youth. Using black paper.
I've heard of that tool before but haven't looked into it because I now have a decent art projector too 😊
I'm glad it works for you though!
This video is so helpful! Thank you
You're so welcome!
Thanks for this. Im an oil painter but am wanting to try pencils without having to miss out on that satisfying oily smooth feeling
You're welcome! The pastel pencils I'm using are soft pastels which feel very chalky - so you might be more interested in coloured pencils or oil pastels because they feel "creamier/oilier" than the chalky pastel pencils!
I haven't use oil pastels but I do have a lot of tutorials for coloured pencil 😊
th-cam.com/video/hNh14jXHAC4/w-d-xo.html
This is such a great tutorial. I have my tools ready and im going to have a go.. iv subscribed in a view to joining your patreon.. I can't wait to start now.. thankyou ❤️
Glad you found it helpful 😊
Have to tried ampersand pastelbord? It's the best except for the cost. It's like pastelmat but feels like sanded surface. Takes lots of layers... excellent for blending ...could use wet media as well
I actually use Ampersand Pastelbord for coloured pencil with the Brush and Pencil products (like the powder blender etc)
I just find that it's not as easy to frame, and I'm also limited to the standard sizes!
It's also a little bit grainier/toothier than the Pastelmat which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you want to do with it 😊
Clairefonteine has a fixative (pastel revolution)that is designed for pastelmat. It does not change colour or has spots.
Amazing, I didn't know that! It's worth trying if you want to use a fixative!
Clairefontaine also advertises their Pastelmat as not needing a fixative, but I know that some people might prefer it, so they can try this (also, Spectrafix is a decent fixative for pastels too, but again, I don't recommend any because it's not necessary when you're using Pan Pastels and pastel pencils on Pastelmat) 😊
wow Kirsty, cute work
Thank you! 😊
Beautiful. Thanks
Welcome 😊
Subscribed! I like the way you work as it matches the way I naturally tend to draw also. I've never liked drawing section by section either. Thanks for the tips as I am looking to start using pencil pastels and will be using your videos as a guide.
Thank you so much! Hope the tutorials are helpful 😊
how did you get the outline of the bird in black in white
I used Photoshop, but there is a "sketch" feature on a photo editing website called www.ipiccy.com which does something similar!
If you're a member on Patreon, I have an entire tutorial showing you how to do it on ipiccy or Photoshop, but it's too hard to explain in a comment 😊
I just love your tutorial ! thank you ; )
Glad it was helpful!
This was such a good introduction to pastel pencils and tips for using them. I would love to give this bird a try. When I clicked the link to the reference photo, it just took me to the main screen but not to the photo. Could you send me a link to the photo please? Thank you so much!
I'm glad it was helpful!
I usually just include the main website I got the reference on my TH-cam tutorials (I attach the actual reference photo, along with any helpful edits like a traceable outline, to my longer tutorials inside the KR Fine Art Academy)
But I did a quick search on Pixabay and managed to find the reference here;
pixabay.com/photos/bird-european-bee-eater-africa-4384303/
Have fun 😊
Amazing thanks so much
You’re welcome 😊
Hello, on which pages do you draw with Efroun Festal, thank you very much
Sorry, I'm not sure I understand your question
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt
What page are you drawing on? I would appreciate your response
Excellent instruction!
Thank you!
thank you very much, just want to know generally the pastels pencils can use on the oil pastel drawings?
Sorry, the only pastel pencils I know about are soft (or chalk) pastel pencils! I'm honestly not sure if they make oil pastel pencils
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt Thanks
I've just discovered your channel and will be heading directly to your Patreon! You explain things so well. I wondered, would a good way to get more detail in in your final layer be to switch to coloured pencil for the finer parts? Or would that not work? I'm a coloured pencil artist looking to branch out into pastels but I don't know if I can relinquish the detail that my polychromos allow
Thank you, and welcome to Patreon 😊
You can add coloured pencil on top of pastel (a lot of people do it) but it's not my preferred way of working (mostly because you can't get anywhere near as many layers, and I do a lot of layers in my work to make it look more realistic!)
I actually have a video on that exact topic here th-cam.com/video/eOPo4kwtSzs/w-d-xo.html
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt Amazing, I will check that out now! Your Patreon is great, so many useful videos that I'm just going to have to spend the next week binge watching.
@@CrotchetyBlock Thank you, I'm glad Patreon is helpful for you 😊
I learned so much. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic picture. I have been using a charcoal pencil. But I use it on a lot of portraits.
Thank you 😊
I m a beginner to Art and run into a lots of infos in a short time and decided to try pastel pen drawing, ordered my Faber pencils and following Colin, but what a very nice discovery to run into your chain as well !You are a Great artist ! the only thing I would like to mention to you ,is that you speak a little fast...giving lots of info and it takes a lots of concentration to catch on everything you say. You know you are reaching to people different ages and cultures and they may have problems with that too... So If you could speak a litlle slower would be GREAT! This is the first video I watch and will check out everything! Thank you so much for all you info's and proffessionalism ! Merci Beaucoup!
Hi there!
Thank you, I'm glad the tutorial was helpful 😊
If you watch some of my latest videos, I've tried to slow down and have a few more gaps between sentences so hopefully that helps!
Over on my Patreon channel, there are quite a few people who don't speak English as their first language who say the tutorials are very easy to follow (they are all in real-time so I can really slow down and take my time to explain things - so that may be another option for you if you are interested!)
@fotoalive You can slow the speed of video in the settings under playback speed. I set the speed to .75 and can follow along nicely!
Thank you for such a great detailed video. I've just ordered my first set of pastel pencils and I'm wondering if you could recommend a cheaper paper initially just for practising on as I found the clairefontaine here in Australia is quite expensive.
You're welcome!
Unfortunately, Pastelmat is a unique paper that has no equivalent option! Every other paper I've tried has either looked very grainy or doesn't take many layers. The paper is actually the most important supply for pastels because you won't get the same results on other papers, and you will end up having to re-learn your techniques again when you start on Pastelmat, so I usually recommend people save money by purchasing a smaller set of pastel pencils/Pan Pastels rather than trying to save money on Pastelmat
Buying larger sheets and cutting them down to size can be a good option to save money in the long run, but it is more expensive out of pocket to start with, unfortunately! Pads can be cheaper to get you going but you get less paper for your money this way
www.theartshop.com.au usually stock Pastelmat and if they don't have it displayed on their website, you can email/call them and ask them to order it for you (they are the cheapest art supply store I have found in Australia)
There is also www.softpastels.com.au who always have a large range of Pastelmat but it's slightly more expensive
I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but honesty, Pastelmat is worth its weight in gold! I try to think about it as if I were purchasing canvases for oil/acrylic painting - Pastelmat is still cheaper per piece of artwork than a decent quality canvas and I try to keep that in mind when I'm looking at prices 😊
@KirstyRebeccaFineArt thank you for the reply and the information. I've ordered the pastel mat paper and looking forward to starting.
Wonderful information, thank you! I would like to know why you prefer qtips over blending stumps if that's okay to ask
You're welcome 😊
I like blending stumps with charcoal and graphite, but they get really muddy/messy with pastel because they tend to hold the colours and spread them around
Whereas with a cotton tip, you can switch ends or get a new one when you start to blend a different colour 😊
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt on that makes a lot of sense. I actually tried it out and really liked the result
Thank you for the detailed video for beginners. I have never tried pastels before and wanted to know how to use them. I came across your tutorial and I decided to try it. I only have Faber Castell pit pencils and soft pastel sticks. I am very happy how it is turning out so far. Once completed I will put it on instagram and tag you. Again, thank you very much for the tutorial. I will definitely do more work in pastels. .. Aditi
Glad it was helpful! 😊
Did they quit making this paper and if so what are you using or recommend now?
No, they are still making this paper!
I buy mine from Jacksons in the UK (they ship worldwide - I live in Australia) because it can be hard to find in some countries 😊
www.jacksonsart.com/en-au/clairefontaine-pastelmat-pastel-paper-gummed-pads-360gsm-au?___store=jacksonsart_au&acc=07a96b1f61097ccb54be14d6a47439b0
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt My apologies!! Somehow I ended up looking everywhere for the wrong version, completely my fault! Thank you so much for responding and all the wonderful tips.
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt I figured out the confusion!! The original link in your video description is now dead and contains the descriptor "orange-label". So when I did my own search I included orange-label which came up with no hits. When I found the red cover version I assumed the line had been changed at some point by the manufacturer. Whew, hope that helps clear things up! You might wanna update that link? Now I'm off to order my first pad, thanks again so much!
Hi Kirsty, I incidentally run into your channel, feeling I was blessed as you explained in detail and very helpful to a beginner like me. I can't wait to subscribe. Before I join your Patreon , I want to get the right materials ready. I have a few questions: 1) For pastel pencils, do I get the soft core ones, or the oily ones? 2) When do we use the soft, and when to use the oily? 3) In addition to pastel pencils (soft or oily) , do I need to get coloured pencils too? 4) For paper, you have mentioned Clairefontaine pastelmat (very expensive , as I have just checked online ) is the best you have experience, however, what do you think of painting pastels on Strathmore Vellum Bristol as well as on cotton canvas panels ? Would much appreciate your generous guidance. Thank you.
Hi Lilia, I'm glad the tutorials are helpful!
I recommend either the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils or the Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils. They are both "soft" pastels (I don't use oil pastels at all) and both sets are fantastic - very similar in feel, but different colour ranges. You don't need both sets to start with, whichever is accessible to you will be fine (you can choose a similar colour from the set you have)
I usually use pastels by themselves, or coloured pencils by themselves (two separate mediums)
So if you are interested in coloured pencil later down the track, you can always look into that separately!
All that being said, I do have a few tutorials where I combine pastel and coloured pencil, but usually I keep them separate 😊
I believe that Clairefontaine Pastelmat is essential for pastel artwork - it makes a huge difference in your work because of the amount of layers you can achieve, but it still gives you a smooth result - I haven't come across any other pastel paper that is similar, unfortunately!
I know it can be expensive, but I only recommend this paper for pastels. If you need to save some money, I would suggest purchasing a smaller set of Pan pastels or pastel pencils and add to your set over time - I wouldn't recommend trying to save money on the paper because you won't get the same results as the tutorials
PS: If you don't know what Pan Pastels are, I'd suggest watching these tutorials because I do use them quite often in my Patreon tutorials;
th-cam.com/video/L0ISnZw5RyE/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/4AhIYXsKCDs/w-d-xo.html
If you decide to start coloured pencil as well, the paper choice is more flexible (I use 3 or 4 different papers and there are even more options out there that will work as well!)
I have a supply list on my website that might help you out
(I don't use every supply in every tutorial - but you can see in the TH-cam and Patreon descriptions exactly what I am using for each project)
www.kirstyrebeccafineart.com/supplylists
I hope that all makes sense!
Sooooo much great advice. Thank you
You are so welcome!
It’s beautiful.. do you use fixative for your pastel art work
Thankyou :)
No I don't!
With the supplies that I use, it's not necessary to "fix" my work. There is minimal dust fall off and they will be framed behind glass, so there's no need to risk ruining the artwork with fixative
You'll find that the majority of pastel artists don't use fixatives because they tend to alter the colours/ruin pieces of artwork and a lot of fixatives don't actually "fix" the pastel in place anyway!
Kirsty Rebecca Fine Art thank you
Can I please ask what are the numbers for on the paper ? I have often looked for this paper as I’ve heard it recommended several times but I can’t seem to find out what’s the difference between the numbers on the paper pad, is this something I should worry about. Yours said No 3 whereas when I search on Amazon it always says No 2. Thank you in advance x
The number is the combination of colours inside the pad 😊
Check out this website (it's an Australian store but it shows the exact colours in each pad or single sheets etc)
www.softpastels.com.au/pastel_paper/pastelmat/pastelmat.php
I tend to buy the single larger sheets so I can pick exactly what colors I want 😊
Hope that helps!
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt Thank you so much 😊 your a gem xx I love your work and your tutorials are so helpful and very peaceful to listen to and watch xx I’m so happy I found your channel 🤗 xxx
Wow…Your artwork is amazing!!! Thanks so much for sharing 🥰
Thank you so much 😀
You are welcome!
Wonderful so well explained thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Kristy. I am new to pastel pencils and thoroughly enjoyed this tutorial. I looked through the reference pictures and did not find this one. Just wondering if you changed it, because I would like to learn how to render the colors in yours. Thank you.
Hi Marianne,
Glad you enjoyed the tutorial 😊
Yes I changed the reference photo but this is the link to the original one!
pixabay.com/photos/bird-european-bee-eater-africa-4384303/
Thank you so much! Love your work!!
Hi, I just got a 24 pack of the Stabilo pencils and a few sheets of pastelmat, so this was really helpful! I've heard that pastel pencils are good for fur/animals, but I'm just wondering if they're any good for drawing people? Thank you!
Yes, I actually did this portrait using only pastel pencils 😊
th-cam.com/video/plq_Rut8iV0/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
❤❤❤ you’re amazing ❤❤❤
Thank you 😊
Great video!
Thank you so much!
Glad it helped!
Do you have a video about choosing the color of paper to use
Not really - I usually like to use brown, dark grey, or sienna because they are all mid-tone colours. I choose it based on the general colour scheme of the piece (if there are more browns/warmer colours - I will choose brown, if there are more cooler colours or grey - I will choose dark grey etc)
But it honestly doesn't matter too much because pastel is opaque and I cover the whole piece including the background so the colour of the paper doesn't show through at all anyway!
@@KirstyRebeccaFineArt thanks that is so clarifying.
What a GREAT video! Thanks so much. Subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Genius.....thanQ.....very clear guidance..❤💚💙💛🧡
You're most welcome
New subscriber here…great video! These ideas will be so helpful with my homeschool art students❤️
I'm glad it was helpful! 😊
You need more subs! Amazing work !
Oh thank you!
Can you use different makes of pencil in the same project?
Yes you definitely can!
I use a mix of Faber Castell Pitt pastels and Stabilo Cabothello in most projects - and I've also used Derwent Pastel Pencils and Caran D'ache a few times as well 😊