Perhaps you are an artist interested in learning more about pastels or you just want to improve your paintings. You have come to the right place! I have only been painting with pastels for two years but I have totally immersed myself in learning about them. I created this lens to share my journey with others.
Why do I call this lens Daily Painting with Pastels? When I first started working with pastels I was given this advice...if I really wanted to improve I should paint 100 paintings. I did that but I didn't stop there. Rarely does a day pass that I don't paint something and I truly believe it has helped make my work stronger. But I still have much to learn!
I would like to share the things I have discovered that have helped me learn and grow as an artist.
More About Daily Painters
When I started doing a painting a day I didn't realize there was a name given to the practice. Read more about other daily painters and check out their work.
- The Daily Painter's Gallery
- New Art, original paintings every day by painting-a-day artists and habitual painters
- USA Today article about Daily Painters
- A good overview of the painting a day 'movement'.
- A Painting a Day Lens
- A lens devoted to daily painters with links to many artists who paint everyday.
- eBay Guides - Painting A Day
- A Review of the 'Painting a Day' phenonemon by Jeff Hayes.
- A painting a day
- Another interesting article about daily painters
All Things Pastel
Resources for both beginning and experienced pastel artists
Some links to help you navigate the wonderful world of pastels.
- Pastels - Resources for Artists
- This lens created by Katherine Tyrrell is a wonderful resource for all things relating to pastels. I highly recommend bookmarking her lens. It is very thorough and easy to navigate.
- Wet Canvas Pastel Channel
- Wet Canvas is a wonderful online community for artists with forums for most mediums and topics relating to art. If you've never visited Wet Canvas, be prepared to have fun!
- International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) - Welcome Pastel Art Lovers!
- International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) - Representing pastel societies uniting in a common cause - to demonstrate the validity and quality of pastel fine art around the world.
- Pastel Artists Canada (PAC) -- Tips & Tricks
- A wonderful collection of tips from the artists of Pastel Artists Canada. A good list for beginners and experienced pastel artists.
- Tips when using Pastels
- A Guide to Practical Painting with pastels. Some useful tips.
- American Artist: Pastel
- Article on using pastels by other pastel artists. Good reading!
- Pastel Resources: Tips, Tutorials, and Techniques
- Get comfortable...here are many great pastel links including several demos by pastel artists.
- Marsha Savage Painting Demo
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Daily Painter
Marsha Savage demonstrated for almost 2 hours in my pastel class on January 23rd. She was demonstrating how to paint a field and stream on Wallis sanded paper. First she started with an under painting using alcohol and soft pastels to t - Maggie Price Pastel Books & Articles
- The blog of master pastel Artist Maggie Price with links to some of her articles in PDF format as well as information on her great new book.
- The Pastel Journal Blog
- An interesting blog by the team at the Pastel Journal. Lots of articles and links to pastel related topics.
Tools of the Trade
Recommended Pastel Supplies
Evert artist has their own favorite materials. I have experimented with many pastel brands,papers and pastel boxes and here are links to my favorites.
- Soft Artist Pastels by Terry Ludwig
- My favorite pastels! The colors are rich and vibrant and the sticks are just the right softness. The generously sized rectangle shaped pastels last a long time and won't roll away. It's easy to get broad strokes with the sides of the sticks or smaller details with the edges. I recommend trying the 'Marsha Savage' plein air set if you are interested in painting landscapes. The Darks are also a Must!
- Girault Pastels
- Here is a nice overview of Girault pastels. I love using them for fine details and they are the perfect size for plein air painting. I can't do without them!
- Heilman Pastel Box
- I have tried many ways to organize my pastels and this box is by far the best! Not only does it help your painting by allowing you to arrange your pastels by value, it is easy to carry them with you wherever you go to paint!
- The Wallis Paper Story - WetCanvas!
- Wallis sanded paper made by Kitty Wallis is one of my favorite surfaces. I like that you can do 'wet' underpaintings like watercolor or alcohol washes and this paper takes many layers. Here's the story behind the paper right from Kitty Wallis.
- Mount Vision Pastel Company
- I enjoy using these handmade pastels. They are a generous size and I really love the colors offered. I need to order more!
- Soft pastels manufactured at Great American ART WORKS.
- Soft pastels at Great American ART WORKS, one of my favorite brands of pastels. I love their soft buttery texture and yummy colors!
Organizing Your Pastels
What to do with all the pastels you've collected!
Are you looking for a way to organize your pastels? Of course there are many ways and systems to keep your supplies in order and the system you choose has to work with your painting style. Some artists are purists and keep their pastels in their original boxes. Some like to arrange by color or brand. I am going to share a system that I learned from Albert Handell and Anita Louise West. Once I started using this system, my paintings improved and painting became even more enjoyable! Here is the secret:ORGANIZE YOUR PASTELS BY VALUE!
(more to come)
Paintings by Karen Margulis available on Ebay
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Evaluating your own Work
One of the things I am working on is how to evaluate my own work. There is just so much to think about that a checkist can really help get you started.
- Self-Critique, How to Evaluate Your Artwork
- Here is an excellent article by L. Diane Johnson on how to critique yourself and evaluate your work. Be sure to click on the check list and print them out to use.
- THE CRITIQUE CHECKLIST
- A good checklist to help you critique a painting.
- Resources - Self-Critique Check List
- Art critiques and how to critique yourself with critique checklist. The same list as the previous link but in a handy checklist format ready for you to print out.
Make Time for Art
Tips for helping you become a better artist
So you want to get started with pastels or just become an even better artist? There is a lot to read and digest so first take a moment to read my list of tips.
- Make it a goal to paint or draw something everyday. Set a timer if you need to or keep a small sketchbook with you and just sketch when you have a few minutes free.
- Make room for art. Set aside a place in your home that you can devote to your painting. It is easier to paint every day if you have easy access to your supplies and don't have to spend time setting up and putting it all away.
- Invest in some quality materials. They do make a difference! Why struggle with poor materials? You and your art are worth it. Try ordering sample pastel sets and paper variety packs from Dakota pastels,www.dakotapastels.com an online store.
- Find a nearby art class if possible. When I first started with pastels, I googled 'pastel class' for my area and I found the most wonderful teacher.
- Read and participate in online art communities such as Wet Canvas. The support and information you will get is invaluable.
- Read! Read! Read! Check out my links to recommended art books and start building your art library. Keep a book by your bedside and read a little every night.
- Subscribe to at least one art magazine. The Pastel Journal is an excellent one to start with.
- Visit the websites and blogs of artists you admire and who inspire you. I have links to some of my favorites if you are interested.
- Make small art goals for yourself. Whether it is painting everyday or perhaps entering a show...make it a goal and go for it!
- Did I say paint something every day?? If you can do it I promise you will see the difference in your work!
Need some inspiration?
When you aren't painting and just want to get inspired, browse some of these links to my favorite artists.
- My own website
- In case you'd like to see some of my work.
- My Blog Painting my World
- I update my blog every day. I have been keeping the blog for over a year so you can really see my progress if you look back into the archives.
- Marsha Savage's Website
- I am fortunate to be able to study with Marsha Savage, a wonderful artist and teacher.
- Southeastern Pastel Society
- I am a member of the Southeastern Pastel Society. Browse the artist's links for more inspiration.
- Margaret Dyer's website
- A wonderful pastel artist. I love her style...makes me want to learn how to paint the figure.
- Susan Ogilvie's website
- One of my favorite pastel artist. She has such a way with color!
- Ann Templeton's website
- I like her abstracted landscapes. I recommend her DVD as well. I am not that abstract but it is good to learn how to simplify and she does this beautifully!
- ArtsJournal: Daily Arts News
- Daily arts news from more than 200 newspapers, magazines and e-publications. Great reading!
- Karin Jurick's website
- I discovered Karin's work through the Daily Painter's site and I just love it. She paints with oils but it's her subject matter and point of view that really speaks to me. Check her out!
- American Artist: Keep It Simple...Diana DiSantis
- A great article on artist Diana DiSantis in wich she describes how she works...also her recipe for her gatorboard supports.
Music to Paint To
Every artist has their own preference of background music while painting. Here's some links to some of my favorites.
- Pandora Internet Radio
- I LOVE this site! It allows you to make your own radio station. It plays streaming music depending on your tastes. You pick a few songs you like and then they choose more songs like it. It's too cool. You have to try it!
Pastel Art Books
I love books and love to read anything related to art. These books are curently a few of my favorites.
Pure Color: The Best Of Pastel
A wonderful variety of the top pastel paintings. A great book to browse through for inspiration.
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010) 
Painting the Landscape in Pastel
I find both of Handell's books interesting and useful if only to study his paintings. I've read through them several times.
Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 01/05/2010)
Intuitive Light: An Emotional Approach to Capturing the Illusion of Value, Form, Color and Space
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
Capturing Light & Color With Pastel
I love Dawson's night scenes and this book gives some great tips for capturing evening lights. I need to reread this one!
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
Raw Colour with Pastels
I just got this book so a review will be coming. So far a very interesting book on pastels.
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 01/05/2010)
General Art books that are educational and inspirational
Here are a few more books to add to your library. There really are many more but you can only list 5 at a time!
Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting
The classic guise on landscape painting. A must have! A little dry but the information is priceless!
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 01/05/2010)
Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting
Everyone tells me the is THE book to have on painting so i just treated myself. Haven't read it yet but I will say you can get it for less money through Schmid's website.
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept and Technique of Picture Making, the Study of Art Generally, and on Appreciation (Icon Editions)
One of those little books full of pearls of wosdom. Good to pick up anytime and just open to a page for a bit of quick advice or inspiration.
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
A Painter's Guide to Design and Composition
This is a wonderful book on composition. Well written and easy to understand. Highly recommended!
Amazon Price: $19.13 (as of 01/05/2010)
More Art books that are Instructional and Inspirational
You can never have enough books!
Composition of Outdoor Painting
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
The Elements of Drawing
Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 01/05/2010)
Hawthorne on Painting
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 01/05/2010)
Gruppe on Painting: Direct Techniques in Oil
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils
This new book is fantastic. Even though it is about oil painting, the principles can be applied to pastels.
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
Watch the Masters Paint!
My Recommended Painting DVD's
- Painting DVD's byArtist Productions
- This company produces painting DVD's by Albert Handell, Bob Rohm, Ann Templeton, Doug Dawson , Kevin McPherson. They are very good quality productions. Each artist has a distinctive style and technique as well as teaching style. I like to watch them and then paint along. I find I get a lot out of actually seeing others paint.
- Greg Biolchini DVD's
- I haven't personally reviewed these DVD's but they were recommended to me by some artist friends who felt that it was well worth watching.
- Art Book & Video Reviews - WetCanvas!
- Book & Video Reviews from The Pastel Library on Wet Canvas. Pull up a chair and get out some paper to make a list. Wet canvas artists review and recommend their favorite art books.
- Smartflix....Art DVD's you can rent!
- I haven't tried this service yet but they have several DVD's I'd like to see including Bob Rohm and Albert Handell. It's cost $9.99 to rent a dvd for a week which is a good way to try one of these expensive dvds.
Framing Pastel Paintings
You can frame your own paintings! It is such a good feeling to see your work nicely framed. Here are some links to get you started.
- "Matless" Pastel Framing - And other pastel framing tips, Frame Tek, Inc.
- Matless pastel framing is a method of framing that has proven to be quite popular with many pastel artists. It allows pastel artists to treat their paintings more like oil or acrylic paintings that are rarely matted.
- Framing Matting & Caring For Pastel Painting
- A nice overview on pastel painting care and framing.
- Care and Framing of Pastels
- Care and Framing of Pastels Pastel paintings
- Framing questions for Pastels - WetCanvas!
- Lots of great information in this wet canvas thread about framing pastels. I need to print this one out!
Painting My World
A Blog devoted to my daily pastel paintings
Check in often as I update the blog every day. Sometimes I will do a work in progress so you can see my painting process.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byWords of Wisdom
Art Quotes and Art related Writings
Sometimes the right quote can be very meaningful and can help get your creative juices flowing.
- Art Quotes
- A great source of art related quotations. You can even subscribe and get a daily art quote delivered to your inbox.
- Resource of Art Quotations - The Painter's Keys
- For researchers or artists just looking for inspiration this is the world's largest art quote collection--on line or in a book. It's entirely the work of volunteer subscribers and new quotes are going in almost daily. All entries are searchable by author and subject...
Be sure to check out Robert Genn's website too...his twice weekly newsletter is a gem! - ARTISTS' QUOTES
- Another list of art related quotes compiled by an art teacher.
- ArtsJournal: Daily Arts News
- Daily arts news from more than 200 newspapers, magazines and e-publications.Great reading!
- Art Marketing Workshops, Classes and Consulting
- A great site if you are serious about selling and promoting your art. Sign up for the free newsletter which always has good tips.
Gallery of Pastel Paintings by Karen Margulis
Welcome to my Flickr Gallery. Enjoying browsing through my paintings. The gallery will be updated regularly and most work is available for sale. Contact me at kemstudios@yahoo.com for more information.
curated content from Flickr
Tell me what you think!
I hope this lens has been both helpful and inspirational. It is a work in progress and I will be adding to it as I learn new things. Comments welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Karen
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- CMMDesigner CMMDesigner Dec 12, 2009 @ 11:30 am
- Wow! LOTS of pastel info and resources! Thanks!
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by kemstudios
I am a pastel artist living in Marietta, Georgia. Two years ago I discovered the wonderful world of pastels and I have been painting ever since! ...
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