Pastel Painting Course

LindyWhittonStudio YouTube channel

I’m putting together a pastel painting course on YouTube that’s aimed at getting new pastelists started in this most rewarding of mediums. As I add tutorials I’ll leave a link on this page.

Lesson 1 – What pastel should I choose?

There are so many pastels available at all sorts of price points how does a beginner decide what to buy? As well as the video I’ve written a short guide to building a pastel collection which may help you as you start to add to your pastel collection.

Lesson 2 – What paper can I use for pastel painting?

Confused about what paper to use? I talk about the pros and cons of various types of papers and explain how to make your own gritted surface paper.

Lesson 3 – Choosing the paper colour

Pastel paper comes in a huge range of colours and it can be daunting when you start out trying to decide which color to use as a background in your painting. Here I explain my approach and provide lots of examples .

Lesson 4- Setting up to Paint

This 8 minute video is all about how to prepare your paper and other materials so you have everything at hand when you start a painting.

Lesson 5- Mark Making with Pastels

In this short video I demonstrate several different mark making techniques to help you get started with pastels. In the next video we’ll use these techniques to paint a simple scene.

Lesson 6 – Paint along with me

I paint a simple scene using the mark making techniques from lesson 5. You have permission to make a copy of the reference photo if you would like to paint along with me. I would love to see your painting if you send me a link.

Lesson 7 – Using greys to establish a quieter mood in a painting.

It’s not always about the bright and bold colours, sometimes we need to use our softer, greyer colours to set a particular mood . Here I use a set of Great American Artworks greys with a few extra colours to paint an evening sky.

Lesson 8- Painting reflections in water

This is a full length demo of how to paint reflections. It’s 45 minutes long so that I can talk about all the stages of creating realistic reflections in water.

Lesson 9 – Correcting mistakes in pastel paintings

We all mess up sometimes when painting and with pastels it’s easy to correct those mistakes. Learn how to easily erase and paint over areas that need changes.

Lesson 10- The basics of a simple landscape.

I use a black background for added drama and demonstrate the basic elements of a simple landscape/

Lesson 11 – Part 2 Painting a simple landcape

I take the simple landscape elements from last lesson and rearrange them using a light background to create a painting with a quieter mood.

Lesson 12 – a simplified approach to painting waves in soft pastels.

Don’t be scared by a wave. Just use this simplified method and you’ll be painting confidently in no time.

Lesson 13 – Blending and Layering with Pastels

In this demo I show you when to blend and when to layer as I paint a lake with reflections.

Lesson 14 -Painting clouds

I demonstrate how to paint clouds using a full range of greys to add colour and interest.

Lesson 15 – How to fix and store your pastel paintings

A lesson on how to store your paintings until you want to frame the. Learn how to protect that delicate surface.

Lesson 16 – Using thumbnail sketches to plan your painting

Using thumbnail sketches will help you quickly plan your composition for a better painting.

Lesson 17- Underpainting with acrylic inks.

I show you how to create a vibrant underpainting for your pastel art using acrylic inks. Once done I show you how to prepare the surface ready to paint with pastels.