Pastel landscape mini-demo

Linda's Landscape in Pastel Demonstration: UnderMountain Farm

            Step one                                           Step two

           Step three                                        Finished work

My painting surface is grayish artist's sandpaper made by Kitty Wallis. The color is called Belgian mist.

I am using hard pastels by NuPastel and soft pastels from a number of brands, including Unison, Grumbacher and Sennelier.

Step one: Sketch in basic scene using vine charcoal. Charcoal gives a soft velvety edge to the sketch and is easy to erase with your finger, if you need to adjust the drawing. Establish local areas of color, using broad strokes and blocking in using hard pastels. I "blocked in" the distant mountains with blue.

Step two: Continue observing and add color all around the page. Avoid focusing on just one area. Begin applying soft pastels to add creaminess to the painting.

Step three: Begin filling in details. Use pastel strokes that go in all directions. Keep the painting loose. Experiment with unusual colors. Look within the landscape and find surprising colors.

Step four: Finish with more details, keeping areas distinct and easy to read. I have added some purples to the distant mountains, softening them and moving them back in space.