How to Draw With Soft Pastels

Blend soft pastels together to create new colors.

Soft pastels, with their multitude of available colors and smooth, chalky texture, are popular with novice and experienced artists alike. Soft pastels were used by notable artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Pablo Picasso. They are versatile, working well for color blending. Drawing with soft pastels can be a rewarding process. Get the most from this medium by following a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Drawing pencil
• Paper stump
• Small knife
• Soft pastels
• Dark pencil
• Fixative spray

Instructions

1. Choose your paper. Ideally, paper for soft pastel work should have a somewhat rough texture. This "tooth" will enable the pastels to adhere to the paper. You can purchase paper that is specifically manufactured for pastels. Watercolor paper also works quite well.

2. Make a sketch on your paper with a drawing pencil. Apply a light touch; the pencil should not show when your pastel work is complete.

3. Shave flakes of the pastels directly on your paper to create your background. Use the small knife for shaving. Blend the flakes either with a paper stump or your finger. Blend several colors together for depth.

4. Apply pastel colors over your light pencil sketch, starting with the darkest colors. When using soft pastels, to avoid producing cloudy-looking colors, always work from dark to light. Mix and blend the pastels into the paper with the paper stump or your fingers. By blending the pastels, you will be able to create an unlimited number of colors. Try putting one color on top of another for a vivid appearance. Place them next to each other and smudge them for a softer look.

5. Outline the parts of your work that you want to accentuate. Do this with a dark pencil. These finishing touches will complete your picture.

6. Protect your soft pastel picture by spraying it with a fixative. Otherwise, the pastels may rub off or the colors may smear.

References

• Art Instruction Blog: An Introduction to Pastel Drawing and Painting
• Nancy Doyle Fine Art: Pastel Lesson
• "All About Techniques in Pastel": Parramon's Editorial Team; 1998