What you’ll paint
A small landscape on sanded paper: sky, land, focal mass. Hard pastel block-in; soft pastel finishes.
Paper & sets
- Sanded paper (UART, PastelMat) or toned heavyweight paper.
- Hard pastels/pastel pencils for drawing & block-in.
- Soft pastels for finishing color notes and accents.
Value plan
- 3 values: sky (light), land (mid), focal (dark or light contrast).
- Keep each group clean; avoid over-smudging.
- Atmospheric depth: cooler/less contrast in distance.
Step-by-step
1
Sketch & block-in
Light drawing with hard pastel; mass big shapes flat in their value groups.
2
Fix (optional)
Light workable fixative after the block-in to lock shapes (optional).
3
Temperature passes
Add subtle warm/cool shifts within each shape; keep strokes directional.
4
Soft pastel accents
Reserve bright, soft notes for edges of light and focal textures.
5
Edge control
Soften distance edges; sharpen focal edges. Avoid over-blending.
Tips
- Work light pressure → heavier as you finish.
- Knock back with a kneaded eraser—don’t rub hard.
- Use fewer, larger strokes for cleaner color.
Troubleshooting
- Muddy color: Too many layers—lift gently and re-state flat notes.
- Flat depth: Same edges everywhere—soften distance, reduce contrast.
- Grain showing: Save high-chroma softs for last pass only.