Putting Yourself Out There – Demoing in Public
One of my HowToPastel subscribers recently reached out to me. She’d been invited to demo in an open space, with COVID-19 precautions in place, but was feeling too afraid to do it. (Her fears weren’t...
View ArticlePushing Colour-How To Make Your Bland Photo Into A Bold Painting
Recently in my IGNITE! art-making membership, a member (thanks Angie!) asked about how to make an interesting painting from a boring photo. This isn’t an uncommon question. I’ve also been asked: “How...
View ArticleValue Dominance! How it Can Make (or Break) Your Painting
Recently in my IGNITE! art-making membership, I asked members: What’s your favourite lesson so far? Happily, many of them said they found it difficult to make a decision (“A difficult question- each...
View ArticleHow To Frame Soft Pastel Paintings
Pastel paintings need to be protected…that’s just the way it is. A piece can be smudged (and changed dramatically) if left uncovered or at least where fingers other than yours can get at it! That...
View ArticleTranslating Your Thumbnails – Painting From Your Black, White, and Grey Sketch
I’ve written on this topic of translating your thumbnail before (click here to read an earlier post on it), but I think it’s good to repeat the idea as it does tend to be a stumbling block for many...
View ArticleEmbracing The Imperfection In Plein Air Painting
I’m recently home from a wonderful and relaxing getaway to Ontario (yay to a bit of travel!!) where Cam and I spent time with family and friends. Part of our trip was a week at the White family cottage...
View ArticleHow to Choose The Right Frame For Your Art
A couple of months ago, I published a post where framer Mitchell Jones and I chatted about a number of topics around the protective aspects of framing. As pastel artists, we need to protect our artwork...
View ArticlePaint Anything With My Set of Soft Pastels!
That’s a rather bold statement I realise but I mean it: Paint anything with this set of soft pastels! And the set I’m talking about is my brand new set of 36 pastels just launched by Unison Colour....
View ArticleSeeing Colour In Greys –“Sipping Patrón”
If you know me, you know I LOVE colour! I love painting with bright colours and then, when needed, layering pastels to create greys. This de-intensifies the saturated colours. Seeing colours in greys...
View ArticleDon’t Use This Tape To Attach Paper To Your Board!
“Blue and green should never be seen” – ever heard that saying? It’s an oldie that generally applied to fashion and home decor. Personally, I could never understand it as I’ve always loved blues and...
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