Reflections and Revelations: What I've Learned on My Pastel Journey So Far

One of my most recent pastel pieces, “Three Little Pigs In Hog Heaven”, completed using Unison soft pastels and Pitt and Stabillo Carbothello pastel pencils on Clairefontaine Pastelmat.

In 2018 I began a renewed passion for creating artwork after a long stint of slow, sporadic art-making, mainly using oil paints.

I’ll briefly overview my art journey before delving into what I’ve learned with pastels.

When I get to pastels- I’ll provide examples of my work during each period and discuss what I learned from using supplies which I will link to. I’ll also list what I learned the hard way. Hopefully, it will help you avoid the mistakes I have made!

Here are the specific phases of my pastel learning that I will discuss below. I think it will help to discuss them sequentially so that I can talk about my thoughts on each as I progress with the medium.

Phase 1- Stabilo Carbothello pastel pencils
Phase 2- Pan Pastels and pastel pencils (including Pitt pencils)
Phase 3- Unison soft pastels

Graphite

I started drawing with graphite because it’s a portable, non-intimidating medium. Around this time I also began creating pet portraits, an example is below.

Colored Pencils

As I continued to get commissions and received lovely reference photos, I decided the portraits needed some color. In high school and college, I enjoyed using Prismacolor colored pencils. I thought this might be a portable solution to add color to my artwork.

On YouTube, I saw several artists creating amazing pieces using colored pencils. I went on a mission to learn how to draw realistic portraits using colored pencils. With a lot of practice and learning, I have learned much along the way.

After my first colored pencil attempt (shown below), I strove to improve at that medium. I practiced and followed different artists via tutorials to learn new techniques. I recommend doing this because it sped up my learning immensely.

My first attempt at using colored pencils for a pet portrait. I believe this was created in 2019. I used Prismacolor Premier pencils on Strathmore colored pencil paper, series 400. I also used some solvent for the sky and water, perhaps mineral spirits.

Phase 1- Stabilo Carbothello Pastel Pencils

In July 2021, I was learning from Leontine Van Vliet who has graphite, colored pencil, and pastel pencil tutorials on Patreon (today she runs a drawing club membership).

I created my first pastel piece using Stabilo Carbothello pencils on Clairefontaine Pastelmat (light gray) by following along with Leontine to draw the horse below. I specifically bought the 36-pack of Stabilo pencils to try out pastels.

My first pastel drawing ever using Stabillo Carbothello pencils.

What I’ve Learned From Using Stabilo Carbothellos

Different Methodology- I had to do mental gymnastics to get out of the colored pencil methodology for this first pastel trial. When drawing with pastel pencils, it’s best to start with the darkest colors and then lighten as you add detail. When drawing with colored pencils, I typically lightly shade in areas before I gradually make them darker. That is of course, because you can’t erase colored pencils very easily and you can’t put white on top of black, for example. I was so excited that I could put pure white on top of a dark area when using pastels.
Smooth Coverage- I found the smooth coverage of pastels to be amazing. You don’t have to worry about the grain of the paper showing through with these puppies. I also discovered they are quicker than colored pencils. It takes me at least a third less time to create a pastel piece than a colored pencil piece. Sometimes, the time is cut in half. This is huge for me because I have limited time to create artwork (like everybody else!), and I believe that one way to improve is by pushing out as much work as possible.
Put the Background Down First- I learned it’s best to put the background down first. If you look hard at the picture above, you can see lines around the horse from where I added the background after I drew the horse. Now I make it a practice to always draw the background first. It’s easy enough to draw the animal fur over the background, and this helps to make it look like it’s not a cut-out pasted on the background.
Pencils Are Slower- Using only pencils made covering the background laborious. It eats away quickly at the pencils and is time-intensive. I wouldn’t use pencils for a background now unless I were drawing something small with them, like blades of grass. Or unless I added detail on top of other pastel layers I had used for the background. Using something larger (PanPastels or soft pastels) to cover the background is cheaper and will take less time.
Hand-held Pastel Pencil Sharpeners Don’t Work- I discovered that using the handheld pencil sharpener that came with the pastel set was a joke. I’m not sure it sharpened one pencil. At this point, I researched and watched how artists used utility knives to somewhat sharpen the pencils, and so this is what I did.
I have come up with a better alternative, which is the Swordfish pencil sharpener. It works very well with the Pitt pastel pencils, which are a tad harder than the Stabilos. It will still work with the Stabilos, just be careful. They are softer than the Pitts and will break easier. Also, if you are going to order it, go ahead and order some replacement blades. It only works well with a sharp blade. You will be able to tell when it needs new blades because it will start breaking the pencil tips.

Phase 2- Using Pan Pastels with Pastel Pencils

A little bit later, I bought some PanPastels. I had moved on from Leontine. I don’t like to follow any one artist for too long so that I can learn from different people and then develop my style. At this point, I followed Kirsty Rebecca for three tutorials. She is not active right now, but you can check out her YouTube channel where she still has videos up. Anyway, her method is to use the PanPastels as an underpainting and apply pencils on top.

If you don’t know, PanPastels are a brand of pastels that are sold in mini “pans”. They are a very condensed form of soft pastel. One pan of color should last you a long time. You apply them with tools that PanPastel sells (of course! lol).

If you want to try some PanPastels, I recommend buying the Pure Paint set. That is what I did because you can mix all of the other tints and shades from the 20 pans in this set. It’s much more economical than buying all of the pans.

Here are a couple of pieces I created using PanPastels and pencils by following along with Kirsty Rebecca.

I still like this tiger. I like how there is blue and green in his nose, and I like how the background matches his stripes. Although, if I redid him now, I wouldn’t use as much pure white.

“Truffles” hangs in my mom’s kitchen. He is pretty cute, but I think I’ve improved some since then.

What I’ve learned from using Pans and Pencils

Don’t Worry About Precise Linework- Don’t go crazy with your linework. I spent hours drawing the tiger line work before I transferred it to the Pastelmat. Then I covered it all up with the Pans and had to redraw everything as I went. That added so much time and frustration!
Just draw the basic lines. For now, I trace some major lines from the photograph to save time. I lose many of them anyway, but it gives me a good starting point.
A thought about tiger stripes- I have heard of artists painting tiger stripes or anything else black and complicated (giraffe spots, zebra stripes, etc.) using black gouache first on the Pastelmat before applying any pastels. If I end up drawing a tiger again, I will for sure use this method. That way the lines won’t go anywhere, and you can still add pastel layers on top of the gouache.
I Like the Tools- I enjoyed using the Pans because you use the tools to “paint” the pastel on the paper. This results in a smooth application. Sometimes I use the Sofft tools (their specific tools) in combination with other soft pastels as well. They help to get rid of any lines, which is especially helpful when rendering out-of-focus backgrounds.
Coverage- Because you can only get so much pastel on your tool, the results are a little bit more transparent than soft pastels. You need to apply several layers of color to get a saturated look. They cover better than the pencils (which are harder and smaller) but not as well as soft pastels such as Unison. This medium coverage is probably why artists such as Kirsty Rebecca and Jason Morgan use Pans as an underpainting for their pastel pieces.
I take the coverage capabilities into account now before I start a pastel piece. If I want a less saturated background, I’ll use Pans. Or if I just want to put a base layer down for a complicated background, I might use Pans. They don’t fill the tooth of the paper as quickly which gives me room to figure out what I’m doing before I can’t add any more layers.
Currently, I’m not using Pans as an underpainting for my subject matter (although I still use them for backgrounds).
Forgiveness Level- Try and be fairly accurate on the underpainting with your values and colors. Yes, pastels are forgiving, but I learned the hard way if you make an area too dark in the beginning, it might be hard to lighten it as much as you want- especially if you are using only pencils because they don’t pack as much punch as Unisons. The reverse can also be true - if you put pure white down first, you will have a hard time if you change your mind and want that area to be very black. It will always have a tint to it.
To remedy this, I will paint a medium-value hue if I am using Pans as an underpainting unless the value is completely black. Only then will I make it as dark as possible from the start.
Methodology- In terms of using Pans for an underpainting, this is what I have learned: Start by coloring in very dark areas. It gives a good starting point and will help you to block in some shapes. Color these areas in with black or whatever shade you need. Then for the other areas, you may want to put down a mid-tone or the darkest value (as I said in #4), depending on what is going on in the reference photo. Gradually work towards the lighter shades. After you get the underpainting down, use the pencils to refine the piece.

Before I move on to the last and current Phase of pastel learning that I’m going through I thought I’d share my most recent piece (finished at the beginning of January 2024) where I used the PanPastels for the background and underpainting of the fox. I used the pencils for all of the other layers on the fox. This is a bigger piece (14” x 20”) and I spent some time on him. Maybe 40 hours or more.

Snow fox. I bought a license for this reference photo from Wildlife Reference Photos. I’m still pleased with this piece. I framed it and hung it in my living room. A benefit of being an artist 🙌.

Phase 3- Unison Soft Pastels

I got a set of Unisons for Christmas 2023 and started learning from Emma Colbert on Patreon. Game changer. It was like a beam of light was coming down from Heaven above illuminating what I should be using for most of my artwork moving forward.

I have fallen hard for soft pastels, and I don’t see myself returning to mostly colored pencils again. I am not saying that I will never draw anything with colored pencils, because I don’t want to commit to that. Plus, I have a million colored pencils sitting around that I will have to use.

What I am saying is that I have learned some things using the Unisons that make using soft pastels my preferred medium. I’ll list those after I show some pieces I’ve been working on this year.

“Nova”, drawn by following along with Emma Colbert on a tutorial. This was my first attempt using Unisons on pastelmat.

Cute calf drawn by following along with Emma. Unisons on velour paper.

What I’ve Learned From Using Unisons So Far

Coverage- Probably the first thing you will notice when you use Unisons is that their coverage is amazing. They cover much quicker than the pencils or the Pans. You can vary the pressure a tad to lessen the concentration of pigment, but they will still put a lot more pastel on whatever surface you are using.
I love this trait. This can quicken how fast you create a painting. Also, I love the saturated look.
It is because of this trait that I am mostly using Unisons now. I think my work looks more appealing if I use the sticks as opposed to the pencils. There is a huge difference in the punchiness of the color. I try and only use pencils to create certain effects (fur lines, for example) or use them on edges or in detailed areas. I am trying to mostly use the Unisons for the main subject moving forward. You will find that I still like to use Pans for backgrounds because they are more forgiving.
This is because you can fill the tooth of the paper more quickly using soft pastels. So you have to make sure you are being strategic about the layers so that you don’t get to a point where you are stuck and can’t add anymore.
This is something I have learned the hard way a couple of times. I filled the tooth using the Unisons too quickly before I was happy with the look. To remedy this, you can use a dry paintbrush to remove some of the pigment. Then take the piece outside to tap it off. You won’t get back to square one by doing this, but it can help.
Shape of Sticks- The pastel sticks are large and it can be hard to get a finer line when using them. They feel quite clunky when you first use them. It helps to break the sticks in half or even into smaller pieces. Then you can use the edge of a portion of the pastel to draw thinner lines or marks. I find that I am getting better with this as I practice. So if you have tried them and feel frustrated- don’t give up! Like anything else in life, it takes practice to feel more confident.
Also, you can use a similar colored pastel pencil to manipulate a mark that you put down. Use it to drag the pigment around and shape it. This is especially helpful around the edges of a subject or in detailed areas.
Variety of Mark Making- You can make a lot of different sizes and type marks using the Unisons. You can shade with them on their side. You can break them and use them to create various shapes. You can achieve detailed fur lines. I have seen artists use them to create very realistic paintings and more impressionistic works. The options are endless.
The Cost Is High!- They are expensive. I can’t do anything to help that, but I think they are worth it. The sticks should last a while.
You can also buy sets with 1/2 sticks. I purchased this set from Blick Art which has 120 1/2 sticks. I wanted to get more colors at a cheaper price. It’s a fantastic set, and I’m happy I bought it. It has so many different colors that I can almost draw anything with this and my Emma animal set.
If you find a set that you want to try, search it out on Amazon, Blick Art, and Dakota Pastels to see if you can get the cheapest price. I got my Emma set from Amazon and it was about $70 less than it would have been on the Unison website. So check around before you buy.
Using Velour Paper - Velour paper is an interesting thing- it has a soft texture to it. When I first tried it I thought it felt like I was drawing on carpet. It wasn’t until my second attempt that I began to see the allure of using Unisons on velour.
After I drew the calf (pictured above) I saw how amazing Unisons worked on velour paper. I loved drawing it. You don’t get crisp lines when working on velour compared to Pastelmat, but that’s part of the beauty of it. I like how pastels look softer on this surface. You can also glaze Unisons on top, which is amazing. You can’t do that with Pastelmat.
I have never tried Pans on velour paper, but I’m not sure that would work very well. I do know that the pencils aren’t fantastic on this surface. They are too hard. You can use them a little to draw edges and try and refine some lines, but they don’t lay down as well on velour as they do on Pastelmat.
Before I conclude, here are a couple more recent pieces I’ve done using mostly Unisons.

This is a portrait of one of my bosses’ dogs, Nellie. I struggled with this piece- this was my third attempt, but I think all the trial and error was worth it. I ended up using Pans and pencils for the background because I was oversaturating with the Unisons and I wasn’t sure I had the best green colors. I used mostly Unisons for Nellie.

This is Millie, that same boss’ other dog, an older border collie. This was another situation where I put down too much pigment with the Unisons on the background, and then I had to try and remove it with a dry paintbrush. After I removed some pigment I used the Sofft tools and Pans for the base before building up with some Nupastels (just because I liked those colors better). I didn’t talk about the NuPastels, because I haven’t used them that much so far. I will talk about them after I use them more in the future. Anyway, sometimes if I am unsure of how I will create a background I use Pans because they give me more wiggle room to make mistakes. I used mostly Unisons for Millie.

Conclusion

It feels like I have improved with my pastel skills, and I hope you will agree after viewing photos of my artwork over time. I have been putting a lot of effort into doing that this year. My method for improving is following tutorials, experimenting with what I learn, and trying out new materials. Then I like to report back to you what I’ve discovered. I hope this blog has helped you in some way.

I can’t say for sure what the future will hold, but for now, I am content to move down the soft pastel path as I strive to improve.

Did I miss a type of pastel that is your favorite? Do you agree or disagree with what I discovered? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below :)