Lovin' the Pan Pastels

For the past few months I've been alternating between watercolor and pastel. My last few posts have dealt mainly with watercolor; now I need to give pastel equal time.

I have always loved the immediacy of pastels. Colors are added and changed quickly as they go from the pastel stick in your hand, right to your surface. No pre-mixing or blending required. I have never been a fan of pastel dust though, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to experiment with Pan Pastels. After just one day of experimentation I was SOLD! I even broke my "no messy pastels in my new studio" rule. Pan Pastels create very little dust, the colors are amazing and yeah I became an addict.   So….. I might need to enroll in a 12-step program to help me break my new habit. Just kidding.

Anyway back to the art. I've been working with some images from Ireland, trying to capture the dewy atmosphere and dramatic cloud formations. And yes some of the "typical Irish scenery " too like tumbling down castles. I've been pleased with results. The pan pastels are great for creating misty atmospheric landscapes (that sounds like Ireland!!!). And their soft foam applicators keep me from getting too detailed. I prefer working on Ampersand Pastel Board because I like the firm, slightly textured surface and the boards are easy to stored because I don't have to worry about wrinkling or dimpling a paper surface.

I'm preparing to teach another Pastel class at the Y Arts Studio and you can bet that Pan Pastels will be part of the lesson plan!