Painting a Sunset Poppy Field in Soft Pastels: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Learn the essentials of soft pastels in this beginner-friendly tutorial, using a striking sunset over a field of poppies as the subject. Pastels are a versatile and accessible medium, making them perfect for absolute beginners. You will explore how to build rich colour transitions and atmospheric depth, gaining a clear understanding of how to work with the natural, velvety properties of the medium alongside blending techniques to create soft, glowing finishes. This guide is designed for artists of all calibres, explaining the entire process in depth so you can confidently create your own expressive landscape.

Across the illustrated stages, the tutorial guides you from the initial sky underpainting through to the final vibrant foreground details. Each stage includes precise instructions and practical tips, making the process straightforward even if you are completely new to soft pastels. The aim is to give you a solid foundation in core medium techniques, such as layering, feathering, and managing the dust and tooth of your paper, so you can produce well-structured, confident pastel drawings.

To further enhance your experience, the original reference photo is provided below, and you can also access a downloadable outline in the Step by Step Art Ko-fi shop to print out and use.

What You'll Learn:

• The mechanics of correct layering: How the order of your applications dictates the success of the painting, ensuring you build up your layers without overloading the paper.
• Creating a sense of distance: How to vary the size and definition of your subjects to build a natural sense of perspective across the landscape.
• Achieving sunset luminosity: How to build layers and place warm colours in a specific sequence, ensuring you achieve the radiant highlights of a warm sunset.

Reference Image & ​​Materials List

Find the large format image on pxhere.com

• Textured black substrate
• Soft/Hard Pastels​
• Protective paper (Glassine/Tracing Paper)
• ​Damp Hand Cloth and Dry Towel​​​​

• Kitchen Towel (for cleaning pastels & blenders) 
• Masking Tape
• Blending Sponge or stumps (Optional)​
• Pastel Pencils (Optional)​​​​​

The Products Used in this Tutorial:  ​
​Paper: Art Spectrum Colourfix Black    Pastel range: Inscribe

This tutorial does not require specific brands, but the choice of materials will affect the final texture and colour saturation. Select colours from your existing palette that closely match the 15 hues used here, and choose a dark, textured surface to begin.
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• Soft Pastels: A selection of 15 colours. Half-sticks are ideal for this A4 composition. While student-grade ranges like Inscribe are excellent for those new to the medium, they contain more binder and less pigment than professional alternatives, meaning colours may appear slightly more muted on a dark surface. Professional-grade sticks offer higher saturation and coverage with fewer applications.
• Paper: An A4 dark, textured or sand-primed surface. A strong tooth is essential to hold the multiple layers required for this technique. Note that varying the substrate or pastel brand will alter the final finish, adding unique character to the artwork.
• Studio Sundries: A damp cloth alongside a clean, dry towel. Working with pastels is inherently messy; keeping hands clean and completely dry between blending stages prevents accidental colour contamination and muddy transitions.​​

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​​Important Tips before you Begin

Choosing the right paper dictates how soft pastels behave and how easily the colour adheres to the surface. A heavily textured, sand-primed paper provides a rough grain that grips the pigment from your stick with every stroke. This texture allows you to build multiple layers of colour efficiently, yet still lets you blend and smooth the pastels without the pigment sliding off the page.

For large areas: Use the long, flat side of the pastel to sweep colour across the paper surface quickly and evenly, without filling the texture of the paper too soon. If using full-sized sticks, break one in half to create a manageable piece, keep the other end for creating sharp edges.

For fine details:  Turn the pastel stick to use a sharp corner or a crisp, hard edge. This approach provides the precise control needed to execute thin poppy stems and sharp foreground highlights. If preferred, a pastel pencil makes an excellent alternative for these final, delicate touches.

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​​Essential Technical Tips

• ​​​Preserve Paper Tooth: Apply pigment lightly in the initial stages to avoid clogging the grain too early, leaving enough texture to grip subsequent layers.
• Maintain Sharp Edges: Run the pastel over fine sandpaper to restore a crisp edge for fine lines.
• Work Top-to-Bottom: Start at the top when using an upright easel so falling dust does not spoil completed work below.
• Prevent Hand Smudging: Place a sheet of glassine paper under the working hand when painting flat. You can wipe it clean if it becomes saturated with dust.
• Clean the Sticks: Wipe the pastel tips on a clean tissue between applications to prevent dark pigments from contaminating paler tints.
• Keep Hands Dry: Use a damp cloth to clean fingers between blending stages, but always dry them thoroughly with a towel before touching the pastels again.
• Test on Offcuts: Keep a spare scrap of your textured paper nearby to test stroke pressure and colour combinations before committing them to the final layout.

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Surface Preparation and Protection

Fixing the paper to a sturdy easel board creates a stable working surface and keeps the substrate steady under application. Masking the four edges prevents the sheet from shifting or lifting as layers accumulate. Once removed, the tape reveals a clean, professional border that allows the artwork to be handled safely without touching the pastel pigment. While this margin does not completely prevent drifting dust from settling, it provides a tidy area for mounting and matting later. To protect the soft pastel pigment, cover the drawing with a sheet of glassine paper whenever the piece is unattended. For long-term storage or transport, wrapping the finished drawing in glassine prevents smudging and compression

​FIND THE OUTLINE TO THIS TUTORIAL ON OUR KOFI PAGE

​Our Ko-fi page features a shop where you can download the outline and reference for this tutorial. These outlines are completely free for our Ko-fi followers. If you're not yet a member, consider joining to access all these resources at no cost or, if you prefer, you can simply screengrab the outline and print out.

​​Working on a Dark Surface: Student vs Artist-grade Pastels

Working on a black or dark substrate changes how soft pastels behave and appear. The dark ground immediately supplies deep values and strong contrast, so light and mid-tone pastels pop dramatically against it. Student-grade pastels like the Inscribe range used in this tutorial, contain less pure pigment and more binder, making them less opaque and vibrant than professional brands; this means the black surface may show through more readily and colours will look softer or slightly muted unless built up carefully in layers. If you are following along with a professional-grade soft pastel, expect richer, more intense results and easier full coverage of the dark ground, keep this difference in mind as you work so you can adjust pressure, layering, and colour choices accordingly.

Stage 1 - Sky Foundations

Colours Used: Cadmium Yellow, Light Blue & Cerulean Blue

Begin by establishing a clear horizon line to guide your layout. When applying the foundational colours, do so lightly to avoid overloading the surface too quickly. Start with the sky by applying Cadmium Yellow from the top of the horizon line upwards, using the flat side of the pastel for quicker application. Next, layer Light Blue across the top, making sure to leave a gap in the center for the next layer. Add small accents of Cerulean Blue for depth, then finish with a final soft layer of Light Blue.

Stage 2 - Sky Foundations

Colour Used: Lemon Yellow

Apply a layer of Lemon Yellow over the previously applied Cadmium Yellow, taking care not to blend at this stage. If you have used the pastels in moderation, you should still see flecks of the paper underneath, which creates space for the pastel to settle during the blending process. By limiting the amount of pastel you apply at this stage, you will be able to control the saturation levels more effectively, and this will help prevent any dominant pigment from overwhelming the others.

Stage 3 - Sky - Tonal Accents

Colours Used: Mid Grey

Begin by merging a neutral tone with the yellow hues to establish a harmonious colour palette. Use Mid Grey to create contrast along the edges of the central dividing line between the yellow and blue sections. This approach will effectively mitigate the intensity of the yellow, thereby introducing a sense of depth to the composition. When applied with precision, these additions will ensure that the sun remains the primary focal point once integrated into the artwork.

Stage 4 - Blending

Tools Used: Fingers

​While blending tools can be handy, using your fingers gives you more control and helps avoid muddying the colours. This makes it much easier to manipulate the pigment and achieve smooth, soft transitions. To prevent the colours from mixing, use one finger for blending the yellow and another for blue. Maintain clean fingers during blending by wiping the pastel off with a damp cloth and drying them completely before continuing.

Stage 5 - Secondary Layers

Colours Used: Light Blue & Lemon Yellow

After blending, apply a light second layer to ensure the paper surface retains enough texture to hold subsequent applications. Work carefully and build colour gradually, adding Lemon Yellow to the sunlit lower area and enhancing the blue section above with Light Blue. This step builds depth, colour intensity, and coverage while subtly brightening the underpainting. It establishes a reliable foundation for subsequent colour applications and final foreground details.

Stage 6 - Blending

Tools Used: Fingers

To ensure seamless, vibrant transitions, repeat the blending procedure once more, taking care to keep fingers entirely clean to avoid muddying the separate colour zones. The light blue section above must remain clean and crisp, whilst the yellow section below must stay equally untainted. These two distinct colours should not be mixed or dragged across each other, except along the narrow central line where they meet to form a subtle, controlled transition.

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Stage 7 - Building Stalks

Colours Used: Forest Green

Because the sun sits low in the sky, the landscape is already cast in deep shadow, so starting with a black surface means less work building up dark background applications. To block in the first stage of the poppy stalks, use the Forest green pastel to apply vertical strokes across the midground. Leave areas of the bare dark paper exposed to represent the natural gaps in the field, making sure to avoid uniformity for a more realistic landscape effect.

Stage 8 - Stalks

Colours Used: Mid Green

The second stage involves building on the previous layers by introducing a brighter green tone to the tops of the stalks. Using the Mid Green pastel, apply lighter, varied strokes to lift the colour and create immediate contrast against the darker underpainting. At this stage, incorporate several small, oval orbs across the midground to depict the budding poppies. Once again, avoid uniformity in your placement and leave natural gaps to maintain a natural appearance.

Stage 8 - A closer look

Colours Used: N/A

This close-up demonstrates how the two green tones work together to build structure. The darker Forest shade establishes the basic shape of the stems, sitting just a step above the black surface of the paper. Following this, the Mid Green tone brightens the tops of the stalks where the low sunset light catches them. This creates foundational form and depth, preparing the surface for a third, even lighter green that will lift the highlights further and tie the layers together.

Stage 9 - Highlights

Colour Used: Yellow Green

The third stage introduces the Light Green hue to add vibrant highlights to the tips of the stalks. Focus this application strictly where the low sun strikes the landscape most intensely. Adding this third layer elevates the previous green tones, creating the high-contrast illumination needed to make the stems look three-dimensional. This step completes the structure of the stalks, establishing a vibrant base for the upcoming poppy details.

Stage 10 - Poppy Heads

Colours Used: Warm Red

Now block in the poppies with Warm Red, using your reference photo as a loose guide rather than trying to copy every flower. Put simple dots below the horizon line for distance, making the shapes larger as you move into the midground. At the front, use red strictly for the mid-tones, leaving open spaces so you can add orange and terracotta highlights later. Varying the size and spacing like this creates a clear sense of perspective, whilst leaving room for the main poppy heads at the front.

Stage 10 - Poppy Heads

Colours Used: N/A

This close-up highlights how the initial red outlines define the basic structure of the foreground petals. Keeping this base layer light prevents oversaturation, ensuring the paper tooth remains clear for the upcoming orange and terracotta highlights. Note how the underlying green tones contrast with the red pigment, immediately lifting the flowers from the background and giving the poppy heads a strong, three-dimensional presence before adding further detail.

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Stage 11 - Warm Accents

Colour Used: Cadmium Orange

Now establish the light and dark values to build structural depth within the poppy heads and capture the sunlight. Begin with Terracotta to lay down the shadows; applying this deeper tone makes the recessed areas of the petals appear to push back. Next, introduce India Yellow to capture the warmth of the sun on the illuminated petals, creating a rich, sun-kissed appearance. Increase the brightness and saturation of this yellow as you approach the light source to reinforce the intensity of the sunset.

Stage 12 - Contrasts

Colour Used: Terracotta & India Yellow

This stage shows how the scene develops once you add your lights and darks. The terracotta colour adds necessary shadow to the base of the poppies, connecting the red petals to the green stems so the flowers do not look detached. Meanwhile, the India Yellow breaks up the flat red underpainting by adding patches of warm sunlight. These two tones work together to make the shapes look realistic before the final highlights are applied.

Stage 13 - Contrails

Colour Used: Cream

This stage focuses on developing the sky details by layering the clouds and contrails. Start with the Cream pastel to build vibrant highlights around the central sun area and across the upper sky, creating a glowing base layer. Next, use the same Cream tone to pull out the wispy cloud shapes and the sharper, linear contrails cutting across the blue. Keeping the cloud edges soft whilst leaving the contrails defined creates immediate atmospheric realism.

Stage 14 - Warming the Sky

Colour Used: India Yellow

This stage uses India Yellow to intensify the warmth along the horizon where the sun will sit. Because this pigment is highly saturated, skim the pastel lightly across the surface rather than pressing hard. Use a clean fingertip to blend the colour smoothly across the yellow band, keeping the application controlled. Be careful not to work the yellow too far up into the blue sky, as mixing these two opposing areas will create a muddy green transition.

Stage 15 - Trails

Colour Used: White

This stage focuses on adding the sharpest contrails across the sky using the edge or corner of the White pastel stick. Instead of dragging your finger to blend, simply press down gently over the new strokes to take the raw edge off the pigment. This tapping motion softens the lines slightly without spreading the pastel or losing its crisp shape. You can repeat this process of drawing and pressing until you achieve the right balance and intensity for the highlights.

Stage 16 - Sun Highlighting

Colour Used: White & Dark grey

This final stage completes the landscape by placing the sun and anchoring the horizon. Use the White pastel to establish the bright core of the sun, applying it with pressure. You may notice a heavier build-up of loose dust around the edges; gently blow this excess away gently rather than wiping it. Finish the composition by using the dark grey tone along the horizon line to block in the distant trees, defining the boundary between the glowing sky and the poppy field.

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The Finished Painting: Taking the Next Steps

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The beauty of soft pastels is that the medium itself does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to blending, allowing you to create striking results with minimal force. The critical skill to master is gauging how much pigment to apply so you do not accidentally muddy your lighter colours. While you can easily layer light pastels over darker tones, you must keep the tips of your sticks clean to maintain clean, opaque applications. Use these demonstrations as a practical guide to learn the core techniques, but always allow your own expressive style to come through; it results in a far more engaging piece of art than attempting a carbon copy of a reference photo.

Take time to study your subject and focus on placing your tonal values accurately across the composition. Establishing these distinct areas of light and shadow is what creates true depth in a landscape, which is far more important to the success of the painting than any fine detail you add later. Once you master this balance of light and dark, you will find that the step-by-step process used in this tutorial is not limited to a single scene, it provides a reliable, practical framework that you can confidently adapt to any other subject or composition you choose to paint.

View Our Other Soft Pastel Tutorials

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​Tutorial Updated: August 2026