Creating a Tonal sky in Soft Pastels Tutorial

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Welcome to this Step by Step Tutorial of a Northumberland sky in Soft Pastels on Canson Mi-tientes 'Touch' paper in Brown. The Tutorial below is aimed at those interested in learning how to create soft and delicate tonal backgrounds in Soft Pastels and is aimed at those new to Pastels. The high quality Unison Pastels have been used for this tutorial but you can try this exercise out using any Pastel brand (not Pastel pencils) using the colour guide beside the reference image to select your own choices, however it is not important to match them exactly. Pastels work well on textured paper to minimise 'pastel drop' and are easier to blend on papers such as Pastelmat or Mi-tientes Touch but there are many others out there which are preferred by Artists as they suit their style the best. Although it is not the only way to work with Pastels, this tutorial is based on my own preference that I have found works best for me. Pastels are a great medium in that you can easily cover up mistakes by simply applying another colour over the top and are fun to work with, obviously they can be messy and I do always stipulate that this medium can produce a lot of dust so ideally wear a mask or if you plan working with Pastels on a regular basis ensure you work in a well ventilated room and do some research on safe working spaces for Pastellists.
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This reference image was chosen because we really do get some stunning, colourful skies here in Northumberland and it makes an ideal subject to trial Soft Pastels, especially if you have never tried them before. The 3 birds in the image are so small that they don't really add anything to the composition which is why I did not add them but if you're feeling expressive you can elaborate and maybe add a larger bird to your pastel painting which can offer additional interest, make sure you draw the outline on to your paper first and work around the outline when applying the pastel. Why not draw and cut the shape of the bird onto a piece of masking tape so you can simply stick it onto the paper then you can gently peel it off having completed the background without losing the outline of the bird on your paper, this works exactly the same way as masking fluid but always make sure your paper will not tear when removing it before applying it.
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2 Crows (back and front) chasing a Short Eared Owl - captured in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland

​Although it does not matter too much what colours you apply first, it is recommended that you work light to dark if colours will overlap one another simply to avoid muddying lighter colours. Use the photograph below to work from and feel free to E-mail me your drawing upon completion, I would love to add them to this page and I hope you enjoy this tutorial!

Stage 1 - Application

The idea is to place all the colours on the paper until around 95% of it is covered with Pastel. Use the side of the pastel if you are covering larger areas so you can cover quicker. For tonal backgrounds such as this, it is better to use softer Pastels (like Unison) rather than harder pastels (such as Conte) as they glide on better, cover quicker and blend easier. It is not important that it can look untidy at this stage or that there are bits of the brown base showing as this will all be covered once the blending has been completed and the appearance is much smoother.

​ If you need a guide as to which colours to place where, the image above offers you a visual guide. It is not important to be precise, you are creating a representation of the image rather than a photocopy and you can always use a bit of Artistic Licence and add your own colours in if you wish, there are no rules here. As an example when you have chosen your colour palette and are applying a blue tone as an example, start by applying the darkest tone working up to the lightest colours on the top. This will follow with other colour tones, it is best to always start with the darkest of the tones working up to the lighter.

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Stage 2 - Blending

Once you have laid down all the Pastel tones, with clean hands begin blending each section individually - wherever you begin blending is entirely up to you but if you are working on an upright easel, to avoid pastel drop in already worked areas it may be helpful to blend beginning top to bottom. In this image I have used 2 fingers to avoid muddying colour tones. One for the blue areas and the other for the brown areas.

How you blend your pastel painting is a personal preference but you may find it easier to blend in circular motions - as Pastel papers tend to be textured (some more than others) this will ensure that the pastel is pushed into all those tiny peaks of the paper and can offer a much smoother finish. ​You can keep a damp cloth close by to keep your hands clean of excess pastel but make sure you dry them on a towel before going back to the blending.

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Related articles that may be of interest
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Canson Mi-tientes Touch paper review

Starting out with Soft Pastels

About the Unison Pastels

Advice for becoming a commission artist

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Stage 3 - Additional Detail

Once you have completed your blending you may wish to go over any grainy areas where you can still see the base paper showing through if you want a really smooth finish or you may wish to leave them showing if you feel it adds to the effects. If you do choose to apply more pastels, you may not need to put on as many layers. Grainier paper will take more layers and may need further layers too.

Once you have finalised your tonal colours and have achieved a smooth finish, this is the part where the finer detail can be added either with pastel sticks or with pastel pencils. As this is a tonal portrait, a softer pastel will be the best choice and here I use a light tone of colour to add highlights into the clouds or lighten up  those bright sunlit clouds. Ensure transitions of colour are blended together well to avoid harsh edges which can spoil the effect.

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Finally....

The 3 steps in this tutorial can be applied to any tonal subject you create in Soft Pastels although it will depend on the amount of detail in a composition, this tutorial was selected for its simplicity, especially if this is your first trial with Soft Pastels. I hope it helps to distinguish any concerns about working with Pastels to someone who has never used them before and maybe it is the start of a new and fun loving relationship with this medium for you!  Thank you for giving the tutorial a go and if you wish to share your completed painting with me, please drop me a line as I would love to add it to the Gallery on this page.​

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