Creating a Violet flower in soft pastels

Artist level: All

Written: October 2020

This tutorial shows you how to create a violet flower using soft pastels on Colourfix smooth paper. Using a fine grain paper like C.S (or Pastelmat) minimises blending between layers as there is little pastel drop. Each stage is offered as a series of images and written explanations so you can see how each section is created. Using a lighter coloured pencil to blend out a darker tone will help to soften the finish.

You can find the reference image below. You can screen grab and print out or view on a tablet whilst reading the instructions on a smartphone or computer. The colours used in this demo are from the Inscribe (aka Mungyo) range, but it is unnecessary to use these pastels, simply pick similar colours from your own collection. 

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and if you would like to request a subject for inclusion of a future mini tutorial, please get in touch!

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The Products you will need

Hard pastels  -  B/2B Pencil  -  Soft putty rubber  -  Face cloth/Wet wipes  -   Hand Towel  -  Pastel pencils  

Paper Used:  Art Spectrum Colourfix Smooth     Pastels Used: Inscribe/Mungyo & Faber Castell PITT pastel pencils

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The reference image and colours used

The Inscribe/Mungyo pastel half sticks were used in this tutorial. You can use any brand of pastel, but hard sticks tend to work better as they are easier to apply in small areas. If you have full length pastels, you may prefer to break them in half, which can make them easier to work with. Doing this also allows you to keep one side for fine lines and the other for applying base layers. It is not important that your colours are an exact match, and you may wish to use slightly different tones to the colours used in this tutorial. The colours used are provided below so you can select your own colours.

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​​IMPORTANT TIPS:  
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* Avoid muddying colours by wiping your pastels and pastel pencils on a tissue between applications, useful to keep pale colours pure when applying lighter tones over darker ones.
*  If you are working on a flat surface, pastels can easily get smudged by your hand. It is recommended that you keep a piece of clean paper beneath your working hand to avoid this. Glassine paper is especially useful for this. Replace if/when it becomes too saturated.
* If you have full length pastels, you may prefer to break them in half. This also allows you to keep one side for fine lines and the other for applying base layers.
* To shape your pastel blocks, run the edge of your pastel over a sheet of fine sandpaper to create a thin edge for applying fine lines. This is highly recommended if you do not have any pastel pencils.​

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IMPORTANT NOTE:
Soft pastels create dust so you may wish to wear a face mask whilst you work, which will protect you from inhaling dust particles. We highly recommend this for those who suffer with asthma or other respiratory issues. Soft pastels may not be suitable for everyone for this reason.
If you work with soft pastels on a regular basis, we recommend that you invest in a HEPA air filter.

OUTLINE

If you are using a paper like the smooth Colourfix (or Pastelmat), you only need to apply a very light outline. This makes it easier to erase any mistakes. Don't make your drawing too small as you will find it more challenging when creating the smaller details. A 6" or 8" square should allow you more space to work, and especially if this is your very first go with pastels, you'll find it more enjoyable.

The best grade of pencil to create your outline is a B or 2B pencil which will give you a thicker and slightly darker outline. If you are working on a lighter paper, a HB or B pencil may be more suitable. If you prefer, you can draw your outline with pastel pencils and skip the next two steps. Draw the outline and include all the detail seen in the image above.

If you used a graphite pencil for your outline, you may need to soften it before applying pastels over the top. Here I used a soft putty rubber to achieve this. It is quite pliable and you can break it up into pieces,  placing over the area you need to soften and lift. Do this all over the outline, but do not make it too light that you can no longer see it.

Next, re-apply the outline using pastel pencils. This will ensure you do not lose the shape during application. The PITT pastel Light Ultramarine (140) and the Helioblue Reddish (151) colours were used to achieve this. Apply the dark blue outline to accentuate the shaded areas and the light blue to accentuate the highlights.

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BASE LAYERS - PASTEL STICKS

As with any medium, techniques vary from one artist to another. In this tutorial, base tones are applied starting with lighter tones finishing with the application of the darkest. Note I have already completed one petal so you can see what the petal should look like once complete. Begin by filling in the yellow centre using a Lemon Yellow at the bottom and a Yellow Ochre above. On to the petals, and begin with the pale lilac tone, loosely applying in the lightest areas. Work around the water droplets and avoid overlapping the shaded lines. It may be a little fiddly if your flower is small, but this ensures your perspectives are not lost. Do not blend. 

The next stage is using the Lavender tone over the rest of the petals Cover around 90% of the pale lilac tone too. You should still be able to see the pale colour in areas, particularly at the tips. Applying one colour just makes the petal look flat, hence the two application at the start. As before, apply loosely. Begin from the centre of the petal and apply upwards, layering over the pale lilac tones. This will aid blending without the need to use your fingers or a blending tool.

Next is the third colour. Apply the Violet tone, which should be somewhat darker than the Lavender but with a warm tint. As before, apply from the centre and pull outwards, to help the colours bind together slightly. Remember to keep your layers loose as this will minimise saturation. The highlights seen on the petals do not require this additional shade and should stay lighter. You will note in the image above that I am also defining the shadows at this stage, which helps to create depth. Blending is not required. 

The final tone needed for the completion of the base layers is a violet-blue. Apply to all the deeper shaded areas to create additional depth. Pay particular attention to those areas where the petals overlap another. As before, a loose application is all that is needed. Apply with a little more weight in areas where you require a stronger application of colour or re-apply where needed. Do not blend until the next section.

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Other related articles that may be of interest
​

Inscribe pastels - A low price brand to begin your pastel journey - Article not currently available

Read our blog about the smooth version of the highly popular Art Spectrum Colourfix paper

If you are new to soft pastels, this article offers lots of useful information.

View all our soft pastel articles and try one of our other pastel tutorials.

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BLENDING BASE LAYERS

At the blending stage, you can choose to blend using tools or with your fingers. Sponges are ideal for blending large areas, and paper stumps can be useful for small areas. Make-up sponges are a low cost alternative to blending and can be purchased in numerous shapes and sizes. 

If you use your fingers to blend, keep a damp cloth or wet wipe beside your drawing so you can clean excess pastel from your finger(s) between applications. Always dry your fingers on a towel afterwards to minimise the transfer of pastel to other areas of your work. 

A clean, paper stump can be used to soften finer details on your pastel drawing, particularly in fiddly areas. Try and avoid mixing colours when working between areas by cleaning the pigment from the tip of the stump.  You can also purchase the 'Sofft' tools which are part of the Pan Pastel range.

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COMPLETING BASE LAYERS

After you have finished blending your colours, you may need to erase excess smudging that may overlap your outline. Erase these smudges with your rubber. If you have one in your possession, a soft putty rubber can make it easier to remove them. Just break a small piece off and mould a fine edge so you can remove the marks easily without marking your paper. You may need to re-sculpt it to hide the excess pastel that collects on it.

Re-apply the highlights to the petals with the pale lilac tone, as the blending will have darkened these highlights. Re-blend. Use the image above as a guide. Create the pale 'area' above the 'yellow centre' by dotting the area with the edge of the pastel with the same pale lilac tone. Apply white specks between these dots. Do not blend.

To finish up this stage, brighten the highlights further by using a white pastel. Apply around the edges and and to the edges of the petals where highlights can be seen. Blend to finalise. Not bright enough? Repeat where needed. 

Tweak your base tones until you are ready to move onto the fine details. If you wish to add any additional tones, this is the stage where you should do so. Before moving on to the next stage, tidy your outlines if needed.

APPLYING FINE DETAIL

At this stage, pastel pencils are the best option as you can achieve much finer lines and a pencil is much easier to control than a pastel stick. If you do not have any pastel pencils, shape the edge of your pastel to create a thin edge. This will offer you more control and should allow you to achieve the same effects as the pastel pencil does.

Using more than one colour will stop your lines looking flat. This example shows the four stages of application beginning with the PITT pastel, Helioblue Reddish (151). A paler application using the Light Ultramarine (140) is then laid over the top to soften the lines. Re-apply the darker lines with the Helioblue (151) and finally reapplythe highlights with the Ultramarine (140) It may be necessary to apply white highlights to some areas too.

To create the water droplets, you should apply the shadows around the edges to create a 3D effect. Follow this up with the white highlight inside these lines and add in additional tones using either the light ultramarine and/or the Helioblue. The edges should be softened so it looks natural. The droplet to the left in the image above shows initial applications, the second droplet to the right has been softened and appears more natural and effective.

The best way to blend your colours is with another pencil. Doing it this way helps to blend better and will not remove excess pastel which can happen with the use of a blending tool. Create the shaded areas using the Helioblue tone. This will shape the petals and help it look more realistic. At this stage you should also start to define the water droplets on the petal too. Avoid simply drawing a line all the way round each droplet, study the photo and place the blue outline only where you can see it in the photo.

Using the Light Ultramarine pencil, apply over the Helioblue colour previously applied. This gives you far more control over softening the edges and lightening the tone in areas where needed, whilst avoiding complete saturation of those areas that should stay dark. Note how smooth the petal looks after blending, Reapplying the dark blue veins may be needed, but always ensure you soften the edges using the Ultramarine pencil which will help create a natural finish.

Once you have completed your shading and highlighting using the two blue tones, use the Payne's grey tone (181) to create additional outlines to the edges of some water droplets. Avoid uniformity and use the reference image to guide you (avoid placing a complete outline all the way around the water droplets) Also apply in areas that require more depth, particularly seen in those areas where the petal bends and the light does not hit. 

Once you have applied all the lines and edges to the water droplets, use the light ultramarine to fill in the centres, and follow up with the white pencil to create the shine of the water. Some droplets appear darker and you may need to use the darker blue and/or grey to create the shape instead. Upon completion of shaping the petals and adding the water droplets, use the Caput Mortuum (169) colour to add in the deep red/brown shade below the yellow centre.

Completed drawing

Here is the completed drawing. Use it to complete your own portrait should you need to. You will note that we also added extra detail to the petals not mentioned in this tutorial. Just by applying loose, wiggly lines to create the texture on some of the petals, can add to the realism and by gently pressing over these lines with your finger, will help to soften the detail a little making it look more natural. Using pastel sticks or PanPastels to build up the surface layers is much quicker, allowing you more time to spend on the fine detail using pastel pencils. Softening the edges of your pastel applications when creating a subject in nature like this flower, will help to achieve far more realism. Always ensure you have applied all the tones needed for your base layers before you begin the finer details. Working with a paper like Colourfix smooth, allows you to blend easier and minimises pastel dust. 

It is better to create art in your own style, using these techniques as a guide. Please do email your drawing to me via [email protected] so I can add it to a gallery on this page. ​

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Please get in touch if you have a simple study you would like to request.

View our other Soft pastels tutorials

Soft pastels for beginners

Layering with soft pastels

Base layers and high detail creation

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