Pastel pencil tutorial for beginners

Before we walk you through a beginners pastel pencil tutorial, we'd like to introduce the pigments and the best papers to use.

Artists have used pastel pigments for centuries, so what is special about having them available in pencil form?

Well the core of a pencil consists of a harder pastel, allowing us more control and the ability to create sharper edges when we are drawing. This is useful when creating smaller pieces of art.

When working larger, the pastel sticks are still useful for putting down broad sweeping strokes of colour.

In the photo below, you will see (left) a trio of soft pastel sticks, still mostly in their original wrappers, in the middle a trio of hard pastel sticks, and (right) a trio of Caran d’Ache pastel pencils.

Choosing pastel paper

We're looking for pastel papers that are quite soft and have a rough surface. This texture helps the pastel pigment stick to the paper.

When you're out shopping for supplies, look for papers with a weight of at least 160gsm.

Don't stick to white paper. Coloured papers instantly provide a background which helps tie together all the elements of your composition. Some manufacturers produce packs containing an assortment of colours which is a great way to get started economically.

For the samples below I used Tiziano paper from Fabriano. If you have it, great, but you can use an alternative as long as it has a little bit of texture.

I'm using this one simply because it's the first pastel paper I grabbed from my art supply cupboard. When you look closely at Tiziano you will see it has a slightly ribbed surface as you can see in the following photo (sorry about the glare).

Let's explore how pastel pencil works on paper!

1. Dry Pastel on Dark Cream Paper

• Notice the paper's texture showing through
• Darker colours show this more clearly

2. Creating a foundation

• For dark areas: Use a dark base
• For white areas: Start with white
• This helps protect the paper and preserves your colours

3. Blending colours

This photo shows how blending works:

• We've used a dry finger to blend where the colours meet. 

Notice how adding another layer changes things:

• Colours become more intense

• Black looks quite solid, even over white

• Blue is lighter at the edges, darker over black

• White creates shades of grey in the center

Remember, we're just getting started! What do you think of the effects so far?

My final photo shows what happens when we add three more vertical lines of color. These new lines go in the same direction as the original blocks.

Let's look at what's happening:

1. The white line:

- It goes over the black line from before.

- Some color mixes with the white, making it a bit grey.

- But it still covers up the dense black underneath.

2. The blue line in the middle:

- It brings back the blue color to that area.

- As it goes over the black, it picks up a little of that color.

3. The last black line:

- This one is very dense now.

- You can barely see the paper's texture underneath.

Can you see how each layer changes things? It's like we're building up the colours step by step.

The little experiments above have demonstrated the opaque nature of the pastel medium. This means:

1. They blend easily
2. They cover other colours well

Even harder pastels, like pastel pencils, have these qualities. This is different from wax and watercolour pencils which are more translucent. 

In a moment we'll look at a small still life drawing. This will show you how to develop a picture using pastel pencils, step-by-step. But first...

But what happens if I go wrong?

Correcting mistakes in pastel art

It's important to know how to fix mistakes before starting your pastel artwork. Corrections become harder as pastel layers build up, so it's best to make changes early while some paper texture remains.

Remember, each method has its pros and cons. Why not experiment with the tools below to see which works best for you?

Correction tools:

Blue Tac/White Tac mixture

• Blend Blue Tac and White Tac for an ideal lifting medium
• Store in a plastic fold or accessible pot
• Keep a small amount on your easel for easy access
• Mould into specific shapes to lift pastel from precise areas
• Use to clean your hands after blending colours with fingers
• Fold it to reveal fresh sticky surfaces
• Can last for years (though it may turn grey over time)

Kneaded Erasers

• Commercial alternative to the tac mixture
• Faber-Castell kneaded eraser works well
• More expensive but easier to find than UHU White Tack

Magic Sponge (Eraser)

Another excellent pastel remover is the ‘Magic sponge’ sold by chain stores like Aldi for general cleaning. The sponge is white and made from a very dense foam which can be easily cut into strips. It is very inexpensive and is also said to work well removing watercolour from paper.

Craft knife (Ceramic blade)

A craft knife can also be used to scrape away pigment, though care is needed that you don’t damage the working surface and ruin the grain of the paper for working the correction.

Bristle brush

I do keep a short bristle brush handy as this can remove some of the upper layers of pigment when the pastel gets too built up.

Bread?

I have seen books quote using a ball of kneaded fresh bread as a good correction material that will lift colour from the surface, but I haven’t tried it.

Let's start with a simple vase

How about we begin with a basic still life of a small vase? This will help us practice some fundamental techniques. I chose this particular vase as it has a matt surface so you don't need to worry about reflections. 

I used the smooth side of a blue 160gsm Ingres paper for this pastel pencil tutorial. 

I laid a sheet of card over my drawing board and then the pastel paper on top. This gives it a slight cushioning and prevents any imperfections in the board surface from showing when I apply the pastel.

I also like to tape a thin sheet of paper along the back edge of my work, so that I can fold it down to protect the drawing.

And the final board looks like this.  It is not necessary to tape all round the working paper - we are not stretching it.  

The top is taped straight across and the sides just have enough to stop the paper moving about.The white card is just visible underneath, and the protective layer is folded back.

You can use a little bit of tape on the bottom edge to close down the top protection if you need to take the work somewhere to work on it.

The protective layer can be ordinary white paper, Glassine anti static paper or even brown paper- it is just that I had tracing paper the right size, to hand.

Starting the pastel pencil tutorial

To draw our little vase study we will use a limited colour palette of:

• White - for the lightest areas
• Rraw umber (mid brown) - for medium tones
• Sepia - for dark areas and outlines
• Peach
• French grey
• Purple
• Magenta
• Dark blue (for the cast shadow)

Lay in the first layers

For inside the vase:

• White, Raw Umber, and Sepia create the subdued colours
• Sepia outlines the dark edge
• Peach for lighter areas

For outside the vase:

• White: for the lighter side
• Purple and Magenta: for the darker side
• Sepia: for the deepest shadows
• Peach for lighter areas

Cast shadow on surface:

• Dark blue

Drawing curves

All your strokes should follow the vase’s shape. To help, rotate your paper and the reference photo to match. This allows for natural wrist movement and easier curved lines. Far better to move the paper than force an awkward drawing angle.

Getting the foundation layers right

The lesson built into this pastel pencil tutorial will help you work with this medium for any subject matter. We are really concentrating on the layering process, which is different from that used with wax or oil based coloured pencils.

With pastels, the first layers are still important for tone and colour balance. However, pastel also involves the physical mixing of the pigment on the paper, not just layering. The early foundation layers provide a palette for adding details later.

Tips for tonal areas

• Dark areas need a dark base
• Light areas need a white base
• Mid-tones are more flexible
• Adding white lightens colours
• Adding darker colours deepens shades

Building on the foundation

Use the peach pencil to:

• Brighten lighter areas
• Add heavier vertical lines on the outside (left)
• Build up lighter areas inside the vase (right)

Blending the pastel

Now we come to the big difference between coloured pencil and pastel pencil.

As you work, you might notice that the pastel dust starts to accumulate on your paper.

Don't worry – this is normal and can actually be beneficial. You can gently blend some areas if you'd like a smoother finish. Just be careful not to smudge areas you want to keep crisp.

Using tools for pastel work

There are a number of objects you can use to blend the pastel pigment, including the following…

1. Paper 'torchon' or silicone tool:

• Helpful for small, detailed areas
• Useful in small pictures where fingers don't fit

2. Using your finger:

• Benefit: Dry skin holds and blends powder well
• Caution: Don't use with greasy or oily skin (see below)

Adding colour and refining the vase

The next step is to introduce some more colour to the right hand outside and work back into the lighter left hand side.

Apply French grey to the right hand side of the outside of the vase. Extend this right down to the bottom. 

Blend the colours at the base

Use the peach over the French grey. The pastel will pick up the underlaying colour which will help to merge the colours. Avoid a harsh line down the vase by creating an even gradient.

Repeat the process from both sides and blend until the shading is smooth from left to right. 

Develop the vase interior

Repeat the above process inside the vase, developing those ribs in the pottery.

Finally put in the sharp and soft edges for shadows and sharpen up the top rim.

The results of our pastel pencil tutorial

Now it's time to complete the shadow at the foot of the base. Add sepia to the darkest area close to the vase and then a layer of dark blue over the whole area. Rubbing with your finger will help to fade it out in a natural manner. 

Sharpening edges

Sharpening up the edges of the object is done with a pastel matching the paper colour and a silicone colour shaper tool. The idea is to create a "lost edge" so it doesn't look like a sharp cut out. 

Final points

This beginner's pastel pencil tutorial aims to teach techniques, not create a masterpiece. However, we hope it encourages you to give it a try and that you learned some tips for using this medium.

 

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