What can you draw with pastels for beginners? Several ways to draw with oil pastels

Among the many techniques and tools used by modern artists, pastel stands out for its unusual texture and brightness of color. It’s not easy to draw a portrait in pastels, but if you become interested in this direction, improve your own skills and make efforts to obtain the desired result, you can achieve what you want. Moreover, the process itself brings pleasure and draws you into the work headlong.

Before you start drawing with pastels, it is important to understand the features of this technique, as well as acquire the necessary materials for the creative process. The same set of tools is not suitable for beginners and professionals, so preparation for the creative process will be different. Only after this can you begin to figure out how to draw a portrait with pastels.

Benefits of painting with pastels

Many artists of different levels of professionalism prefer pastel painting to all other techniques. A portrait using this technique looks unusual and allows you to convey the slightest features of the artist’s mood. Other benefits of pastels include:

  • simplicity of the process - pastel lays down easily, especially if you select all the materials and tools correctly;
  • variety of colors - pastel is known for its soft transitions and combination of different shades;
  • light fastness - unlike many other paints, it does not fade in the sun;
  • velvety surface.

These advantages contribute to the popularity and love among artists who happily use pastels: the portrait technique with this tool allows you to make a beautiful and unusual image of a person. Although it is not as easy as novice artists would like.

Drawing tools for beginners

Drawing with pastels must begin with the preparation of materials and a place for future creativity. This artist's tool comes in several types: dry, oil and wax pastels. Dry, in turn, can be soft and hard.

In addition, you will need:

  • special paper;
  • brushes;
  • a drawing board or any other flat surface on which you can attach a drawing sheet;
  • an eraser that can be used to carefully remove excess lines;
  • regular sandpaper, with which you can sharpen the chalk if necessary.

These tools are essential for drawing pastel portraits for beginners. To learn and comprehend the wisdom of this technique, such a set will be enough. And in the future you will have to expand your arsenal of materials and tools.

Tools for professionals

Simple and accessible materials are used by beginners, but as they learn and develop professionalism, their range will grow and expand. In the future you can also use:

  • fixatives - substances that are sprayed onto a sheet of paper before starting work to fix the future drawing;
  • turpentine or other pastel thinner, which will allow you to even out and generalize the layers of paint;
  • work mask to minimize the entry of chalk dust into the respiratory tract;
  • canvas - used instead of paper.

Careful preparation and selection of all materials will make the process more comfortable and easier. In the process of work, each artist will be able to evaluate the usefulness and appropriateness of each tool.

Features of choosing pastels

For beginning artists, dry pastels in the form of crayons are best. It can be soft or hard, you need to purchase both types and try to draw with both. When choosing paints, you must initially understand what will be painted and what color scheme will be needed for it.

When purchasing pastels, you need to pay attention to the quality of the paints and the manufacturer. It’s better to initially pay a little more, but buy suitable materials that will be comfortable for drawing. Having mastered the subtleties and nuances of drawing with pastels and honing your skills, you can try painting with oil and wax pastels. They differ in application technique, but with some effort they are not particularly difficult.

What paper do you need for pastels?

You cannot paint with such paints on regular paper, because a portrait with pastels will blur, saturate the thin sheet and be smeared. Therefore, it is better to take special paper. The following varieties are suitable for pastels:

  • paper with a coarse surface that comes in a variety of colors;
  • cold pressed watercolor paper;
  • charcoal pencil paper - can withstand pastels, but is more suitable for rough sketches and short-term sketches;
  • paper with an “emery” coating - has a fine abrasive coating, so it holds pastels well.

Choosing paper is an important stage in preparing for drawing, since not only the comfort of the process, but also the final result will depend on it.

Rules for drawing with pastels

In order for a pastel portrait to turn out beautiful and authentic, it is important to follow some rules for its depiction. And even if the first time the result is not what you would like, as you gain skill and professionalism it will turn out to be realistic.

When creating a portrait using pastels, you need to remember the following recommendations:

  1. To begin with, it is important to imagine the general image of the upcoming drawing and highlight the main features that will distinguish this person from all others. Each person's face has something unique, different from others.
  2. Before you start drawing, you need to determine the color scheme of the upcoming image. What shades predominate in a person’s face and image, how do they combine with each other?
  3. When starting to draw, you first need to make weak sketches and an outline, on which the entire portrait will then lie.
  4. Despite the fact that the human face, as a rule, appears warm and requires appropriate colors, it will also contain cold shades.
  5. For layered drawings, it is better to choose soft pastels, then the layers will easily lay on top of each other.

There are many more rules for drawing with pastels, but you can start learning with these simple recommendations, and understand and apply the remaining nuances in the process of practice.

Sequence of drawing a portrait

To draw a beautiful and believable portrait, you need to follow a certain sequence of drawing lines and layers of pastel.

Image stages include:

  1. Representation of the overall image of the face, separating light and dark areas.
  2. Light drawing of lines, sketch of the general concept of the drawing.
  3. Detailing the contour, drawing eyes, nose, lips according to the proportions of the human face.
  4. Applying layers of nude pastels with a combination of warm and cool shades.
  5. Guiding the main parts of the face, detailing.
  6. Final touches, giving the face a natural expression, drawing small elements.

Drawing a portrait is not an easy process, and at first it may seem to the artist that there are too many mistakes and flaws. But diligence and the desire to learn how to draw with pastels are worth the result that you get in the end. It is important to enjoy the drawing process and not despair after the first unsuccessful attempt.

Have you heard about the magical technique of painting with pastels? For beginners and experienced artists, this is a real pleasure. You don't need to spend years studying. In just a few lessons you can learn step by step how to draw with oil pastels for beginners. The simplest techniques will help you create landscapes, still lifes and portraits. We offer several secrets that will significantly speed up the learning of pastel drawing for beginners. After all, it is not only simple, but also extremely interesting.

The nuances of drawing with pastels for beginners (dry, oil, wax)

Often a novice artist cannot decide for a long time which basis to use for work, oil or watercolor? There is another category of art materials, classified as “soft”. This is a simple and pleasant pastel to work with. It is presented in the form of ordinary crayons. During work, there is very close contact of hands with paper.

We will look at drawing with dry pastels for beginners step by step a little later. But you must understand that the desired shade and texture can be achieved through strokes and shading. This allows the artist to feel his work. The technique of drawing with pastels has a magical property of transforming simplicity and primitiveness into a worthy drawing.

Soft pastel sticks need a rough, fleecy base. It holds the paint powder. Previously, artists even used suede for painting. Today, special paper is produced in the form of rough cardboard or canvas glued to cardboard. You can not only draw with pastels, but also write. Some artists prepare the base themselves. The transfer of form is done by lines, strokes, contours. Later, tinting is done in various tones.

Pastel is pressed paint with chalk. It has a high color density and makes it possible to create velvety strokes, soft and loose edges. Working with pastels is something between painting and drawing.

What is so attractive about pastel sticks? They make painting noble, clean and fresh. With their help, artists create a world that captivates with the spontaneity of creativity. Often shading is done with your fingertips. This brings the artist even closer to his painting.

Pastel paintings require good lighting. It serves as an excellent base for the manifestation of all shades and the play of multi-layering. They are best viewed in tangential daylight.

From the history of the material

Back in the 15th century, people used pastels. The theoretical works of Leonardo da Vinci contain references to this material. The word "pastel" first spread in France. It has Latin roots, meaning "paste".

The dark pigment is ground with chalk and a lighter shade is obtained. You've probably heard the word "pastel". The range of these tones can vary from translucent to extremely saturated. A pastel shade is one that is obtained by diluting some tone with white. It goes well with related neighboring tones in the color palette. Pastel is quite natural and neutral.

Many Renaissance artists used this material. In modern art, pastels were preferred by masters such as John Russell, Maurice de La Tour, Ingres, and Jean Etienne Lyotard. The classic portrait genre could not do without the use of pastels. It was used in its pure form and also combined with gouache. The famous James Whistler used this technique in atmospheric landscapes. Many artists of the 19th and 20th centuries used pastels. It was popular with impressionist artists from the Nabi group. Alfred Sisley, Pierre Bonnard, Jean-Edouard Vuillard, Edgar Degas, and Edouard Manet worked with pastels.

In one of the alleys of Paris, there is still a shop called La Maison du Pastel, where they sell the crayons that Degas once used. With them he wrote his famous series with ballerinas. Sisley also used them in his works.

The production technology belongs to Henri Roch. His work was continued by his heirs. Pastels are still made by hand, even the ancient tools have been preserved. The full color range includes 567 colors. One such chalk costs 12 - 17 euros.

Four types of pastels for drawing

Modern experts have developed four types of crayons:

  1. Dry. They are most often used by beginners; they are easily shaded, erased with an eraser, or covered with a different tone.
  2. Oily. Drawing requires certain skills. They are difficult to display and the strokes cannot be corrected.
  3. Wax. They don't fade. They apply very beautifully, in the form of a glossy layer. These crayons work well and are great for drawing on wax paper.
  4. Watercolor.

Only one type of pastel is used in one drawing. Drawing with pastels for beginners involves the use of dry crayons.

Careful handling of pastel works

Delicate and fragile pastels need to be handled with care. You need to protect not only the work, but also the crayons themselves. It is better to do quick sketches and sketches with dry crayons. They also make it possible to bring the work to a photographic form. Pastels are often used for drawing from life. It is used by lovers of expression and supporters of painstaking drawing out of details.

Pastels are convenient for drawing outdoors. Many people take it for a walk in the park or on a trip. It is suitable for conveying the play of light, conveying the texture of clouds and the rhythm of waves. This material allows you to do everything simply and quickly.

The only drawback of pastel pencils is compliance with certain storage conditions:

  1. Be sure to use a fixative at the end of the work so that the drawing does not fall off.
  2. Place pastel paintings under plastic or glass and keep them away from direct sunlight.
  3. Create a folder to store your paintings. Translate each drawing in it with sheets of tracing paper. You can purchase a special album for pastels.

An artist needs to work with pastel very carefully, otherwise all its advantages will disappear. These crayons require precision, a special sense of color. The best pastel work has many layers of color, clean but slightly translucent. It attracts with its velvety and depth.

Buy a tablet or easel

To work with pastel sticks, you need to place the paper vertically or at a slight angle. This makes it easier to evaluate the overall picture and easier to transfer the lines of still lifes or portraits onto paper. For convenience, purchase an easel or tablet. These devices can be rested on the back of a chair or table.

Proper use of crayons

High-quality pastel sticks are not cheap material. Rational use of one set will allow you to use them for a long time. If you are a beginner artist, start by purchasing 10 - 15 basic shades. When choosing crayons in a store, ask to try them out. High-quality sticks create a velvety layer, without crumbs. The pastel should be shaded well.

Special corrugated paper

In addition to pastel pencils, buy tinted corrugated paper. It maximizes all the possibilities of pressed sticks. There are ready-made albums for such pencils with sheets of different shades on sale. Most often they offer gray, light brown, terracotta sheets. They are transferred with a special tracing paper. Sometimes the color of the paper may match one of the depicted shades of the object.

Shading of works

You can stretch the design using flat brushes or pieces of sponge. The initial stage of work involves shading with your fingertips. This will give you a better feel for the material. By blending you can achieve soft and feathery effects.

Paper shading is available for sale. They come in different sizes and are made from soft, wound paper. You can also use microporous sponge applicators. They come in different forms. Soft brushes made from natural pony hair are also suitable for shading. Some people use cotton swabs, discs, and makeup sponges. It is also important to purchase a pastel eraser.

Opening with varnish

They require mandatory opening with a special varnish. Do this with a spray bottle. It is quite possible to fix it with hairspray. Spray the product at a distance of 30 cm from the design. Art stores sell special spray cans for fixing.

Step-by-step work for beginners

Sometimes pastel works are classified as graphics, but they can also be paintings. Before you paint with pastels, learn how to identify shades. It is very important here to smoothly transition from one tone to another, as well as to see shadows.

It is better for a beginning artist to take dry pastels. Start your work with a preliminary drawing. Do this with a light chalk, just a little darker than the paper. You can then easily wipe it off with a cloth. The famous artist Levitan used coal for this. Just don't use graphite pencils, they won't work.

After the preliminary drawing, proceed to applying the main tone with pastel. It is more convenient to do this with a small piece of chalk, breaking it off from the main pencil. Then start working out the volume of items. Do it with strokes, dots, lines, strokes. After this, do the shading.

At the end, use a special spray varnish to fix the design.

Book by Margaret Evans "Pastel Techniques for Beginners"

Step by step understanding the secrets of using pastel pencils is useful not only for beginners, but also for experienced artists. Margaret Evans' work will help many to master this type of material. After all, some people consider pastels to be frivolous, multi-colored crayons.

Margaret Evans is not only an artist, but also an art teacher in Denmark. In her book, she reveals all the intricacies of working with pastel sticks. Working with this material is not easy, but very exciting. The author characterizes in detail all types of pastels, explains why they are needed, and how to use them. From the book you can learn how to properly apply color layers. To help beginning artists, various explanations and step-by-step instructions with photos for work are given. Margaret offers several workshops on painting landscapes. Various corners of the globe are depicted on them. The book consists of the following sections:

  • Color selection.
  • Subtleties of composition and perspective.
  • Drawings from life.
  • Quick sketches and use of photos.
  • Image of plants in pots.
  • Let's draw a garden.
  • Image of bouquets.

Evans' book relies on pastel drawings of various flowers and bouquets.

Features of working with oil pastel pencils

Oil crayons are different from dry crayons. They are somewhat reminiscent of wax sticks, because they contain linseed oil. Beginning artists are advised to use dry pastels. But if you purchased oil, it is useful to know some points about its step-by-step use.

Oil pastels have a brighter color, so many people want to buy them. For drawing with oil crayons, not only special paper is suitable, but also sandpaper, wood, metal, glass, hardboard, and canvas.

There are four main stages in working with oil pastels:

  1. First, underpainting is done, the free zone and the zone of local tones are highlighted.
  2. Multi-level layers are applied to create depth and brightness.
  3. The final strokes are slowly added.
  4. The edges of the background, depicted objects, and background are cleared.

Oil pastels do not crumble, but harden over time.

When artists were still painting their paintings using sanguine, charcoal, sepia or charcoal pencil, a new material for painting appeared - pastel. These are dry, soft, rimless pencils that resemble crayons. The pastel technique is loved by many artists.

This technique is mainly preferred by those masters for whom it is most important to convey as accurately as possible the color mood, background and atmosphere of the picture, giving way to the realism of small details.

What kind of pastel is there?

Pastels are divided into three types: dry, oil and wax. Most often, artists use dry pastels, but there are also those who prefer oil pastels (panda). Pastel gives unlimited freedom in working methods.


Dry pastel
Oil pastel
Wax pastel

It is not recommended for a beginning artist to take on this material right away. It would be a good idea to start by mastering the basics of academic painting and then, with a certain consistency and experience, you can successfully use the techniques of this technique.

Dry pastel can be hard or soft. Each of them has its own characteristics. Here you need to choose based on your own preferences, but hard pastel has more binder, so it is less brittle.

How to draw with pastels?

Let's look at the most popular - the dry pastel technique. Drawing begins with a preliminary drawing. You can draw pastels with any chalk, the main thing is to be careful and barely visible. It is better that the color of such a chalk does not differ too much from the tone of the paper (gray or black) and is easily wiped off with a small rag.

You can also work with coal, as the famous artist I.I. did. Levitan.


Pastel. Author: Isaac Levitan.

Advice: Do not use a graphite pencil - it is not suitable for preliminary underpainting; the pastel will subsequently lie poorly on it.

When the preliminary drawing is done, you can begin to apply the main tone, breaking off a small piece (about 2-3 cm) from the pastel chalk for convenience.

After the basic color and tone relationships have been found, you need to refine the drawing by working out the volume of objects. Pastel has the ability to incomparably convey their materiality. Using techniques such as strokes, dots, lines, flat strokes and others, you can perfectly refine the shapes. You can generalize the form by rubbing (with your finger, shading), but it all depends on the tasks and interests of the artist.

Tip for beginners: decide in advance on the tonal relationship of each of the objects to convey it correctly (lightest, lightest and darkest).

All dry pastel crayons contain plain white chalk, which makes it difficult to convey richly colored shadows. The way out of this is the right tone. How to do it? Dark areas are first painted with black or dark gray, after which color is introduced using shading or shading.

When all parts of the drawing have been worked out, the artist should look at his work again from several sides to highlight the main details. These are highlighted by more careful elaboration, and minor and too contrasting details are softened by shading.


The oil pastel technique has similar techniques, but is still different from dry pastel. For example, to grind such a pastel, you will need a little more effort, and besides, you will need a brush and thinner (pinene) No. 4 for this.

In this technique, oil pastel chalk or dry coal are used for preliminary drawing. The basic tones are also drawn flat or hatched with a small piece of chalk.

The underpainting is painted with the bristles of a brush (No. 12-14), spreading it over the drawing with pinene or other analogues of thinners for oil paints.

When working with shadows, experienced artists advise that the tone matches the end result. When drawing details, shapes and textures, you don’t have to limit yourself to working methods - shade (blur) with a rag, brush, or finger.

There is a wrong approach on the part of some artists that all pastel works look too soapy and shaded. In fact, this is even better, because it’s good when it is possible to highlight accented places and blur the secondary ones! This allows the artist to realize any idea.

Good to know!

— If you have dried pastel that is difficult to write on paper, you can crush it to a powder state. By adding water to it, you get a paste that can be used to apply strokes of varying intensity;

— Famous artist Leslie Harrison is the best contemporary master of pastel painting. Her paintings are simply unique. Some even confuse them with photographs or oil paintings. According to the artist, she achieved such realism using velor or sand paper. The first one smooths out lines and colors well, and the second one sharpens important details;

— You can work with pastels on stretched canvas, but pastel painting requires a special stretcher. This was invented by the French artist Gilot. The canvas on it must be stretched using special screws - then this is what you need;

— Carefully store your pastel drawing. To do this, the work can be fixed or placed under glass.

Pastel for drawing is an artistic material that was born much earlier than oil paints. Such great artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Degas, Renoir painted their masterpieces not only with oils, but with pastels.

Artistic pastel (from the Latin “dough”) is a soft and pleasant material to work with. Usually comes in the form of crayons and pencils.

The composition of pastels is quite simple - pigment plus a binder. Adhesives such as wax, mineral oils or gum arabic can be used as a binder.

Pastels for drawing can be of four types:

  • dry pastel (hard, soft, ultra-soft (soft))

Let us dwell briefly on each of the listed types of pastel.

Dry pastel

This pastel lays on paper easily and softly. Gives a stroke size from 2 to 5 mm. It can be shaded with your finger, turning the strokes into an even tone.

By overlapping each other, the colors are easily mixed and at the same time allow you to create new shades. Thus, even a small set of crayons will allow you to create a picture rich in color.

A good pastel should not scratch the paper, crumble or break during use.

Depending on the ratio of pigment and binder, dry pastel is divided into:

  • hard
  • soft soft
  • super soft extra soft

The higher the binder content in the pastel, the harder it is. However, some types of pastels, the softest, can consist only of pigment. H They are often easy to distinguish by the shape of the crayons - soft pastels are most often made with round crayons, and hard pastels - with rectangular blocks.

Hard pastel for drawing it gives clearer and thinner strokes than soft. She is comfortable drawing the details of the picture. It crumbles less from the surface of the paper.

Soft pastel for drawing contains more pigment. It allows you to fill large surfaces with color and is easy to shade.

It is more pleasant to use, gives a beautiful velvety texture to the drawing, and makes it easy to create bright strokes.

However, it is not easy for novice artists to control this material - crayons break easily, the previously applied layer is smeared and crumbles. Drawing with soft pastels requires special care.

Therefore, when working, it makes sense to start a picture with a soft pastel in order to clog the pores of the paper, and finish it with a harder one.

Pan pastel (“ultra-soft” pastel) comes in special jars that are very similar to eyeshadow palettes. Each jar contains 35% more pastel than a regular pastel stick.

Pan pastel mixes well and gives the most accurate color rendition. Therefore, artists usually work with it using the technique of realism.

They draw with pastels using special foam sponges, mixing colors directly on paper.

This pastel is not yet very common and is rarely sold in Russia.

The most famous imported pastel manufacturers:

  • French company Sennelier(produces a palette of 525 colors from high-quality pigment - this pastel is quite expensive).
  • Good quality pastels are produced by companies such as
  • Rembrandt,
  • Schminke,
  • Faber-Castell
  • Talles(Holland)
  • Korean-made pastels are no less attractive in quality. Mungyo, with a good palette of shades. Very reasonable in price, it is half the price of Faber-Castell, but no worse in quality.

More foreign brands producing pastels:

Koh-I-Noor (Austria, Czech Republic), Conte (France), Lyra (Germany), Caran d'Ache (Switzerland), Stabilo (Germany), Cretacolor (TM Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth, Austria), Derwent (England ), LeFranc&Bourgeois (France), Adel (Turkey), Jolly (Austria), Sakura, Daler Rowney (England), Maimeri (Italy), Bruynzeel (Holland), Apa-Ferrario (Italy), Bosung (China), Pentel (Japan) ), Titi (Korea), Crayon.

Common Russian brands of pastels:

  • Podolsk-Art-Center
  • Sonnet
  • Aqua-Color
  • Range

Pastel pencils

This is a type of dry hard pastel in the form of ordinary pencils. Such pencils have a number of advantages:

  • convenient to use,
  • Allows for more precise strokes
  • don't get your hands dirty.

Indispensable when drawing small details and creating, for example, smooth textured transitions when colors are mixed with pencils directly on paper. They are best used for depicting animals and portraits of people, because you can draw hairs and feathers to make them more similar to the original.

Pencil Manufacturers:

  • Faber Castell
  • Derwent
  • Cretacolor
  • Stabilo

All of them also differ in hardness, for example, the softest pencils are Conte. The hardest ones are from Faber Castell.

Oil pastel

Despite the fact that these crayons are also called pastel, this pastel has completely different qualities and, accordingly, methods of drawing.

Oil pastels are made from pigment with linseed oil by pressing. Her crayons are hard and kind of greasy to the touch. Over time, greasy stains may even appear on works done with oil pastels.

Oil pastel chalks leave bright, crisp strokes. The colors don't mix well with each other. Pastel strokes are almost impossible to shade with your finger.

The colors in oil pastels are not as matte as those in dry pastels. Also, oil pastels differ from dry pastels in that they practically do not get dirty, finished drawings are more difficult to smear and they do not require fixation.

You can draw with oil pastels on any surface. It does not require special paper like dry paper.

In addition, oil pastels can be washed out. Blur and shade the oil pastel with a solvent (special or for oil paints). To do this, use a brush or shading (a special stick made of pressed paper) dipped in a solvent.

As a result, the result of the drawing will look like a painting with oil paints, and not like working with dry pastels.

Manufacturers are basically the same as for dry pastels. The company is considered the best Sennelier.

Wax pastel

Wax pastels are created on the basis of wax (most often polymer) in combination with natural fillers.

Drawings made with wax crayons turn out juicy and bright.

Wax crayons can be used to draw on paper, cardboard and even glass. Wax pastels can be used in mixed media - painting on watercolors or gouache. Since water does not adhere to such pastels, using such crayons you can draw in the techniques of sgraffito, stained glass enamel, encaustic and frottage.

Wax crayons are similar in appearance to oil crayons. What's the difference?

Most often, wax crayons are a cheap material for children. They are harder than oil pastels, so they don't stain your hands. In the professional field, oil pastels are mainly used.

Watercolor pastel

Watercolor pastels also have a waxy, wet texture.

But this is a unique material. It combines all the advantages of pastel, and at the same time it contains water-soluble components.

A drawing made with such pastel is similar to an oil pastel drawing. However, it can be washed out and turned into watercolor!

If you have worked with watercolor pencils, you will understand how watercolor crayons work. Unlike pencils, crayons are softer and brighter, easier to paint over large surfaces and blurred.

Thus, the same word, , can mean completely different crayons.

I hope that after this article you will no longer be mistaken in choosing the pastel you need!

I will be glad to see your comments and will be very grateful for your reposts!

Italian drawing technique: watch the free video!

Have you decided to learn how to draw with pastels? In this article we will tell you how easy it is to create beautiful and simple compositions on your own or with your children.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

Have you already turned 18?

Even if you don't know how to draw, this is not a reason to give up your dream.

This article for beginners will allow everyone to learn:

  • what you need to create simple and uncomplicated drawings;
  • how to draw correctly with different types of pastels;
  • what materials are best to use.

If you are ready to learn the basics of this type of creativity from scratch, then go! Be patient and persistent, and very soon you will please yourself and your loved ones with a new achievement.

Let's talk about materials first. Paintings can be created on either a white or black background. You can determine for yourself what is best for you. But regular white sheets are much cheaper.

A beginning artist can initially get by with just a set of crayons, paper, and the desire to try his hand.

So, if you decide to get serious about drawing, you will need:

  • pastel;
  • paper;
  • drawing board;
  • buttons or adhesive tape;
  • sandpaper;
  • brushes;
  • sharpener;
  • blending sticks;
  • eraser;
  • mask;
  • vacuum cleaner.

Why is all this needed?

Pastel. One of the main elements. Select one product from each brand to be able to evaluate the quality, as well as decide which material is most convenient for you to work with.

Paper. Specialty paper comes in all sorts of shades: yellow, purple, black, etc. Watercolor is also great.

Drawing board. It will serve as a basis that will not allow the sheet to sag and distort the design.

Buttons or adhesive tape. Correctly fix the base to the board so that it does not slip.

Sharpener and sandpaper. Allows you to sharpen the chalk when necessary.

Special sticks for shading. They will help achieve a smooth transition and beautiful tone.

Eraser. It will remove errors that will definitely appear at first. When using, do not rub. This also applies to a regular pencil. You just need to lightly tap the bad line to make it disappear.

Mask and vacuum cleaner. They will help make your creative process more comfortable and convenient. When painting, pollen may fall on the floor or fly in the air.

How to draw with dry pastels: instructions with step by step steps for beginners

Artistic pastels are special crayons that are used both for children's creativity and in the professional artistic field. It comes in different types: dry, wax or oil. Drawing with this material brings pleasure and helps to reveal the artist’s talent to everyone.

Basic tips for beginners will help you make a minimum of mistakes in mastering this type of art A.

  1. The first stage is preparation. So, you've chosen dry crayons. It is worth taking a responsible approach to the selection of paper. Ordinary thin sheets will not work for creativity. You need to purchase a dense material with a rough surface so that the strokes fall correctly and the design does not crumble. Make sure you have a hard surface to create on.
  2. The second stage is creating a sketch. Take one of the crayons. The main thing is that it should differ from the background by only one tone. We draw the contours of our elements, for example, a flower, with barely noticeable lines. Don't press too hard. The contour should then be easily shaken off with a regular rag. Do not use a simple graphite pencil. It will be difficult to remove.
  3. Third stage. We shade the details, drawing small elements. This can be done using lines, strokes, dots, using fingers and brushes. All! Your first creative result is ready.
  4. Fourth stage. Place the canvas under glass or use a special aerosol, lightly sprinkling the design to strengthen it. Otherwise, it may crumble over time, and the colors may become distorted.

How to draw flowers with pastels

Using artistic crayons, you can create beautiful large images. For example, flowers or animals.

To depict a New Year's still life, you need to create a composition that you will sketch. Let it be simple, because you are just starting to master drawing.

If you are in a sunny summer mood today, defrost the strawberries. You can first depict it on your canvas, and then eat it with pleasure.

If you need a master class that will allow you to recreate the unique Russian nature, then the Internet will help you with this matter. There are many lessons in the form of articles or videos that will clearly show how to depict winter landscapes or summer beauty. Or you can just look out the window! Graceful trees covered with frost, or majestic mountains covered with snow caps - such a landscape will not leave any person indifferent.

Draw with crayons with children

If you want to diversify children's creativity, invite the kids to draw a dog or kitten. You can depict a neighbor's cat on the canvas. Give the children materials and let them create a portrait of a friend on their own. Tell them how to use these tools, and children will enjoy doing new things.

Be sure to choose a prominent place for the child’s drawing so that both you and your guests can admire the child’s achievement in the form of a portrait of their favorite cat or dog. Is drawing your child's favorite pastime? Pastel crayons will be a good gift for him for New Year or Birthday.

Young children can be asked to make simple drawings:

  • snowman;
  • flower;
  • sun in the sky;
  • toys;
  • space.

Encourage your child to create a simple picture now.

Drawing winter with pastels with children

All children love to play outside on winter days when the sun is shining and there is a lot of snow around. But what to do if there is bad weather outside? You can, for example, draw with your children. Arm yourself with the necessary materials, now we will draw a simple flower with the kids.

  • choose the shades you will work with;
  • draw the outlines of the future flower;
  • fill all image elements with color;
  • frame your work and decorate the main room in the house with it.

Everyone loves to draw. This activity will be interesting for beginning artists of all ages. You can create beautiful works of art with the whole family or keep your little one's friends busy when they come to visit you.

What paper is best to draw with pastels on?

You may have a question: is it possible to use the crayon drawing technique on regular paper? Definitely not. The base should be dense and rough. Then your time will not be wasted. “Which one is possible then?” - you ask.

There are different types of paper:

  • pastel. Sold in art stores and comes in a variety of shades. Create on colored or white - the choice is yours. Paper can be sold in glued blocks or individually;
  • velvet. It is difficult to use, but the illustrations are very effective and delicate;
  • velor. Slightly different from the previous version. It’s expensive, but the picture looks like it was made with paint;
  • watercolor. Can you draw with crayons on watercolor paper? Can. Especially for beginning artists. This is an inexpensive and practical material for training;
  • craft Interesting sheets that perfectly complement the image;
  • handmade paper. Expensive material that needs to be ordered from a private master. But if you come across it, this is the best basis that will make your work unique;
  • emery. The drawings look like they are on asphalt. Sold in construction stores.

If you are just starting to master any creativity, buy the minimum necessary materials. When you reach a certain skill, you should take care of more expensive and professional accessories.

What is the best way to draw with pastels?

Professional artists use both professional paper and canvases in their work. But such materials are expensive.

What can those who are just mastering this art draw on? Is it possible on canvas? Of course, you can if you have the finances. But is it worth it if you don’t like this type of creativity? Is it worth learning to paint with pastels?

Color or black and white drawings will help you express your inner world. Are you in a lilac or pink mood today? Maybe sunny yellow? Get your tools soon! It's time to create!

If you want to try yourself in creativity, you should definitely do it. Otherwise, how can you find out about your hidden talents?