Below you will find links to options that will work for my classes – I suggest picking something from each category.
While I am providing links to product pages below (note, I have linked these as affiliate commission links), by all means feel free to buy these or similar from your local store.
I find Blick Art Materials at the corner of Mayfield and Coventry in Cleveland Heights has a better selection than Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
Please do not buy the store brand of paints such as Artist’s Loft or Master’s Touch, you will be sadly disappointed!
Materials:
Sanded Paper – UArt brand is generally a good choice for this class
Pastel Sticks – a set of at least 60 is recommended. Half-sticks are fine, as you can get more colors for a cheaper price. See brand list below.
A board to tape your pastel paper to, and tape – blue tape or artist’s tape is fine.
Caution: The economy brands of soft pastels are NOT recommended – they present more of a challenge to work with and may lead to disappointment!
Intro to Soft Pastels Video on YouTube
List of acceptable products below, or you can go to your local art supply store.
| Pastel Sticks – the more color variety, the better. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sennelier Half Stick Set of 120 (Amazon) | Rembrandt Pastel Half Sticks 90 (Amazon) – a good all-around workhorse set. | Other good brands, but more expensive: Unison (I love their darks set), Terry Ludwig |
| Pastel Pencils – these are used for detail work. Not mandatory, but will help get fine details in paintings. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils 48 (Amazon) | Derwent Pastel Pencils 72 (Amazon) | Derwent Pastel Pencils 24 (Amazon) |
| Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils 36 (Amazon) |
| Paper – Sanded paper designed for pastels is required, Canson Mi Tientes will NOT work. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby do NOT carry sanded paper. Blick carries UArt, which is fine, or order online. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sennelier La Carte Pastel Pad (Amazon) | UArt 9×12 Pastel Pad (Amazon) |
| Books I like | ||
|---|---|---|
| Imaginative Realism – How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist – James Gurney (Amazon) | Color and Light – James Gurney (Amazon) |
| Soft Pastels with Linda Pearce (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced) Join award-winning artist Linda Pearce as we explore the medium of soft pastels! Beginner through advanced artists are welcome as we discuss methods of achieving realism in painting with soft pastels. Demos may include Master studies of paintings. To see a video regarding the introduction to soft pastel painting, visit Silver Heron Studios on YouTube. Materials: Sanded Paper – UArt brand is generally a good choice for this class Pastel Sticks – a set of at least 60 is recommended. Half-sticks are fine, as you can get more colors for a cheaper price. See brand list below. Caution: The economy brands of soft pastels are NOT recommended – they present more of a challenge to work with and may lead to disappointment! |
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