Uart Pastel Paper Review
Uart pastel paper is a relatively new kid on the block. It is manufactured in the US by a sandpaper company. Most art papers are made by companies that specialise in products for artists, so this comes as a little …
Painting Fine Detail in Pastel
Painting fine detail in pastel is a subject that is not often discussed. You would be forgiven to think, that the crude and often chunky pastel sticks do not lend themselves too well to hyper realism or fine detail. It …
Marketing for Artists
Art marketing (for artists) has a huge market. There are lots of books on the subject, and in my early years I read quite a few. Many are full of good sensible advice. Some are dating quite fast as they …
Leonardo’s Drawings
Until 6 May 2019 there are no less than 12 exhibitions of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings simultaneously all over the UK. The Royal Collection has a fantastic collection of drawings by Leonardo and to celebrate the 500th year since his …
Creative eCourses
Ever since I decided to create a pastel painting course I have been wondering how to do this. So many painting courses (or any course for that matter) follow the same formula: a teacher explains in front of an easel …
Review: Terry Ludwig and Sennelier Soft Pastels
I recently bought two new sets of pastels: a small set of Terry Ludwig pastels and a set of Sennelier. This is my unscientific review of them. I have used Sennelier soft pastels before, but that was many years ago and …
How to Package an Oil Painting for Shipping
Shipping a painting is always a bit scary, especially if the painting has to cross borders. I usually use normal couriers for international shipments and so good packaging is vital. You simply cannot overpack! More is best. You must always …
Poll: Your Favourite Pastel Brand
Hard, soft, velvety, expressive: how do you prefer your pastel stick? Let’s find out the world’s most popular pastel brand. Please share this poll with any pastel artist you know. Professional and amateur pastelists welcome You can choose a max …
Soft Pastel: Is It Safe To Use?
I recently heard of an art college that banned soft pastel because they thought it is toxic and should not be used. Although I find this an exaggerated, extreme and totally unnecessary measure (at an art college of all places!), …
Every Kind of People
This lovely exhibition at Lime Tree Gallery in Bristol features not only two brand new pieces from my studio (The Light of Stars… and Tales of Bees and Flowers) , but also some amazing works by well-known artists such as …