Blending and smoothing is what’s attractive about pastels to me. Blend or not blend as required.

I’m glad you mentioned the pipe insulation because I was given some for a repair job and have some left over. Thanks.

Very helpful. Most of these tools were new ideas for me. Thanks!

All look to be good ides and blending options! thanks for sharing!

i just bought soft pastels and this is very helpful video

@LaurenWatkinsArt

4 жыл бұрын

I am so glad you found this helpful! I hope you enjoy learning to use soft pastels.

Brilliant, thank you so much for sharing

Gracias por tu buena explicación...

Very good techniques thanks for this video.

Excellent! Thank you!

Thank you so so much ! Love this video. I enherited and old set Rembrandt Soft Pastels for Artists from my grandfather. But cannot work with it... I have blendingstomps and... they work like a charm !!! Thank you so much, never would have thought about that !!! You solved my problem and now I can use the pastels as it is such a great thing that they belonged to my grandpa. Lots of greetings !

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

So glad I could help. What a lovely thing to have! Now you can think of him when you great beautiful artworks. 😊

@Pebblesmas

3 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt yes, absolutely !!! Thanks for helping me with that ! I have more from him that I use, but not much, already used his watercolor paper (that he already prepped on a wooden board about 20 years ago, my mom found it in the attic, she found 2 wooden boards with watercolor paper on it (both sides) and I used one to make a mothersday card, my mom LOVED it, it was so amazing). thanx !!!!

@Pebblesmas

3 жыл бұрын

Wow just saw another video, and that woman used pastels like watercolor, wow, another way to use them, makes me very happy !

Thank you for the interesting tips ❤

A very informative video. thank you.

Thank you for this excellent video. I am new to pastels, and your demonstration is very helpful. I’ve also been hesitating to spend so much money on the sanded paper, but after watching this, I can see that it’s worth every penny. The cheaper paper just doesn’t yield the same results.

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

I am so glad you found it helpful! I have a lot of other pastel related videos to help you get started including a side by side comparison to various type of pastel papers.

Thank you for sharing😊.

Seems to me I see a lot of people picking up soft pastels and then back and forth across the paper. I got some different brands and also got different soft tools. I use the tools to take color off of the sticks and put in on paper. Light or heavy amounts of pigment depending on which I prefer. Soft pastels seem to be very drying to my hands, so I am preferring tools.

Thank you so much. This is very good instructional video for a newbie like me.

Thank you so much for this video

Your post was very useful. thanks very much for your help. 💋

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

You are very welcome! I am glad It helped.

I use brush... Just brush.. Thank you for opening another ways for me to blend 💕

Thank you very very much , I haved learnt an awful lot

Your picture is very good ~♡

Thank you! This was very useful, I'm glad to see I've been using some of these tools correctly!.I do have trouble controlling the dust n then storing or framing them.. I would love to see some of your pointers on that ..thanks again and keep up the great work..

@LaurenWatkinsArt

6 жыл бұрын

holy s***snacks!! I am glad you found this helpful! I will try and do some videos on storing and framing pastels in the future.

@janeto.9957

6 жыл бұрын

Lauren Watkins Art thanks! Ill be on the lookout😉👍🏼

@jamesanonymous2343

5 жыл бұрын

hello,,,you can buy a pastel/chalk "Fixative" (aerosol spray) at art supply. Tip, when spraying a finished, or partially finished work keep spray tip away from work surface so as not to actually "blow" colors off the surface. A light coat to start, & a final coat to "FIX".

@allencampbell1058

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt nice

@sarahale-lx2nm

Ай бұрын

During beginners class we were told to use cheap hairspray

Your videos are very helpful to a pastel noob like me. I'm a little surprised brushes aren't shown here!

Thank you my dear❤

Thamk you madam very infoemative....

that isolation foam is so smart, i also gotta try that on oil pastels, cause that material is a lot rougher than soft pastels and it destroys all the tools i experiment with!

Thnxs so much 😍😍

You deserve more subs!!!!!😠😠😠😠😠😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👹👹👹👹👹👹 Also thanks!!

Thank you

helpful!

thank you for this video. such a pity that the sound is so low...even with my volume on 100, i can hardly hear it. seems this happens with some videos...i don't know why :(

@angelinaranyal384

4 жыл бұрын

The sound is pretty good for me tho, and I usually have problems with sounds

@pleasedontfeedtheai2341

3 жыл бұрын

@@angelinaranyal384 great stuff,thx

@pleasedontfeedtheai2341

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, thx , great info

@nadiairfan3532

3 жыл бұрын

clean the speaker on ur phone or your phone is getting old

@annecollier8741

3 жыл бұрын

Try headphones

I’m the Pastel Live 2023 conference, one video showed using watercolor to block in your painting or hard pastel so you don’t fill up all the tooth of your paper with the soft pastels.

Hat fixtures you use to keep the pastels from smudging?

Hi, thank you for a good demo. Question: have you tried, or seen a demo of the new ink blending (makeup type) brushes with pastel? Realizing you are not a fan of full blend technique.....😊

My brother works in pastel and I’ve seen him use paper towers waded up

I would have loved either a link or the manufacture name of the rubber blending/shaping tools

❤❤❤❤❤

Are these sofft tool sponges similar to beauty blenders?

Güzel

How do you clean the Sofft tool sponge, also do I have to clean before each blending??

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

I just wash them out when the get really grubby under warm water with some soap and then I let them dry completely. If you want to keep a color really clean and vibrant I will use a clean soft tool sponge. If not I will just find a dirty one that’s in the same color family. So if I have a used sponge that already has red pigment on it I will use it in areas of my painting with similar colors. That makes it so I don’t have to wash them all the time.

What is that blending tool,can you give me the linke if you have

Do you add somthing on top of the colored page to protect the layers of pastels?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I will use a spray fixative but that can darken it up. If I am storing in I will wrap it in glassine paper. It works really well from keeping it from smudging until it gets framed.

Which paper is used for soft pastels maam?

Which tool is best to use if you want to color a background?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

5 жыл бұрын

I typically use the large sofft tool sponge for large backgrounds.

Sanded paper is the best

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

It’s my favorite!

Hmmm. The insulation blender made me think that you could maybe use a piece of a pool tube. Have you tried that, or do you think that it would work?

@textytalks3678

4 жыл бұрын

The Mad Cadder it would

@textytalks3678

4 жыл бұрын

*work

I’m a beginner in pastels. So I’m glad I found your channel. I do have a question about those sponges: are they washable and reusable after each use with pastels? Thank you.

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

I am so glad you are finding my videos helpful. Yes! The sponges are very durable and wash up nicely. The will stain but that doesn’t bother me.

@crisphil2488

3 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArtThank you so much for your quick reply. I just got my Mungyo set of 64. I’m going to be trying them soon!

💗✨Thank you for your video! I want to know what brand of toner paper beige and gray are respectively. I like Beige surface very much!

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

It’s UArt sanded paper in 400 grit. It’s by far my favorite paper to work on

@shana3968

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt Thank you for your reply! Is this brand for both colors of paper in the video?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

@@shana3968 the gray paper is canson mi teintes

@shana3968

2 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt Thank you for your reply. I love this video presentation.✨

I wish I could see it better on the canson mi tientes, I can't tell if you're using the smooth side or the textured side sometimes.

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

I think I tried to use the textured side but this was filmed so manny years ago I can’t remember for sure.

Hi sorry I keep playing this video back to try and understand what the large rubber/silicone tool is. Please could you clarify this for me, I can’t find one anywhere! Thank you 😀

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

They are called catalysts. The one I am using is a Princeton Wedge Catalyst shape #6

@anniebrown5801

3 жыл бұрын

Lauren Watkins Art thank you so much for replying 😊

What is that piece of rubberlike?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

5 жыл бұрын

The ones that are rubber like with a wood handle go by several names but the 3 most used ones are rubber shapers, silicone shapers, or clay shapers. They are a tool often used for clay and pottery. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The big grey one is called a catalyst edge. It’s often used with acrylic paint. I have more info and close up pictures on my blog post. The link is in the description box.

Hi . At first thank you for your video.💜 Um i have a question .what is the brand of white paper??

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

The lighter paper is Uart sanded paper

Lauren....pls. explain the tools used each time.....if possible on the screen.

@Jupiter86947

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much Lauren..

@hiilikekoala1894

3 жыл бұрын

Uhh im so confused

What tha name of the paper you used (the beaj one )

@LaurenWatkinsArt

5 жыл бұрын

Meryem Hussam UART sanded paper I think it’s 800 grit

i use water to blend, it works for me

@LaurenWatkinsArt

2 жыл бұрын

I like to use water to on early layers but some pastel paper I have tried doesn’t respond well to to water blending.

Cant hear paper u use then beige one???

What's the difference between oil pastels and soft pastels?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

4 жыл бұрын

Debbie Daniels oil pastels have an oil binder to hold them together. They are creamier and not powdery and all. Soft pastels are dryer and more powdery. More similar to chalk in texture.

Are you using oil Pastels or just soft pastels

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 ай бұрын

Just soft pastels

Hello! What’s the same of the 3 tool? The grey sponge ? Thank you! I’m italian sorry!

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

It’s pipe insulation foam from a local hardware store. It’s what we put around exposed pipes to keep them from freezing in during winter. It’s such a high density foam that it blends the pastels really well.

@eleonorlight2073

3 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt thank you so much ! I will try it ! Because I use an handmade cotton paper and it’s lightly textured and I would like a smooth effect with blending without a textured effect !

What is the paper on the right?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

4 жыл бұрын

Domno87 The Cream colored paper is Uart Sanded paper.

@jpna8223

4 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt thank you

What about water? We can blend with water as well

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

HelloCaptainBlingBling your right! I was mostly focusing on tools that help blend because they can be used at any stage. I often blend with rubbing alcohol at the beginning of my paintings because I like how quickly it dries.

@sacrebleu1371

3 жыл бұрын

@@LaurenWatkinsArt That would depend on what for of pastel paper used? I know some disintegrate with moisture, like I was warned about sanded cardstock (Sennelier) vs types like u-art when I last was at Blick's. They were concerned I would try to use fluids on the Sennelier and chatted me up about intent while at the register. What have you found works best?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@sacrebleu1371 hi! I recently did a review of a bunch of different papers and talk about which papers can handle wet underpaintings for pastel pieces. But I found Uart to be the most durable of the papers thay I have tried if you want it to be a sanded paper.

I didn’t see anything about the paper you’re using. What is the cream colored one?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

4 жыл бұрын

That is Uart sanded paper.

@purpleslippers8

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, darling. Much appreciated! 👍 Thank you for sharing your techniques!

I have sweaty hands so im looking for a tool to help it blend

@sacrebleu1371

3 жыл бұрын

For me, it depends on the type of paper and level I want, but for sanded base layer, I use pipe insulation foam piece. I will use a rice paper blending stump, cause harder paper will often leave burnish marks that won't work back out. I have used makeup applicators that are sponge types and there are more out there. Try it on scrap paper of same kind to be sure what effect you will get both with the pastel and tool of choice. My choices on those depend if I am using pan, hard, or soft pastel and if it is an underpainting or finishing touch. I work to avoid dulling the pastel when blending. I think it matters on my subject, if I am doing a detailed area or not, and if I am working on a bokeh (soft, out of focus) background.

@chrisuy1267

3 жыл бұрын

@@sacrebleu1371 thank you!!! Im really new to pastels and want to know what are the techs before buying a set😆😊. Thank you very much for the infos☺

7:20 what is the name of those brushes

@LaurenWatkinsArt

5 жыл бұрын

Meenu Goyal, they go by several names but their most common names are rubber shapers or color shapers.

Use pepar

I cannot hear you

you need to buy microphone cant hear clearly but tutorials is great!

@janetdickson3504

3 жыл бұрын

I can hear perfectly.

Im a novice, but I thought blending was one of the main reasons for using pastels?

@LaurenWatkinsArt

3 жыл бұрын

Simonet1309 it really depends on the look your wanting to achieve. I tend to blend more when I am doing realism especially in the early layers of the piece. Landscapes I tend to blend less.

Volume too low.