One of my most daunting tasks as an artist is using new materials. I have spent the past 8 years carefully refining my portrait drawing process, slowly navigating through different brands and varieties of colored pencils, paper, techniques, and more. Once I found something that worked well for me, I stuck to it. Almost every piece I worked on involved the same materials, the same steps, the same process, start to finish. Though this became a bit redundant and dull after some time, my tried and true process continued to yield good results.
By now, this process has become quite boring. There's nothing too exciting about picking up the same set of pencils, laying down the same piece of paper, and moving through the same repetitive motions time and time again. I realized I was in desperate need of a change, a full process overhaul.
One of the most exciting things about art is the capacity to try new things. I had forgotten how to do this in my art, and had found myself stuck deeply in a rut with my current pencil work. I had forgotten how to find comfort in discomfort, and allow myself to be messy, to fail, to produce bad work. I had forgotten how to have fun with my art.
At times it can be difficult to remember that art is something to be enjoyed, to delight in, to look forward to. Most artists can relate to this sentiment: sometimes it just feel like work. Sometimes it's not fun. Sometimes it really actually sucks. This is the exact feeling I had with my work in recent months, and finally decided to do something to change it.
I have spent a lot of time admiring and drawing inspiration from other artists in my community, particularly pet portrait artists on Instagram and TikTok. I always find myself enamoured with the smooth, rich quality of their portraits, the vibrance they achieve with color, and the precision and detail in their line work. I continuously wondered how I could do the same, and knew that my current process was lacking in a few key respects. After some deeper digging, I discovered that many of these prolific portrait artists had one thing in common: soft pastels.
Now, it's not always the most feasible to invest in a full new set of materials. In order to give this new medium a proper try, I had to at least purchase new paper, soft pastels, and chalk pastel pencils. I was a bit worried about spending too much money on this experiment, as it is a sizeable investment for a young artist and student like myself. I was concerned that if I hated using pastels, my money and materials would go to waste.
After some research, I found a few lower caliber options that artists recommended for those just getting into pastel work. Even so, these mid-quality brands still came with a hefty price tag. For my first attempt, I visited my local craft store and picked up a $3 box of Artist Loft pastels. This is practically as low as you can possibly go in terms of quality, but I figured I could try these out with no pressure, and if I liked them at all, I could invest in something better later on.
So I brought them home and broke out my sketch book. I quickly realized that soft pastels are much different from the colored pencils I had been using. They are essentially a pigment with powdered chalk and binder substance compressed into small sticks, and when applied to paper can be blended quite easily. Pastels are much messier than colored pencil, and I find that I have a lot less control and precision with this medium. Pencils are hard, drawing firm and clean lines, while pastels are soft, lacking structure, and moving readily under the lightest touch.
Despite the messy quality, this medium has many advantages! The ability to spread pigment easily over large areas really expands my options for creating larger portraits. I can now add background colors to my paper, smoothly coloring the entire sheet in almost no time at all. I can easily overlay light colors on dark, and maintain the vibrance of many other colors in my pieces too.
My trial run with the $3 pastels turned out to be a success, and though my work was nowhere near my desired level, I felt confident in my ability to practice and advance. I decided then to dive into the deep end, and purchased a higher quality set of Rembrandt soft pastels, along with General's chalk pastel pencils, Sofft blending sponges, and a large pad of Canson pastel paper. With my new arsenal of supplies, I got started practicing.
I started by selecting a high-quality photo of a Boxer breed from the internet to work from. I had never drawn a Boxer before, and this dog was just too cute to pass up. I worked slowly through the process, taking my time and reminding myself to be patient as I worked.
After many hours of trial and error, I stepped away from what I now consider my best piece yet.
Whether it's the new pastels or my newfound motivation, something clicked with my work. For the first time in years, I felt extremely gratified with my finished product. I am really happy with the outcome of this portrait and am very exciting to continue practicing with pastels. I think this is an invaluable tool, and I certainly understand now why other artists in my field are using them.
I guess there is something to be said for trying new things, and getting outside of your comfort zone. The fear of failure really was holding me back for so long, and it's very rewarding to make new progress in my journey as an artist.
Stay tuned to see where my work with pastels will go in the coming months!
By the way: this boxer portrait is currently for sale!
Get in touch with me if you are interested in purchasing the original.
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