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Soft Pastel Stories

Colourful Chronicles

Learn new techniques, hear artist's stories, and stay up to date on Soft Pastel News.

  • Announcing more new associate artists featured image

    Associate Artist Intake for 2022

    It seems a while ago since we asked for applications from artists to become an Associate Artists & wow the applications came in thick & fast. So much so it took our Unison Helen a good while to get through them all.

    Helen Bullock

    28th June, 2022

  • Open studios by sue kerrigan harris feat

    What Are Open Studios & Could You Join In?

    For the last 4 years I've been taking part in Hampshire Open Studios. It's a yearly event where Artists from across the County open up their Studio to the public over a period of 10 days.

    Sue Kerrigan-Harris

    24th June, 2022

  • Finding the time by estelle robinson feat

    Finding the Time

    How many times do we excuse our lack of creativity by using the phrase, I just don’t have the time”? I use the term “excuse” lightly as, in our busy lives, it is a very relevant reason for not drawing or painting.

    Estelle Robinson

    17th June, 2022

  • Pastel painting foundation notes by peter wood feat

    Pastel Painting. Foundation Notes.

    I have been invited to join you in writing a series of blogs/articles about my use of these colours. I will start with a basic foundation that may help those beginning.

    Peter Wood

    10th June, 2022

  • A close up of pastel work on paper.

    Let’s talk about Pastel Paper

    Paper is a fantastic medium to work on soft pastels, but selecting the one that’s perfect for you can be a challenge, as there’s plenty to choose from. Whether you choose your paper from availability, price or quality, whether you are an amateur or a professional, it boils down to what works best for you.

    Kristin Holm Dybvig

    27th May, 2022

  • Artistic talent nurture or nature by anonymous feat

    Artistic Talent – Nurture vs Nature?

    Whether we are born with an innate artistic talent, or, whether it is learned, is an age-old multifaceted debate that is fascinating, complex and compelling. I am sure most artists have considered it at some point or have an opinion on this theory.

    anonymous

    20th May, 2022

  • A kitchen tool and pastels by tracey maras feat

    A Kitchen Tool and Pastels?

    Over the years, I have learned that there are infinite ways in which pastels can be manipulated as a drawing and painting medium.

    Tracey Maras

    13th May, 2022

Colour Chart Guidance

We believe the colours in our web based colour chart are a faithful representation of our pastel range. But with any colours portrayed on the internet, there’s a whole heap of variables which mean that what you see, may not be what we see. That said, there’s some things that can be done to mitigate some of the variance.

Mobile phone and tablet screens tend to be pretty good for colour, so they’re always worth using, when viewing our colour chart.

We hate to say it, but cheaper computer displays, including laptops, can be rather hit and miss, in both colour and contrast, so they might not reveal the depth of the colour, as well as the true tone.

If you’re really keen on getting your computer up to speed on colour representation, you can use a calibration device to reach your display's fullest potential.

With all that said, if you think we’re way off the mark with any of the colours then, by all means let us know, and we’ll give it another shot.