Plein Air Pastel Painting with Julie Davis

Pack your pastels, we’re going on a plein air painting adventure! Paint along with Julie as she captures a historic barn in all of its rustic charm. Get tips and tricks for working with pastels outdoors, including an overview of the gear you’ll need and how to use a gridded composition finder for ac...

Instructions

1. Hold gridded view finder up to view scene and use a chalk marker to trace an outline of your subject directly onto the tool's surface. It can be wiped off with a damp towel later.

2. Create a light grid on your sanded pastel panel. Use the grid to sketch the main areas of your composition onto the panel. Alternatively, trace the provided sketch onto your panel using graphite transfer paper.

3. Follow video instructions to create the barn surface, sky, background and foreground. The materials list indicates the pastel colors used in the video, but you can use your own supplies in similar colors for an approximate result.

4. When you’re finished, apply a fixative to seal your painting. You can also cover it temporarily with vellum paper until it can be framed under glass.