Blog
Welcome to my studio notes. This is where I share how my pastel portraits come to life, from the first photo to the finished piece, along with tips, news and the occasional peek behind the scenes in my Cornwall studio.
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Photo to portrait: See how a favourite photo becomes a hand-drawn pastel portrait.
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Pastel tips: The techniques I use every day, shared simply.
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Studio news: New work, Christmas baubles and when commissions are open.
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Photo to Portrait
Every portrait I draw starts with a single photograph. Your photo is the reference I work from, the anchor for every mark I make on the paper. What you get back is a hand-drawn pastel portrait, full of warmth and personality, created to last a lifetime.
I have been drawing with pastels now for many years. In the beginning I started out with just your everyday HB pencils . I always wanted to create a portrait in colour but had no idea where to start. I'd never heard of pastel pencils before and was curious as to how they blend. I'd seen some amazing portraits from other artists and couldn't believe the extent of their creations.
One xmas I was given a tin of Faber Castell pastel pencils and gave them a try. I was so excited by all the different tones you can produce and how well they blend together.
It took me a long time to understand them and get used to the blending. I have spent many many hours practising and still do! Since then I have acquired many different pastel pencils and soft pastel sticks , Schminke, stabilo Carbothello, Rembrandt, to name a few, everyone of them are unique. I have no favourite.