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the blog for soft pastel art lovers
Inspired by my love of pastels and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about them the How to Pastel Blog has tips & tricks, reviews, step-by-step progressions, guest bloggers, and a great community on Facebook.
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A bit about me
I am very lucky to have been born and brought up in Jamaica, a land of beauty and complexity, of warmth and coolness, of vibrancy and tension. Many say that my Caribbean upbringing influenced my palette and I think they may be right. I do know that it shaped my worldview. Check out these sites to learn more about me and my work.
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Gail Sibley
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Friday, 3 May 2024
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In Tasmania to teach a 10-day Art Retreat, I had a couple of days on my own. The view across the road had such a nostalgic feeling that I had to paint it. Here’s the progression of the pastel painting.
More Editions...
Inches Are Written With Fractions…Not Decimal Points
Friday, 18 February 2022
Okay, pet peeve coming up! How do you write inches? Let’s say we’re talking about a painting that’s five and a half inches by seven and one eighth inches. Do you write 5 1/2 x 7 1/8 in? Or do you write 5.5 x 7.125 inches? I hope you write the former rather than the
Cleaning Soft Pastels – Check Out My Easy Method
Friday, 15 August 2014
I don’t know about you but my pastels get miiiiighty dirty when I use them. Whether you wear gloves or not, every time you pick up a pastel, you transfer particles from the pastel you previously held to the new one. And so the pastels get dirtier and dirtier. Ugh I say. So, cleaning
Translating Your Thumbnails – Painting From Your Black, White, and Grey Sketch
Friday, 9 July 2021
I’ve written on this topic of translating your thumbnail before (click here to read an earlier post on it), but I think it’s good to repeat the idea as it does tend to be a stumbling block for many students. So what am I talking about? You create a black, white, and grey thumbnail and
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify! Working En Plein Air in Mexico
Tuesday, 9 February 2016
We’re back from our two-week vacation in La Manzanilla, Mexico where we danced up a storm during the first week in a tango intensive workshop and then relaxed a bit in the second which is when I managed to get some pastelling time in. This pastel is a view from the verandah of Martin’s Restaurant. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by
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Lightfastness In Pastels – D8330 – A New Standard
Lightfastness in pastels. Is this something you’ve given any thought to? I have. And I haven’t. To tell you the truth,
Painting Summer Greens In Soft Pastels
I just finished teaching a five-day plein air workshop at MISSA (Metchosin International Summer School of Arts). I had amazing students
May’s Marvellous Pastels
Yay! It’s time for another pastel round-up. Apologies for the delay. I was in Ontario last week teaching at the ICAN Pastel
A Portrait by Laura Anning Bell in Tate Britain
We dive deep into the details of this portrait by artist Laura Anning Bell. Located in Tate Britain, it’s believed to be a depiction of Annie Horniman, a pioneer of the repertory theatre.
Pastelling Outdoors (And Chillin’!) In Oak Bay
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Still Life Demo at Peninsula Gallery
Monday, 24 August 2015
A Heart for You on This Valentine’s Day!
Friday, 14 February 2014
This Painting Was Finished Before I Knew It!
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Putting Yourself Out There – Demoing in Public
Friday, 4 December 2020
Ambiguity In Art – How It Can Benefit Your Own Work
Sunday, 31 March 2019
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6 thoughts on “About”
Gail! Just got turned on to your website by a fellow artist from Wellington, Ontario… both of us former presidents of the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada. I work primarily in pastel and it will always be my medium of choice! I could never give them up! Being a landscape artist for years, I would now like to change things up a bit and try abstract. I was inspired by your article about the progression of your abstract painting…it’s given me the courage to take that (for me) giant leap and go ahead with an image I’ve had in my mind for a long time. Thank you! I look forward to future e-mails! Your’s is one of the best Pastel websites I’ve come across. Look forward to receiving your emails.
Kathryn
Thank you for writing Kathryn, and for your enthusiasm! It comes over loud and clear 🙂 I am wondering which article on abstraction you are referring to. Perhaps you can add a comment directly on the blog? Good luck with your leap. I know how difficult it is to make. It’s ongoing risk-taking that’s for sure! Please let me know how it goes.
Look forward to hearing more from you
I just read your article in the April issue of “Pastel Journal”. Thank you so much. I felt as if you were speaking directly to me. I am going to tear it out and tape it to my studio wall.
Marcia
Marcia, that’s the best reward a writer/artist could hear!! Thank you for letting me know. (As yet, I still haven’t received my copy!)
Hi Gail. I’m really excited and pleased to have discovered your website. I live in southern Australia and I started painting with pastels a few years ago (self taught) , but went a bit stale after doing a couple of workshops- mostly because the pastel artists here who I came across seem to be very conventional and felt that I wasn’t learning much. I’ve been working in oils since and enjoyed it- as I’ve realised, it’s similar in many ways. You showcase so many exciting works – use of colour, composition etc. , and your quick tips are helping me rethink how to approach my work. Looking forward to hearing more about your workshop in Tasmania, or perhaps one in Europe in a couple of years’ time.
Hi Judi,
Thanks for writing such a lovely introduction to yourself and your work. Certainly oils are similar to pastels in the way one builds a painting. Interesting that! I’m glad though that my blog may bring you back to the pastel side 😀 Even if not, so much of what’s here can be applied to the other media available for painting.
I look forward to having you in one of my workshops whether in Tasmania or Europe!!