Thanks Bethany, this is so appreciated, more helpful than a time-lapse as i am just beginning to learn pastels. Could you do more full length tutorials? take care!
Wow! Today I was struggling with sky holes. The use of a palette knife? Brilliant! And I love the use of a small brush for the edges of the background trees to soften them a bit and push them back. Off to my studio!! (And thanks so much!)
Loved watching you . I'm new to pastels been using watercolours in the past .looking forward to experimenting . Great idea using the palette knife to bring texture into the painting.look forward to watching more of your videos .Brilliant work .
That's all new to me, I've done a few pastels but use only fingers, you don't seem to blend as much a I do your methods look fantastic. Even though I've done a few pastels I guess I'm doing it wrong lol. I'm going to have to try what you are doing. I gave away my hard pastels because they were too hard to blend......I'm sort of self taught but didn't have the ideas you have . Thank you wendy
No, you'r not doing it wrong! Many people blend and it's a personal choice. Hard pastels are hard to blend and that's why I use rubbing alcohol to wash it in sometimes. It tones the paper. Of course, alcohol only works on papers that can handle wet media. So glad this gave you so me new ideas Wendy! :)
This was a fantastic video...very, very INSPIRING! I love your choice of colors and your technique. Thanks for sharing! I am a watercolor artist, but I have done a few pastels and would like to do more.
Hi Bethany. I saw on one of your videos a while ago, that you purchased a roll of sanded paper (I think Uart). I'd like to purchase a roll too but I made a huge mistake and purchased a giant-sized roll of paper (I didn't read the description right) and I want to be sure I don't make the same mistake. Could you tell me where/what brand, etc you purchase your sanded pastel paper?
Really pretty! What is a good pastel paper to start with that is expensive? Also did yu use reference photo here? Thank you for any help you are able to provide!
Hi Bethany I do love your work! Could you tell me the color of the Acrylic ink you use for the shadows? The darkest I could find is Ultramarine but it comes across as a quite light color blue. Thank you 🙏
If any of your online classes will be applicable to beginners, I'd love to take them. At this early stage (just about sic weeks into pastels) I need tutorials which are recorded in "real time" rather than double or triple speed, and have some audible narration to them.
Bill and Jeff - well it's two years later but I've finally started online lessons over here: www.patreon.com/bethanyfields - would love to have you join!
Hi Anthony! This painting didn't come from a reference photo, just my artist brain. :) I take a lot of photos though and mostly look for different shapes in the landscape and pleasing arrangements of trees and other elements. I use the references as a catalyst to inspire and then often change color, lighting, temperature, compositional lines, etc. Thank you for watching and commenting! I appreciate it.
Bethany Fields ..can you see how using and showing a reference photo as you work could benefit your viewers ? It would be helpful to see the reference as you add lighter values to model the bushes and trees with a lighter green. 4 min. 17 sec. I’m wondering where the light source is.The left sides of the upright foliage are lighted, but the shadows they cast look as if the light was coming from directly above. And could you keep the text up on the screen a bit longer for people whose mother language is not English or who need a bit more time to read?
Hi Renzo - This piece didn't come from a reference photo but thanks for asking! I am teaching over at patreon.com/bethanyfields now and am sharing the references and paintings. I would love to be able to add more subtitles. Thank you for watching!
Hi Bethany, Love your work and just discovered your channel. I have painted with acrylics and oils and wanted to try pastels but stopped short because of the cost of framing knowing that a mat, glass and frame are needed which makes it very costly. Do you spray a fixative after the piece is completed?
Hi Sal! No, I don't. I tap the back of the painting gently to remove excess pastel dust (usually outside) and frame as you said, behind glass. Fixative can darken and sink the colors making some transparent so I avoid it as a final spray. I do sometimes use it as a technique in the middle of a painting! Many pastel artists are framing without a mat now. We use "spacers" that hold the glass up and off the painting. When you use very good glass, you can hardly tell there is glass at all! Thank you so much for watching and commenting! :)
I wanted to ask that can we use anything else than rubbing alcohol? Please tell I'm a beginner at this my first set of pastels arrived yesterday plz suggest me what to do and how to blend I'm a watercolor artist and underage i don't think my mum will let me use alcohol and it's really hard to blend the colors just sit over each other
Hi, Bethany! First, thanks once again for your wonderful videos. I have a question. I noticed in your vids that you always paint right to the edge. I have been doing this too and have sold several recently. I showed a pastel to my mother in law yesterday. For many years she was a professional photog. Her first question to me was: why don't you leave a border? Won't that make it harder for people to frame? Honestly, I had never thought about it. Has this been a problem for you? What do you tell patrons if they ask about it? Thank you in advance! :)
That's a great question! I don't always use a mat in my framing and so any additional edge would show. Also, I dislike taping the edges on most pieces as the tape is just wasted and thrown away. Unless I'm plein air painting, I don't tape my edges down. If I decide to mat a piece with no edges, the framer only needs a quarter of an inch and this doesn't crop the pieces in too tightly. Thank you for asking and for watching! I appreciate it!
Hi Loki! It was hard to discover my own methods. I am self-taught and studied and painted a painting everyday! Lots of trial and error! I started this channel to try to pass on knowledge to beginners and experienced pastelists. :) Thank you for watching and please let me know of any questions you have that you'd like me to cover!
I use mainly Nupastel, Terry Ludwig, Unison, Girault, Great American, and Rembrandt....each has a different use and softness. I often put the materials used at the end of the videos if you're curious about a certain one. :)
Hi Bethany, I love your thecnique with pastel: I have a question, What kind of Rubbing Alcohol you applied in your tecnique, I come from Spain and I am not sure what kind of Alcohol I have to ask similar. Thank you for your videos.
Hi Javier! Thank you for watching! Some in the UK call it "surgical spirits" - it is used for medical reasons (cleaning wounds, etc.) here in the USA. It dries very quickly and doesn't remove the grit from the paper I use. (Uart papers). Test your paper before using to make sure it passes the test! Thank you for watching and commenting!
Please list the price for this painting. If prices are listed it allows the buyer to know right from the start if it is within a price range that is affordable to that particular buyer.
