 Hello and welcome to Monet Café. Subscribers, newcomers, friends, I'm artist Susan Jenkins and today I'll be bringing you an awesome beginner tutorial using only 12 pastels. Oh, and if you haven't subscribed already, please do so. I would love that. Now here they are, only 12 pastels. Often we think we have to have such a great supply, but this will be great for beginners to realize really with the right colors and values we don't need all that much to create a pleasing painting. You guys should thank my patrons for this video because this was part of their lesson oh months ago, but I'm in a situation right now where I'm caring for a loved one in our family who has a terminal illness. So you guys enjoy, if you hear me talking to my patrons in this video, it's because that's who it was originally addressed to. Also I'm happy to say this is all real time and also my house happened to be quiet while I was filming, so you get to hear those wonderful scratchy sounds on the pastel paper. Alright, listen to my instructions and you guys have some fun painting with a very limited palette. I sketched in very loosely the general composition with a charcoal pencil and now I'm using a darker pastel to lay in the darkest values. But first of all, let me tell you about the surface. It's a piece of UART paper, it's just a little five by seven or six by eight piece and I talk about this a lot. The edges of UART where I am in Florida seem to curl up all the time, so I'm constantly, you'll see me a lot of times pressing on the side of the paper just to get it the pastel application and this pastel that I'm using is the new pastel, in new pastel. I believe it's spruce blue or blue spruce and I think it's number 305. I'm just speeding up these little sections where I'm putting down little samples of the colors for you guys to see. Other than that, it's gonna be real time. So what I'm doing, this is the blocking in stage and I'll put the little reference photo up in a minute. I just wanted to leave the blank on the side so you could see those colors for a moment and I'll also provide the reference photo in the post that I put on Patreon. But this I'm just blocking in the big shapes. It's a really simple composition. This is a good painting for beginners. As a matter of fact, it's a it's the same reference photo I used in one of my YouTube videos that's actually pretty popular. I catered it totally to beginners. Maybe I can put that in the throwback Thursday video this coming week. So and I'm gonna be having a schedule coming out real soon of kind of what you guys can expect each week. Now that's a piece of pipe foam insulation. The first one I used was dirty. You see the little red showing through there and I'm gonna blend the rest of it in with pipe foam insulation. But I wanted to get that value of the purple in first. Now it seems kind of weird when you're first watching this. If you've never, if somebody's never done pastel painting or doesn't know anything about value. But because I'm working with such a limited palette, you really just ignore color. You don't have to totally ignore color because a lot of times these purples do make sense where I put them in the shadows. But sometimes you have to choose the color just based on the value. But I knew I wanted the ground even though it has kind of some bright green on the grasses. You got to have something for it to lay upon. And there's the photo again. And it was kind of an overcast hazy day. But because now I'm blending again. But because my pastel selection was so limited, I knew my choices for the sky were going to probably result in it not being such a cloudy looking sky. So anyway, again, I'm just getting down these these just big blocks of shapes really I have so far I first put in the trees kind of mask them in. I'm going to blend them in a second put in the sky and put in the land. So that's really kind of a simple approach to begin the painting instead of getting bogged down in any detail to begin with. Now I will reestablish these darks a little later. But at first right now you're seeing how I've got the general biggest shapes if you had to break this composition down or this reference photo down into the biggest shapes that that would be it land sky trees. And this is what we will the foundation that we will build upon. Okay, now I am reinforcing the darks. If you squint your eyes and look at those trees in the reference photo, they are dark. I mean, they're really dark, but I don't want them to appear as black. So I will later go in and add some green highlights to those. And also, I talk a lot about how that's where I'm pushing the you are down. I literally curls up on the edges for me and I can't even get the pastel to go down smoothly on it. But I talk a lot about how reference photos lie, or they're mistaken sometimes, or it's just not a good representation of what you want your painting to be in that things in the distance really logically and scientifically, they reduce in value, they're not as dark, and they get cooler in color. So while I'm going to block these far away trees, that one that I just did on the right there, that one's closer, obviously, but as they recede, they get lighter, I am reducing my pressure a little bit as I'm doing this. But I'm going to be by the end of the painting, I will give the visual illusion of them being further away by a lighter pastel, I think it's that a blue pastel I'll be using in a minute. It's kind of a medium blue. And it pushes the trees back. Now, if you look at the reference photo and typically, foregrounds are darker. You know, and I'm giving a little hint of a path, I kind of cover it up, but it wasn't that big a deal. There I'm pushing the side of the paper down again. And I will bring the reference there it is, I moved the reference photo over just a bit so you could see both the color selections and the reference photo. And I'm keeping a real light touch here. I saw how some people responded in the last premiere video I did talking about being heavy handed, I've had a tendency to be heavy handed. I've had a tendency to paint too fast sometimes. And this little painting, you know, I thought it was going to be I don't know, maybe like a little 15 20 minute painting, it ends up being about, oh, I think it's like 30, 30 plus minutes. And so and also to even though I know my sky is going to be a little lighter, I did like some of those clouds. And I've had a tendency at the very beginning of my painting to think I have to get the clouds in to look so much like clouds and don't worry about it. If it doesn't, you're getting in the shapes right now. It looks kind of scraggly. But don't worry by the end of the painting that resolves itself. So don't over fuss on your sky, get in your, your values. This purple looks dark right now, I admit. But by the time I add the lighter values, it's going to blend right in, especially since I already rub that blue in the turquoisey color with the pipe foam insulation. By the time I start adding other pastels, they kind of blend themselves. Okay, so yeah, here we go. I'm going to add some of this lighter color. Later I do add some of the there's a peachy color. These are the same pastels that I used in the premiere video. And for you guys who are on there with me, thank you. It's really nice. I like I like just being able to chat while we watch the painting together. And I could tell there were a lot of people watching and paying attention because I know already one for example, shared in the Monet cafe, cafe art group on Facebook, that she painted a paint along she painted with me while I painted and it was so cute. She said her, her daughter had the reference photo pulled up and was reading what was going on in the chat while she was painting. So I thought that was really sweet. But anyway, so thanks for those of you who joined in. And I would like to do more paint along type of things. I, I never like to complain. And I certainly don't ever want to sound like I'm whining or anything. But my life is a bit unusual sometimes. I don't even want to bring up all the things that me and my husband are having to do right now, you know, just to keep life going the way we want it to. So I am always so grateful for those of you who hang in there with me. And but I still want to provide good content for you. I want you to keep learning. I want to have something of value for you guys. And if I ever don't, I want you to get out of here because I don't want you paying $5 a month for nothing. But I do so appreciate your support. All right, now this darker purple. purples are really good kind of shadowy color. And this is a nice rich dark purple. Oh, you might hear the thunder in my voiceover right now. Oh, it's really rumbling. I love the rain. Now I'm getting a little bit more using that purple to kind of give a little sort of a visual path that's going along just kind of pulls the eye into the painting a little bit. It's going to get covered up with some grass colors. But see, I'm kind of getting that purple more at the basis of those trees on the shadow side. So it's still at that stage that looks, you know, kind of like a mess. Now there's that blue I was talking about, it's just kind of a nice medium, almost kind of a neutrally blue. I'm adding a little bit of that to the trees. But I think I changed my mind there because I wasn't quite ready for that value there yet. I wanted to establish some of the other values first. But I do know that you see how in the reference photo, it's like the foreground, like there's a little hill and the bottom part is kind of in shadow. And I still know that I want to create that curving of the field. So I'm kind of using that pastel to curve it a little bit. And definitely the left side kind of behind the trees is a bit in shadow, but it still has some of those brighter grasses growing. But I'm going to be reserved with that. Oh, lightning just literally sort of cut my power out right here. Yikes. Oh, okay. So that was some serious lightning. It did shut my power out for a bit, but I'm back up now. Is there anybody else in Florida? I mean, we get some serious thunderstorms here in Florida. They can be downright scary sometimes, but I think I'm good for now. Okay. So see how those pastels are just kind of starting to blend. They don't at first. They feel your painting just looks kind of splotchy. Does that make sense at first? And then just as you work, be patient. I've had to learn this over the years. When I first started painting, I would paint for a little while, and then I would come in and my husband could tell I was a little frustrated. And he'd be like, what's wrong? Or I might say something. I was like, oh, my painting. I'm just like, it's not good. And he'd be like, you say that every time. And then it turns out, okay, so it really does go through that phase to begin with. Now, I know there's kind of that warm color on the top of the field there. So I'm establishing some of that, but I'm keeping a very light touch. That's a note to myself all the time now, because I have been heavy-handed. So I'm keeping a light touch. I'm holding the paper down so I can get the pastel to just lay down flat for me. And just glazing at this point. There it is, the paper curling up again. So I'm just kind of establishing some of the colors that are going to be in this field as I work before I add the greens. Okay, a little bit more of this color. And then I'm going to get the darker of the greens. So this is the, it's just kind of a earthy foresty kind of color green. And it's what I'm going to use to get some of the highlights. The main tree there, the one that's the biggest, it's kind of like an evergreen tree. And it's pretty dark. But because I know my sky's going to be lightened up with some of the lighter values that I have, I know the highlights can be represented to be just a little bit lighter. That tree back there in the back is a little bit of an enigma. It's sort of a little bit back, but I don't want it to look like it's in line with that tree. And it almost looks like it is in the photo. So I'm trying to obviously make it a little shorter just to give some variety and also make the the base of the tree higher up in the composition so it looks further away. But I just decided to go ahead and blend a little bit of that in because I didn't have that that tree tall enough. And now I'll kind of re-establish that. All right, I'll just be quiet for a bit because I use this this particular green for a while. Am I still using the green? No, actually I'm adding a little bit more of the dark at the base of the tree. But then I use that green a little bit. So just watch and then I'll come back in when I choose the next lighter, a little bit lighter value green. Okay, so this is a medium to light somewhat warmer value green. It's not super warm, but it makes for representing the colors of a lot of the grasses that are not super highlighted. And again, I'm just glazing. I'm just trying to represent that rolling feel of the field. And it's always a good idea to move your pastel in the direction of how that object would be. Like if you could reach out and just take your hand over that field horizontally, it would kind of be a rolling hill rather than just flat horizontal lines. So now just keep watching this and I will come back in when I get to the sky part. Most of this is just going to be me using this green that I eventually get to the lighter green. The lightest in that I have is the Jack Richardson green. Again, the same pastels I used in that premiere video I just posted. If you want to go back and look at that when I do describe what the pastels are a little better. That's actually a Terry Ludwig I'm working with right there. It's just an older one that's gotten worn down quite a bit and broken. But I continue to use the greens and then I'll use the yellow that I used in this. I was actually surprised it worked as well as it did in the video I posted and in this painting. I normally don't go for yellows like that, especially in roads like the other painting and in grasses. I usually go with the greens but the yellow worked because it was the right value. It was a bright yellow. So anyway, so and I'm adding some purples down there. See how that really makes that shadow and makes it feel like there's depth back there. But then keep watching and I'll pop back in when I get to the sky part. If you do follow along with this and paint from this video I'd love for you to share your results in our Patreon Facebook page or either I'm starting an album for the Google shared photos and I have to remember to give you guys the link for that because I know not all of you guys are on Facebook. So all right enjoy I'll be back when I get to the sky. I thought I'd mention when you hear that sound that sounds kind of like rumbling you're going to hear it in a minute because I fast forward this. You hear that? Those that's not thunder those are the phosphate trucks that ride by my house even though we live out in the country now on a little bit of land. We have this road looks like just a quite country road but it happens to be right where these phosphate mine is like you know 10 miles or so down the road and these trucks are huge and they're so loud and often when I'm trying to create a video here I go sound like I'm whining again it's just it's just too loud you hear the trucks all the time they they haven't been as active because of all the closings and everything I guess with the whole coronavirus thing so there's a positive out of it but um that's why my husband and I I'll talk while I paint here where our goal is to move out to the six acres that we have it's just got this little really if our house was teeny here the other house is really teeny it's only a little 500 square foot house that we hope to add on to and build me an extension on it that's my new Monet cafe so that's a dream but you know for now we just deal with what we have I know that's what you guys are doing a lot some of you guys are doing like I did for so long you're working out off your kitchen table with kids all in the house and or you know help this use or you know we've all got our stuff so we just praise the Lord and work with what we have and do the best we can and we have each other which is awesome okay I'm getting close to that 12th color not yet there but just so you know it's kind of a peachy color I know I've got that color that's number seven that is more of a not quite a rich terracotta color but it's kind of a terracotta color but the next one that will be number 12 is one that I actually use in the sky right now if you look at the sky it kind of looks all disjointed and when I add the lighter peach and I then add also that number four you see how it's kind of a little yellowy lighter value color the peach that I will add and that lighter value in the sky really give it some definition for the clouds especially with that blue and that purple that I've already put down all right there's that color see that's a little bit brighter than number seven and I think I first start putting it in the sky let's see I check it on the land and sometimes you've just got to you guys are probably familiar with this you got to check your pastel you can make just a little mark I did that ever so lightly just to kind of create a little sense of distance back there but it was a little too light to put in the foreground grasses it wouldn't have looked right it would have looked really light if I try to use that say as grasses in the foreground so I just kind of used it to create that little bit of an edge it was kind of like a little highlight kind of going along the field right in front of those trees just a tad just enough to give it a little definition and distance going in there all right now I think it's where I'm going to start yeah I'm going to start adding some of this let me zoom in here and see if you can see it better okay yeah that's better all right now you'll be able to see how because there's enough pastel down now they they sort of blend themselves and I wanted to add a little more warmth typically skies get lighter at the horizon and they also not always but often get warmer at the horizon rather than up we think about how our earth is as things go up higher into the heavens they get darker that's why the upper portion of the sky is usually darker than it is down during the day time down at the horizon line so using those warmer colors help me see how I just kind of suggested some clouds up there in a minute you'll see me go in I'm darkening that up there a little bit I thought with that a little too light but in a minute you'll see me use that number four to go in and establish the highlights that are kind of on top of the clouds now I know in the reference photo the clouds were different they were more of that overcast cloudy day but with the choices that I had again I just used these pastels from the previous painting I knew that the sky colors that I had were better if it was kind of a brighter day so that's why I decided not to give it that overcast look and have some more of that beautiful turquoise color showing through now I'm just kind of hinting and suggesting at some sky holes I had a few more later and just kind of working along here so I'll paint a while and then I'll be back when I get back to the sky now I did miss a little bit of footage there where I added some of those taller grasses to the foreground with some of the the greens and now I'm just adding a little bit more of that kind of rich color the pastels have gotten now to a point where I can feel they're they're getting a decent amount of layering on there so I'm like better put on the brakes here so just about to finish this up but now I'm going to add those sky colors or the highlights in the clouds alrighty you can see it's getting a sense of light in that grass and to make that make sense I'm adding some brightness to the sky I wanted to add a little bit of that gorgeous kind of buttery yellow color it does look like butter that's really a good description for that um coming kind of up from behind those trees and then also again to the kind of the top you see where the highlights on the trees are they're kind of to the top upper right and so I know that that's kind of where the sun is coming from so the highlights on top of the kind of the pink part the purple's kind of underneath the pink is the middle section and then that color is kind of a little bit of highlights to the cloud nothing too distinct I'm keeping it just super soft like these are just little wispy cat clouds floating in that beautiful turquoise sky and um all I'm really doing is softening things here um my strokes are very uh easy and light right now I do have a couple of little stragglers or whatever with some of those purple marks that I tone down like that um with the turquoise pastel or either with the one of the other colors just to kind of make a little bit more sense to the sky but I don't want to lose that freshness that's something that's another one of my goals just and I think what helps this goal is to keep freshness is to have a light touch so keeping my painting fresh um another goal of mine is a term that I call efficiency of stroke where every stroke counts you know I I still sometimes are like I'm like let me change that and um I really admire the artist where it looks like every stroke was purposeful and perfect and uh I just admire artists who have gotten so good at that so um so that's a goal I know we all have our goals and that's some of mine um all right so I'm finishing up here and I hope you guys enjoyed this all I'm going to do really here is just to kind of push those trees back like I mentioned before with that uh medium value blue I'm just gently gently glazing over these trees just to to knock off the value a little bit to where it's not quite as dark and that in turn does make the trees appear like they're further away doesn't it I hope you guys enjoyed that beginner lesson with only 12 pastels and thank my patrons for the release of this video and this is the kind of content that I often bring to my patrons if you're interested in becoming a patron for only five dollars a month you can do so right here at this clickable link and please subscribe if you haven't already and as always happy painting