by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Jul 16, 2021 | Soft Pastel Supplies
My Favourite Pastel Pencils Many of my students ask me about which pastel pencils are the darkest, the softest, the brightest, the lightest so I’ve put together this useful list of my favourite and most useful pastel pencils. But first off, lets talk about THE...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | May 22, 2024 | Soft Pastel Tips
How To Clean Pastelmat There’s a popular myth that you have to start soft pastel with the best soft pastels money can buy. (I use the best pastels money can buy because I’m creating commissions for my lovely client’s beloved family and pets. They...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | May 16, 2024 | Artist Advice, Soft Pastel Tips
Space For Your Art Hello my lovely art friends, new and old! Today I wanted to share with you one of the most useful ways to improve your art and that is regular practice. It’s not ground breaking or new advice lol! But how do you go about doing regular...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Mar 1, 2024 | In the Studio
3 tips for starting a pastel painting. Really simple quick tips that can save you from feeling annoyed and frustrated once you’ve finished your painting. And believe me, I know the frustration haha! Tip 1 Buy the frame first Tip 2: Add an extra 3-5mm to your...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Jan 26, 2024 | In the Studio
I’ve been reading a book called Atomic Habits (currently No. 1 in the Amazon charts) and I have to say it’s one of the best self help books I’ve ever read! I’m only a third of the way through and already there are two BIG take-aways that are...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Jun 22, 2023 | In the Studio
Not ALL photos are good for pastel portraits and believe me I get sent some corkers, including backs of heads! But sometimes even a great photo isn’t always going to make a great painting.Click here to get a free checklist for choosing great photos for portrait...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | May 26, 2023 | Artist Advice
Tracing in art is an emotive subject and some people get upset about it. However, I’m happy to say that I don’t get upset about it, instead I embrace it. And why not? So let’s start with the question why shouldn’t you trace? There are only...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Mar 23, 2023 | Soft Pastel Tips
How To Sharpen Pastel Pencils If you are struggling with how to sharpen pastel pencils, i know how you feel because I struggled too. I must have spent around £100 on pencil sharpeners and other people must have spent £50 helping me work that out! That’s...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Mar 17, 2023 | Soft Pastel Tips
Which Pastel Pencils Work Best On Which Paper? There’s no prize for guessing which pastel pencils and pastel sticks are my favourite – just looking at that delicious photo!! But, the point of this blog is not what is my favourite but which pastel pencils...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Mar 10, 2023 | Soft Pastel Tips
How to Choose Colours for a Painting I don’t know about you but if you are anything like me when I first started learn soft pastel, I could never get the colour right. I’d always be picking up the wrong pastels and ending up with a mess that would end up...
by Sue Kerrigan-Harris | Feb 23, 2023 | In the Studio
Time and time again my students ask me if they should fix their pastel painting? So a blog all about fixative is long called for! The absolute truth to answering this question is not straightforward because it depends on several things: What paper are...
