Soft Pastels for Beginners: 7 Things I Wish Every New Artist Knew
One of the loveliest things about soft pastel is how quickly you can begin. There is no paint to mix, no brushes to wash and no waiting for layers to dry. You can pick up a pastel, make a mark and immediately enjoy its colour. Soft pastels for beginners is a friendly and forgiving media.
It can also feel rather bewildering when you first look at all the different pastels, papers and equipment available. Do you need a huge box of colours? Which paper should you buy? Should you blend everything with your fingers? And what if you haven’t made art since school?
After more than 25 years of painting with soft pastel — and many years of helping adults discover it — these are the things I wish every beginner knew.
1. A smaller set of good pastels is better than a large cheap set
This is the advice I give most often. Poor-quality pastels can feel hard and scratchy, contain less pigment and produce disappointing colour. A beginner may assume they are doing something wrong when the materials are making the job much harder.
You do not need every colour to begin. A carefully chosen set of artist-quality half sticks will give you enough variety to explore without becoming overwhelmed. Half sticks are also lovely to use because you can make broad marks with the side as well as finer marks with an edge.
I use Unison Colour pastels because I love their richness, texture and carefully considered colour families, but the important thing is to begin with the best quality you can comfortably afford. You can add individual colours as you discover the subjects and palettes you enjoy most.
2. Your paper matters just as much as your pastels
Pastel needs a surface with enough texture — often called “tooth” — to hold the pigment. If the paper is too smooth, the pastel may slide around or fall away, and you will struggle to build layers.
Sanded pastel papers and cards can make a huge difference. They grip the pastel and allow colours to be placed and layered more easily. Pastelmat, UART and Art Spectrum are among the surfaces I use, and each feels slightly different. I love Unison Colour and I think they are further enhanced by working on these quality surfaces. Here’s an article from a visit to Jacksons Art in London.
Rather than buying a large pack straight away, try a pastel-paper sample pack or a few individual sheets. You will soon notice which surface suits your touch and the way you like to work. If you hope to use a liquid underpainting later, check that the particular surface is suitable for wet techniques before you begin.
3. Choose a subject that makes you want to paint
Your first painting does not need to be complicated or impressive. Choose something that like and makes you curious to have a go. Sometimes I find the people head for an image that they think is easy but it can be harder or simply a little boring.
I often recommend a seascape to beginners. Waves, clouds and reflections naturally change shape, so there is room to interpret what you see without worrying about perfectly straight lines or exact perspective. A simple sky, horizon and stretch of water can teach you a surprising amount about colour, tone, edges and mark-making.
The best beginner subject is not necessarily the easiest-looking one. It is the one you would enjoy spending time with.
4. Keep your first set-up simple
You do not need a studio full of equipment. A comfortable, practical set-up will make it much more likely that you sit down and paint again.
My simple starter list would be:
- A small artist-quality set of soft pastels
- A few sheets of pastel paper or a sample pack
- A firm drawing board and low-tack tape
- A table-top easel, if you have one
- Kitchen roll or a soft cloth for your hands
- Glassine paper to protect finished work
Working fairly upright on an easel also allows loose pastel dust to fall down instead of being pushed back into your painting. Keep your pastels somewhere you can see and reach them. Beautiful, useful storage is not essential, but I find it makes the invitation to create even harder to resist.
5. Begin with the big shapes, not the tiny details
Beginners often rush towards the interesting little details because they feel like the part that will make the picture look finished. In reality, the large shapes and tonal pattern do most of the work.
Before you begin, look at your reference and ask:
- Where is the lightest area?
- Where is the darkest area?
- What are the three or four largest shapes?
Block these in lightly first. Step back from your easel regularly and look at the whole painting. Once the structure feels right, the smaller marks have somewhere to belong.
6. Let some of your pastel marks remain visible
Soft pastel can be blended, but it does not all need to be smoothed. Too much blending can flatten the colour and fill the tooth of the paper too quickly.
Try using the side of the stick for broad areas, an edge for lines and the end for smaller marks. Place one colour over another with a light touch and allow the marks to mix in the viewer’s eye. These broken layers are part of what gives pastel paintings their energy and glow.
Your touch will become more confident through use. There is no need to force a particular “pastel technique” on your very first day — explore what the material can do.
7. The awkward middle stage is normal
Nearly every painting has a point when it looks uncertain. The first excitement has passed, the finished picture has not appeared yet and it is tempting to decide that it has gone wrong.
This is not failure. It is simply the stage where you are making decisions.
Pause, step back and compare the large shapes and tones again. Rather than adding pastel everywhere, decide which one change would help most. Sometimes the painting needs a darker dark, a quieter area or a clearer edge. Learning to look is as important as learning to make marks.
Most importantly, do not judge your first attempts as though they should look like the work of someone who has been painting for years. The aim of your first pastel painting is to discover something and enjoy the escape of making it.
Your first pastels are the beginning of a creative journey
Good materials help, but you do not need to wait until you own everything or feel completely confident. Start with a small selection, a suitable surface and a view you would love to be in. Give yourself permission to experiment.
Soft pastel has given me a wonderfully immediate way to capture colour, light and the coast. It has also given many of my students a peaceful space away from everyday life. I hope it can become that for you too.
If you would enjoy some friendly guidance, my Autumn Series 2026 includes seven online soft-pastel workshops, with recordings so that you can paint in your own time. It is suitable for beginners as well as artists who would like fresh inspiration or a gentle return to painting.
Happy pastelling,
Nina
Ps, the post pastel chaos is real and we have hard water so tea always has a mineral top!
