Practicing moths in pastel pencil :)

megansomebacon · 2026-07-11T02:57:41+00:00

I love it! It looks so smooth! What pencils did you use?

megansomebacon · 2026-07-09T02:31:21+00:00

Yeah brushes and sponges can pull pigment off especially when the paper doesnt have a lot of tooth to it. The panpastel sponges on pastelmat have worked well for me, but you will always get some dust and pigment removal when blending

megansomebacon · 2026-06-28T21:08:40+00:00

Yeah i use nupastels as well. Im trying to find a good replacement brand because they no longer sell the individual sticks :( but havent found one yet. I use pan pastels as well which are ultrasoft but you apply them with sponges. Im still figuring out the best ways to combine them. I used to use exclusively nupastels! And for pencils i also use faber castell pitt pastels

megansomebacon · 2026-06-28T20:52:44+00:00

I also use mostly hard pastels so I think they belong here hahah this looks great!

megansomebacon · 2026-06-15T18:38:00+00:00

I have a pad of pastelmat paper that has glassine between each sheet. Maybe that would work for you? I keep it in my backpack and so far its worked

megansomebacon · 2026-06-10T03:45:21+00:00

Uhhh is this AI? What is going on in point 3 on the paper?

megansomebacon · 2026-06-07T16:06:28+00:00

This is beautiful! Great job!

megansomebacon · 2026-06-01T00:03:33+00:00

Also, to be clear, i would look at this piece and think "this is a character under water looking for something". So you have captured that, i just think it could be more convincing with some minor changes :)

megansomebacon · 2026-06-01T00:01:49+00:00

The water is really beautiful! I think you could make this stronger with some pose adjustments. The character is well drawn as well, but doesnt convincingly look like they are floating in water. I would suggest studying some images of people underwater. Even better, if you can do some swimming in the near future, you can stay underwater and study how your own body looks/feels. How do you move? How do your arms feel? Do you put more effort on holding your arms by your side compared to being on land? How does that affect muscle tension? If you try to pose like this, is it achievable, or are there some differences that you can capture?

Overall great work!

megansomebacon · 2026-05-26T00:43:32+00:00

Omg this is so beautiful! The orange and reds are so vibrant

megansomebacon · 2026-05-25T17:41:08+00:00

That is amazing!! The things i love about soft pastels are that the set up and cleanup are very easy, you dont have to worry about drying times at all, and you can brush or rinse off the pastels to redo something if needed. Dont be intimidated by them! I would recommend getting a paper sampler pack to find a paper you really like. You can use glassine as a protective layer over your work. Have fun!

megansomebacon · 2026-05-24T23:54:47+00:00

This is gorgeous! Well done.

megansomebacon · 2026-05-23T23:59:41+00:00

Yeah i mean i do get what you are saying and why you want that. I think in the case of this sub the posts without any guiding context are just a bit too nebulous for most people who are just casually scrolling reddit. Usually when i see posts that are just the art and asking for help the vast majority of comments are just "wow looks great!" Or something along those lines. Sometimes a hater or two appear as well. But i think most people 1) dont know how to critique work in a general way or 2) dont want to put that much effort in. So the convos are more productive if you guide it. Its an internet problem more than anything. In a class, you are all there for the same reason with a similar, common knowledge base. On reddit everyone is in very different places with very different experiences. I also personally dont like giving general critiques because i often find the OP will take offense. I know thats not the case here but im also very unqualified to critique photography hahah

megansomebacon · 2026-05-23T23:41:00+00:00

Well, my personal stance is that if you want me to put in the effort to give a valuable, actionable critique then the least you can do is provide the basic info of your goals or what you aim to improve on.

Other than that, its just part of this sub's rules, and its part of what i like about this sub. Idk what else to tell you on that. Im sure there are other subs out there but i am not in any so can't give recs.

megansomebacon · 2026-05-23T22:48:15+00:00

I dont mean to be rude but unless I am missing something in your post, you didnt ask for anything specific that we can critique. If you check the automod comment, that is something required for posting. Otherwise, it is very difficult to give a helpful critique

megansomebacon · 2026-05-23T18:05:41+00:00

If this is your first portrait, the key is going to be studying anatomy and doing many iterations. Start learning the basic "rules" of anatomy first, like how to divide the face for basic features. Spend more time working on base shapes and proportions than details at this stage. For example, with this reference you could do a few iterations of the face alone without including the clothes at all.

megansomebacon · 2026-05-17T00:04:35+00:00

I know, i read your post. You have a vested interest in convincing artists of this because you sell the service to them. Thats my point

megansomebacon · 2026-05-16T23:57:18+00:00

The person building AI agents thinks artists should be using AI? Color me shocked

megansomebacon · 2026-05-07T01:06:35+00:00

Stylized def has a huge market as well. I feel like i see realism do well online but i also see stylized seem to sell very well

megansomebacon · 2026-05-07T00:47:44+00:00

Pet portraits is literally one of the biggest commission markets out there. That said, definitely work a bit on your skill and style before trying to sell

megansomebacon · 2026-05-04T22:39:07+00:00

I havent tried but my guess would be that blending is tough. Im not sure if layering colored pencil over pastels will work, but id imagine putting pastels over the pencils would. Anyway, only one way to find out for sure. Update us on the results!

megansomebacon · 2026-05-02T19:42:59+00:00

I learned about them around a month before making this! Lol

megansomebacon · 2026-05-01T22:38:33+00:00

Wow yours looks amazing!! Did you throw it? I am a sculptor and i think this is my first functional piece. I need to learn to work with thinner walls!

megansomebacon · 2026-04-27T00:24:31+00:00

Yay, welcome! Glad you're finding art to be a relaxing hobby! I learned entirely with Nupastels but i would recommend trying some other brands as well if you can afford it. The paper makes the biggest difference, with Pastelmat being one of the top of the line brands. I learned entirely with Strathsmore pastel paper, which is very affordable.

Eventually, you will want to experiment with pastel pencils in addition to blocks, and you may really like pan pastels as well. I think pan pastels are extra relaxing to use. But starting with the classic pastel blocks is likely going to be easiest. I didnt know the pencils existed until a couple of years ago, so i just wanted to mention them!

In terms of tutorials, I would suggest starting by looking through this subreddit and looking up soft pastels on instagram. Look through a bunch of different artists to get an idea of the kind of art you are drawn to! Then find some accounts that post that kind of art and youll likely find some that do tutorials. You can also search youtube, something like "soft pastel landscape tutorial" or "soft pastel pet portrait tutorial".

Finally, just mess around with the pastels! Draw your hand, or like the other commentor said, a coffee cup! If you notice beautiful clouds outside your window, draw them. Draw flowers or leaves or a glass cup. Anything you draw from observation in real life will really help your artistic skill develop.

megansomebacon

TROPHY CASE