Wish Someone Had Taught Me THIS When I Started Soft Pastels!
Watch on YouTubeVideo summary
This September, Monae Cafe Studio is launching a new four-part mini-course titled "The Magic of Soft Pastels," specifically designed to inspire and guide beginner artists who are just starting their pastel painting journey. While previous themes often focused on specific subject matter, this month's focus shifts directly to the artist themselves, addressing the common confusion new patrons and subscribers feel about where to begin. The course aims to serve as an excellent springboard for novices while also offering refreshing techniques and fun learning opportunities for more experienced artists who may have forgotten foundational skills. By tackling these core principles, the creator hopes to demystify the medium and provide a clear path forward for anyone eager to embark on this creative adventure.
The first week of the course, titled "Why Soft Pastels," delves into the creator's personal journey of discovering the medium almost by accident and explains why it has become such an addictive art form for so many. During this segment, the focus will be on exploring various brands of soft pastels and clarifying the often-confusing scale from hardness to softness, a frequent question asked by new artists. A key takeaway for beginners is that they do not need to spend a fortune to get started; the creator will share practical tips and suggestions on how to build an effective starter palette without going broke, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent anyone from accessing this beautiful medium.
Moving into the technical aspects in week two, "Making Your Mark," the course explores the diverse techniques used to create marks with pastels, a skill that is essential for all levels of artists. Many experienced painters fall into habits that cause them to overlook these fundamental methods, so this section aims to rekindle that awareness and expand artistic vocabulary. Week three shifts attention to "Exploring Pastel Surfaces," where the vast array of available options—from commercially purchased papers to those made at home—are examined. The lesson explains how different surfaces impact layering, texture, and overall composition, teaching artists how to select the right paper to suit their specific needs and artistic vision.
The final week, "Beyond the Reference," brings all these elements together by teaching advanced techniques for selecting reference images, simplifying complex scenes, and transforming them into beautiful compositions. By the end of this comprehensive course, participants will have gained a deep understanding of the medium's potential and will feel fully prepared to continue their pastel painting journey with confidence. The creator encourages viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel to follow along with the mini-course and invites those who wish to go even deeper to join the Patreon community for extra lessons and exercises throughout September, concluding with a blessing and a happy call to start painting.
Read the full video transcript
This September, [music]
discover the magic of soft pastels, a
brand new four-part [music] miniourse
designed to inspire your pastel journey.
Welcome artists to Monae Cafe Studio and
this announcement of the September 2026
painting theme. Now, often my themes are
geared around a subject matter, but this
month it's geared towards an artist, and
that artist is the beginner pastel
artist. the artist that's just starting
this pastel painting journey. And so
often I hear from my new patrons and
from my subscribers on my YouTube
channel, where do I go now? I'm I want
to get started on this journey. What do
I do? So that's why I decided to make
this month's theme called the magic of
soft pastels. It's going to be a
four-part miniourse for your new pastel
journey. This will be an excellent
springboard for the beginner pastel
artist and also some great fun and
learning for the more experienced pastel
artist. So, I'm taking this month as an
opportunity to provide some of those
foundational principles. Week one is
called why soft pastels. I'll share with
you a little about my personal journey
in discovering pastels. It was almost by
accident and why I've become an addict
of this medium and so many of you I
know. Also, I'll be sharing with you a
lot about the different brands of soft
pastels. There are so many about the
hardness to softness scale. That's just
a question I get all the time. And I'll
give you my tips and suggestions on a
beginner pastel palette. Fortunately,
you don't have to go broke to get
started with pastels. Week number two is
called making your mark. And this is
where we're going to play. I'm going to
dive into the different techniques of
making marks. This is great for
beginners, but also for intermediate or
advanced pastel artists because often we
get in habits and we forget about the
many different mark techniques. Week
number three is called exploring pastel
surfaces and there are oh so many to
choose from from ones you can purchase
to ones you can make yourself and I'll
teach you how pastel papers and surfaces
can affect layering and texture and how
to pick the right one for you. Week
number four is called beyond the
reference. This is where I will teach
you some of my own techniques for
choosing reference images, simplifying
and transforming images to make a
beautiful composition. And this is where
it's all going to come together for you.
You will have learned so many things by
the end of this course. You'll be ready
for your pastel painting adventure. So,
get excited. I hope you'll join me. And
as always, God bless [music] and happy
painting. If you're watching on YouTube,
be sure to subscribe so you don't miss
this miniourse, [music]
The Magic of Soft Pastels. And if you'd
like to go even deeper, join me on
Patreon where my patrons will [music]
receive extra lessons, exercises, and
course content throughout the month. I
hope you'll join me in September for the
magic of soft pastels. [music]