by Bethany | March 26, 2019
Hi everyone! I posted a new time-lapse yesterday (and also a long-form lesson on Patreon). For those who like to watch real fast and then get busy painting, the youtube video will give you a nice sense of how I start and end! For those who like more of a step-by-step instructional (with pastel palette hints and other tips and tricks), don’t miss my Patreon page! It’s been fun building my pastel tribe and having conversations while teaching.
Tomorrow I’m even painting LIVE for my crew at 11am via a private Youtube channel – I hope you come over! (click here or click button below and then proceed to “Become a Patron”).
I love LOVE to paint my Texas skies and never get tired of their height and majesty. We may have flat plains (and not many trees) but we have the most gorgeous skies all the time!
I snapped the reference for this painting while sitting in the car while my hubby drove to his parents – I loved the towering clouds, trees and reflections. I used a fresh palette full of pretty spring colors while also underpainting with an alcohol wash over Nupastels.
Pictured above is a mix of several pastel brands (affiliate links):
I love to underpaint with pinks and corals for when I’m planning blue sky paintings. Those colors just make the blue pop and glow in such a beautiful way. I usually work from top (working sky first) and then down towards the land (or foreground). This helps me keep the painting clean (as I don’t want to add dark trees first and then have white pastel dust from clouds drifting down and sticking to the trees I already worked hard on!).
Tell me, do you love to paint these blue sky days? I’m looking forward to this Spring season and getting to play with more beautiful blues and greens!
xoxo,
Bethany
