In this project we’re going to play and experiment with paint and pastel, creating a front face portrait in a loose and free style.

I hadn’t worked with paint and brushes for quite a while, so it was good to challenge myself this month and just see how it would go. I loved working with the drybrush technique and pastel to create interesting texture and edges. I tried to work very loosely and freely, without adding lots of detail but keeping certain parts more ambiguous and open. In the videos I’m showing how I’m experimenting and challenging myself, trying to stay in the moment and adapt to what is happening in front of me.

So my invitation to you is to do the same: challenge yourself and work in a free and loose style with a focus on texture and edges. You can follow what I did in the videos, or deviate from it as much as you like. Most important is to play and have fun!

Below you’ll find a list with all the supplies that I used in this video. However, you definitely don’t need to use the exact same types, brands or colors as mine. Just watch the videos first and then work as much as possible with the supplies that you already have.

List of supplies

• Acrylic paper or watercolor paper (or other surface suited for acrylic paint)
• Gesso (example)
• Fluid matte medium (example)
• Acrylic paint
  • Golden fluid Paynes Gray (example)
  • Golden fluid Violet Oxide (example)
• Brushes
  • 2 inch flat bristle brush (2x)
  • Filbert brush #10 Gerstaecker I Love Art
  • Filbert brush #20 Gerstaecker I Love Art
• Hard pastel: white (example 1 and example 2)
• Pastel pencils
  • Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel 1122-194 Red-Violet (example)
  • Conté à Paris 1355 031 Red Earth / Bordeaux (example)
  • Stabilo CarbOthello 1400/435 Ultramarine Light (example)
  • Conté à Paris 1355 053 Paynes Grey (example)
  • Stabilo CarbOthello 1400/385 Violet Deep (example)
  • Stabilo CarbOthello 1400/105 Ivory (example)
• Charcoal pencil: General’s 6B Extra Soft (example)
• Paper towels
• Water in a spray bottle (optional)
• Water in a bucket to clean your brushes
• Heatgun or hairdryer (optional)