Pastels: Learn to Paint. This item is unavailable.Pastels: Learn to Paint

John Blockley demonstrates all the basic techniques of painting in the colourful modern media of pastels. He shows how to make marks with pastels, which papers to use and how to work from pencil sketches. There are many interesting step-by-step demonstration paintings on a variety of subjects including flowers, still life, interiors and landscapes.

Written by professional artists for the aspiring beginner, the nearly 20 volumes in the fine "Learn To Paint" series offer a variety of tips and techniques, simple exercises, and clear, step-by-step demonstrations in a handsomely designed format. Blockley's pastel style is rooted in the mellow buildings of the Cotswolds, where he lives. His colorful, slightly surreal approach may not be to everyone's taste, but his pedagogy is sound. For a more comprehensive and traditional approach, see Jackie Simmonds's Pastel Workbook: A Complete Course in Ten Lessons. Jelbert, who exhibits widely in her native England, ranges widely over materials and techniques for flowers and gardens, water and boats, architecture, and people, with specific demonstrations on such themes as storms, geese at a farmhouse gate, and children crabbing. This is a highly recommended addition to books on this sparsely covered medium. If funds allow, libraries should also purchase Peter Caldwell's outstanding Pen & Ink Sketching.
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