OMG this is one of the most interesting and detailed tutorials I have ever seen. Thank you very much! Hugs and blessings from Miami.

It is so generous of you to take the time to teach those of us new to this hobby, thanks.

Oh, how I wish I had seen this before beginning my coloring book journey! I just finished my first page, an undersea picture. There are a lot of fish on a boring white background. I so want a pale blue or greenish blue background, but I do not feel my colored pencil skills are good enough to do such a large area smoothly without lots of streaks and pencil marks. Then I remembered having to make huge pictures out of butcher paper to decorate the school cafeteria with various themes. One theme was the Twelve Days of Christmas Texas Style. I had to do two panels, one with our state bird, the mockingbird, and the other with covered wagons. Since I have no confidence in my drawing ability, I did the main components on paper and then transferred them to the butcher paper...again boring white! I had to do something, and then I remembered seeing boxes of dirty broken pastels in my closet. I didn't have time for my usual negativity and lack of confidence, so I just started drawing with the pastels...a huge tree for my mockingbirds, and a prairie, mountains, and sky for my covered wagons. I absolutely shocked myself...everything looked okay. No, artists everywhere were not shaking in their books, but it was fine for decorating an elementary school cafeteria. But, I digress! I figured maybe I could do a background for all my fish. Unfortunately, I used wax pencils! I see you have another tutorial about putting down a soft pastels before using colored pencils. I hope that applies to wax pencils as well as oil based. I will definitely watch. If not, I will keep these tutorials in mind for when I can afford another set of pencils, this time oil based.I will definitely watch. Thanks so much!

Thank you! A year ago I bought some soft pastels to use this way, but the video I watched made no distinction between oil and wax based pencils, and up until very recently I used only prismacolors. I had planned to use my pastels on an intricate Basford double page spread. I would totally have ruined it. So thank you!

Wow! Loved the tip at the end about using oil pencils with soft pastels! SO cool. BTW, I received my free tee shirt and blender pencils that I won! Totally love them! As a matter of fact, I think my husband was a little jealous of the tee shirt! He really didn't believe that I had actually won something - he always thinks these things are a scam, but you proved him wrong! YAY! Thanks PencilStash! Love ya!

U are a genius .i never even thought of using soft pastels for background. Amazing idea and loved ur Way of explaining and featured art works were superb.

Thank you so much... it's 4 o'clock in the morning here in Germany. Me.. I musst learn how to use soft pastells, with my pencils and here iam😉😅. So happy I found you, happy new year❣️🎉🎊💕✨

Aww so glad you can still upload even when not home

Hi I'm new here this was a good tutorial I'm a color pencil artist I spend way too much time on backgrounds I have a set of prismacolor nu pastels but never took time to learn to use them thanks for such an informative video

Thank you very much you really explain yourself so well . I really enjoyed watching this and you have a very clear calming voice . 😊💕

Thank You Rachel for this excellent tutorial, Soft Pastels are amazing and love the result too!

Thank you so much for sharing these creative tips! Loved the idea with the white pencils...Just got hold of some soft pastels, and can't wait to get started!

Hi Rachel! Loved your video! I'm just entering the world of adult coloring and am truly amazed and inspired by all of the talented artists out there! I don't have an art background, so this is a wonderful forum to learn about all of the vast techniques and art supplies used to create such unimaginably gorgeous works of art inside of a coloring book...who knew!? I'm finding that playing around with my colored pencils, markers and gel pens has helped me to think outside the box when selecting colors for my jewelry designs. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and creative spirit with the rest of us. Have a blessed day!

Hi from St. Louis! Great video!

Your video helped me so much. I've bought some chalk pastels cause many colorist use them in a wonderful way, but I didn't know how to use them. Now I know. Thank you very much!

Thanks. Just brought some pastels and this was very useful video. Love the way you present your videos.

Wonderful

I just joined your channel and I love it. Your voice is very soothing as well. A tip I want to share with you and your group is if you don't have the money to buy the pastels, you can use Dollar General eyeshadow and create similar effects. You'll definitely want to use the Fixative just as you would with the pastels.

Thanks for sharing the pastel a bird work with pastels before but I want to give it a try

I really enjoyed your video. I will most definitely be giving this a go. Thanks for sharing. ... Glenis (Australia)

Great tutorial. I especially like the white pencil info. I can see how both can be used in coloring. Thank you for sharing this video. Have a nice day 🌻🌻

Thank you for doing the two pastel videos I am now thinking I might like to try it myself with my colored pencils.

I watched this earlier but for got to tell you I found it very interesting. I have not used soft pastels befoe

Wow!! This is my first time to watch your video and you're so talented!!! 😍❤️❤️

I love your tutorials. Thank you!

Thank you so much for making this and the next video. I have been wondering about using Prismacolors with soft pastels, now I know! `

Thanks Rachel for another helpful tutorial. Love the trick with the oil pencil. I've watched a few videos about using pastels but they didn't explain how they work or don't work with colored pencils. I also use Prismacolors and I'm so glad you illustrated what happens when you put pastels over the wax pencil! What a mess that would be! The hard part is figuring out my colors & doing the background before I color the page. It's something I definitely want to practice as pastels are cheaper than using my pencils (and I love the soft look)! Looking forward to your next video!! 😊

Very informative video. Love the way you can use the soft pastels....I will try it out with mine. I also like the tip with the white Faber Castell pencil too.

Great video. Now I have so many options to use the pastels I have.

Great tips. This tutorial is a keeper; thanks for sharing.

Wonderful instructions

love your channel! I watched one of your videos when I first got into colouring and forgot to subscribe to your channel! please keep up the interesting topics such as this one!

It sounded wonderful. Maybe you should patent that audio technique! Thanks for doing it for us! You ROCK!

Awesome ive just been trying this this week 😀

Good stuff!

This was so informative, would it be easier to use the pan pastels?

Hi Rachel. so excited about your channel. I would love to share but no Twitter or Facebook.

Enjoy your videos.

What about using mica powders?

Could you use Q-Tips also for better control?

I'm a newbie to pastels! Can I color over pastels with prisma color pencils?

where did you get that beautiful design and love the techniques

hi, i have a doubt, so, your colors are like chalks right? i want to get them, but i dont know what kind i have to buy, chalk or oil, i like yours, are chalk pastel colors? greetings!!

Could you please explain the difference between soft pastels and oil pastels so many times they just say pastels don't ever know which one's they are talking about oh and chalk pastels which one's would be best to get for a new colorist. I had some oil pastels but didn't like them they left bunch of wax all over the page. Had to take a end of a ruler to scrape it off then used a colored pencil to even the color's out. Sure appreciate if you could explain it for me. Just so confused with what they mean if they just say pastels. Thanks so much. Love your videos have helped me so so much.

Very useful! Thank you for share it! ;)

Lovely, I’m now really inspired to try soft pastels! Can you color over the pastels with colored pencil?

Thank you, it helped me a lot. Have subsribed.

I have been told numerous times to never use hair spray as a fixative. You cannot beat the real thing. I use proper fixative. Sorry but I do listen to the experts who are qualified art teachers.

Hi, I’m from the UK. Although I passed an exam in Art, many years ago, I stopped drawing to concentrate on my profession. During this pandemic, I have been shielding and decided to make my own birthday cards. I am in the middle of drawing my young granddaughter’s portrait using coloured pencils and which I am copying from a photograph. The background is yellow. Do you have a tutorial on how to blend coloured pencils please? I am not an artist, nevertheless, I have managed to capture her beauty and do not wish to ruin it by over colouring the background. Many thanks

Hi. Are soft pastels the same as chalk pastels? I have chalk and they go on like chalk. Should I be getting the oil pastels, they go on smoothly it seems? Thank you.

Is there a different way to get the pastels in small spaces, or do I just use oil pencils?

So how to use soft pastels for background if wax based pencil colours are used? I have already ordered Prismacolor Scholars (I hope they are good as I have never used a good quality pencil colour brand). I am new to colouring (and I am loving it: I can do it all day). Can I use soft pastels first on the entire sheet then erase it from the areas on which I want to use wax based coloured pencils? Or use the coloured pencils first and then use soft pastels? But then how will I get the soft pastels in tiny nooks and corners of the image? Is it possible to use colour pencils over the soft pastels?

I am loving your channel! I have a few pan pastels - can I use them in this way?

So, the lesson here is to buy the Fabre castell pencils. Maybe when I win the lottery. Lol

How can you tell if your crayons are oil or not ?

This would make getting a bokeh effect so much easier, thanks.

I just went to amazon Canada to get the fixative: it costs us over $50! and it is available in US for $10. Unfortunately they don't ship to Canada. Do you know if hairspray works? I've heard this... I might have to resort to that!

Spray fixative-- deal breaker. Soft pastels make for easy and quick backgrounds but my god does that stuff stink and is it inconvenient to use when you have "seasons" and no garage or garden (only a tiny balcony where you grow things you will actually eat and hence don't want to spray poison). I also cannot make myself tear my books apart. It's all together in a beautiful book, why tear it apart and have everything in plain old folders?