Collect your patience for Nupastel

Nupastel is a very chalky media, the first time I worked with it I questioned to myself, what the hell was I going to do with chalk?!

Like so many other mediums that I have worked with this one surprised just as much as the others. Though a warning with this media, it can be time consuming if you want the piece to look finished and detailed. Also, extra care when not working on it or storing it are essential!

To start off lets go over what you will need to successfully create a nupastel piece!

My favorite brand is Prismacolor Nupastel, prismascolor seems to have some of the best quality materials, pricy yes, but worth it! I've used a set of 24 before but now I have the 48 set and I am very pleased with the variety it gives me. The great thing about nupastel is the blending of the media.

Mi tientes Canson paper makes for a great surface for nupastel. Try and pick a color paper that will benefit your piece and perhaps even make it easier.

Painters tape works really well, if you want a clean border around the art. Warning about the tape on canson paper, the longer you leave it on the more likely it won't want to come off easily. I have ripped a few pieces, so if you do this try to time manage appropriately when drawing with nupastel.

You will also need workable fixatif ready for when you finish the piece. This prevents the media from smudging or coming off the paper. I use krylon workable fixatif. 

So once you have all your materials ready start with an outline of the piece. I use white because it is easy to cover up as you build up the piece.

Once the basic outline is finished I cover the paper with small dash marks. Some artists prefer the blending method but me personally really enjoy the final look with the method I use. You're hand may get tired and eyes a little crossed, but I promise the outcome is worth it.

If you are drawing from observation it helps to be able to have the option to zoom in on whatever it is that you are trying to replicate through nupastel. The less pixelated the better!

My first example is one of my first pieces, please try and not to fall out of your chair, it's not a portrait!

The assignment was last year in my drawing class where we had to draw a fruit or vegetable, but very upclose! I chose a pineapple, it was tedious but I was pleasantly happy with the outcome.

And here's a portrait in nupastel that i did last year... I didn't feel right not posting one