Pastels for the Absolute Beginner - (Absolute Beginner Art) by Rebecca de Mendonça (Paperback)

About the Book

"Take your first steps with pastels and learn how to produce modern, lively and colorful artwork with this exciting art medium. This book is a complete course in using pastels. Step-by-step exercises and longer projects help you to build essential skills and allow you to produce a range of subjects, including landscapes, still life and animals. Vital drawing skills are explained and demonstrated, along with a section on color theory and a huge wealth of finished artwork to give you ideas and inspiration for your own future pastel work"--

Book Synopsis

If you have ever wanted a complete course in using pastels but lacked the confidence to start, then Pastels for the Absolute Beginner is the book for you.

Take your first steps with pastels and learn how to produce modern, lively and colorful artwork with this exciting art medium.

This book is a complete course in using pastels. Step-by-step exercises and longer projects help you to build essential skills and allow you to produce a range of subjects, including landscapes, still life and animals. Vital drawing skills are explained and demonstrated, along with a section on color theory and a huge wealth of finished artwork to give you ideas and inspiration for your own future pastel work.

Review Quotes

ArtBook Review, September 2019
The idea of an Absolute Beginner series is a good one. Anyone taking up painting, or starting with a new medium needs a sound guide that is well-grounded in the basics and assumes no previous knowledge. Previous volumes have taken that very much to heart and included some very basic work that doesn't tax the creative or technical endeavours too heavily.
The book is certainly thorough. Subjects include landscapes, waterscapes, people and animals, with skies, trees and waves thrown in along the way. Rebecca is primarily a portrait and equestrian artist and this shows - these are easily her strongest subjects. However, she is thoroughly at home with her medium and handles everything well. Her demonstrations and explanations are concise, but easy to follow. They will, I think, be of value to anyone - at whatever level - working with pastel.

About the Author

Based near Exeter in Devon, Rebecca paints, teaches and writes. Her dynamic pastels capture the movement and atmosphere of subjects ranging from equestrian and landscape to figures and architecture.
Graduating in Theatre Design, her early career was in theatre and interior design in London. Portrait commissions include dancers in English National Ballet and West End actors. Her equestrian work focuses on people working with horses, Arabians, and the moorland ponies of Devon.
Rebecca teaches pastel courses in Britain and Italy, writes for art magazines and is writing a pastel book for Search Press.
Exhibitions include the Society of Equestrian Artists, and the Pastel Society. Rebecca's work was exhibited at the Mall Galleries in the 'Artists of the Year 2018 Exhibition'.