Christmas Tree in Snow: A Pastels Tutorial

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We had just finished up making some Christmas mixes when Nana offered a pastel lesson. As in other lessons, she sketched off the steps for the children to follow. Just six simple steps, starting with the colors above… You may want to turn your paper so it is vertical to have more room for a [...]

Tree Silhouette: A Pastels Tutorial

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We were admiring the maple tree in the backyard, noticing how beautiful the yellow leaves were against the gray sky. Nana said she could show us how to capture the beauty of the tree in chalk pastels. Using an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, we drew the line for the ground about 3/4 [...]

Mug of Hot Chocolate: A Pastels Tutorial

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From the 2010 archives… When I shared the Sketch Tuesday topic, ‘something you drink’, with Nana she decided we should make a mug of hot chocolate with pastels! She didn’t even know we’d planned to stir up our own hot chocolate mix. Nana prepared before we called the children in. She sketched the steps and [...]

Harvest Moon Nocturn: A Pastels Tutorial

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In time for a full moon next Thursday, November 10th, Nana taught us a nocturnal pastel lesson. What fun to make a night time scene with chalk pastels! You can too… Just gather your colors and a dark colored piece of paper. We chose both purple and dark blue paper. Take your black pastel stick [...]

Medieval Castle: A Pastels Tutorial

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Inspired by our current Tapestry of Grace studies, Nana taught us how to create castles with pastels! Gather your castle battalion of colors. Black, gray, green, light blue, brown and pink. Then, using your black, draw a simple, glass shape. This is the main structure of your castle. Next, add the ‘teeth’ on the castle [...]

Tree Reflection: A Pastels Tutorial

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A fall favorite from 2010… We are still enjoying fall scenes around our house. With that in mind, Nana taught us a pastel lesson with trees, water and reflection. First, we gathered our colors. And, starting with the green, we drew a line for the grass. Not a very thick line, to leave plenty of [...]

Leaf: A Pastels Tutorial

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Continuing to pull pastel tutorials from our old site. This one is ablaze with fall colors! We just couldn’t help it. The leaves are just glorious and we had to make a pastel version of the outdoor oranges. And would you believe? Pink? This tutorial is short enough to finish in five minutes. Even two-year-old [...]

Apple or Pumpkin: A Pastels Tutorial

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Continuing to pull tutorials from our old site. This one because it is time! (And, my, how the children have changed in just a year…) It was Nana’s idea. Just in time for fall. A quick and easy lesson with gorgeous results! She decided to use just a small piece of paper again. A quarter [...]

Coca-Cola: A Pastels Tutorial

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Being from the south, all things that are syrupy and carbonated are called Coke. Especially here in Georgia, around the Coke capitol of Atlanta. Just last month, we went as a family to the World of Coke for Middle Girl’s birthday. All that said, we thought it appropriate to enjoy a Coca-Cola pastel. Nana helped [...]

Beach Umbrellas: A Pastels Tutorial

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From last summer’s archives…We sat at the coffee table and looked out at the view. The brilliant teal blue water and the colorful beach umbrellas. Yes, we really had made it to the beach. And on this afternoon, Nana showed us how to capture the brilliant colors in pastels. Not only did we learn how [...]

Fudge Pie: A Pastels Tutorial Plus Recipe

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Are you ready to whip up a fudge pie? Well, guess what? Today, you can either stir up a pie on your paper or use the recipe below to bake one in your oven – or both! I’m sharing Nana’s latest pastels tutorial plus the recipe for Fudge Pie at Heart of the Matter today. [...]

Lily Pad: A Pastels Tutorial

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Stunning results on a black sheet of construction paper! That describes Nana’s latest pastel tutorial. After our wonderful trip to Lily Pad Pond, we really wanted to make some lily pads with pastels. So… We cut sheets of black construction paper in half and gathered our colors. Remember that in most of Nana’s tutorials, we [...]