Draw Stunning Pastel Pictures with our Free Lessons

Have you always wanted to learn to draw and:

• Tried but Lack Confidence?
• Been Unable to Attend Art Classes?
• Had a Bad Experience with a Teacher?
• Tried other mediums and found them too difficult?

What if you could:

• Feel Confident and In Control.
• Have a fun, stress free hobby to escape your daily routine.
• Learn in your own home at your own pace with a community of like-minded people.
• Draw Pictures that you can be proud of.

I'm proud to say that all my students feel the second set of bullet points.Even if you have no previous drawing experience, you can pick up and immediately start learning the techniques I have to offer.

What You Need To Get Started:

Paper

The paper I have used for the past 25 years is the Sand Coloured Ingres Pastel Paper made by Fabriano. It's sand colour is a neutral tone and therefore there isn’t a subject that doesn’t look great on this paper. It’s ideal for skin tones, animals and landscapes. The paper has two sides, I use the raised tooth so that the pastel can grip to the paper and hold more layers. I use (and sell) the 160gsm thickness paper so that I can apply a little pressure when using the pencils and it doesn't crush the paper.

Pastel Pencils

My favourite brand of Pastel Pencils to use are Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils. In my opinion they have a higher pigmentation compared to other brands which means your pictures will look brighter and better. Their build quality is excellent and it's very rare that a pencil lead breaks. Some other brands can almost "crumble" under pressure.

What Pencils Do I Need?

With each picture we list the pencils that you need for that subject. So you can simply click on the subject below and you'll have all the info you need.If you would like a complete list of ALL the pencils required for all of the free courses see our handy chart here.There are 39 pencils used across all the subjects. The chart breaks down which colours are used for which subject.Looking to buy a box of Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils, see what colours are included in which box set here. The full set of 60 colours will do 99% of the courses you find on our website.

Free Courses

Border Collie Puppy

Believe it or not this Border Collie Puppy is a beginner's picture. It uses just 8 pastel pencils and is a great lesson to learn how to use pastel pencils.In the lesson I begin with explaining the materials that I use and how to transfer the outline drawing to your pastel paper.Lesson Duration: 1 hour 37 Minutes[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/border-collie" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Border Collie Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Jack Russell

If you love dogs then this subject will be for you. This Jack Russell has been a very popular subject with over 15,000 views on YouTube in a matter of weeks.I completed the subject using just 9 colours so it's a very achievable (and cost effective!) beginners subject.Lesson Duration: 1 hour 31 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/jack-russell" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Jack Russell Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Kitten

Likewise if you love Kittens then you will simply love drawing this little beauty. Over 3,000 students have enrolled in this course and hundreds have sent us in their pictures thrilled with the outcome.As with the Jack Russell, this picture was completed using 9 colours and is a great subject for starting out with pastel pencils. We have had students that never picked up a pencil before do a great job.Lesson Duration: 1 hour 32 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/kitten" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Kitten Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Tiger Portrait

This Tiger Portrait is one of our most popular subjects and is ideal for beginners. It was originally a starter kit sold before the days of YouTube so we decided to film a video to walk people through drawing this picture step by step.The result? 6,000 views (so far) and the best bit? You only need 6 pastel pencils to draw the subject.Lesson Duration: 1 hour 25 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/tiger" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Tiger Portrait Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Harbour Landscape

If Landscapes are more your thing or simply if you want to take a break from animal paintings then immerse yourself in this beautiful Harbour Scene.Even though this picture requires more colours (17 in total), it's still a great beginner's project. We are incredibly impressed with our students that have done fantastic versions of this subject.Lesson Duration: 2 Hours 3 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/harbour-scene" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Landscape Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Sunset

Would you believe you could draw this stunning sunset using just 6 pastel pencils?This is closing in on our most popular free course as it's achieved over 12,000 views in a very short space of time. This like the tiger was a popular starter kit (with written instructions) before we decided to update it with a video too.Lesson Duration: 1 Hours 4 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/free-sunset" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Sunset Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Fordwich in Greytone

Feel like trying something different? This greytone picture has been more popular than we thought it would be (6,000 views and counting).It is of a place called Fordwich in Kent and uses just 5 pastel pencils to complete. This is a great course for understanding tones. The techniques and skills you will learn here will translate over to when you work with colour again.Lesson Duration: 1 Hours 43 Minutes[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/fordwich" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Greytone Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Portrait

Portraits are a much trickier subject to tackle however I take things back to basics with this simple Portrait Course. The eyes in particular on this subject stand out and have over 30,000 YouTube Views.I break down this course into 4 sections:

• Drawing Eyes
• Drawing Hair
• Shaping a Nose
• Lips & Teeth

[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/portrait-basics" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Portrait Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Marilyn Monroe

Released in 2017 we give you this stunning Marilyn Monroe Portrait. This one is labelled as "advanced" level however that should deter you from giving it a go if you are really keen.This subject is split into three 1 hour lessons.Duration: 3 Hours[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/marilyn-monroe" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Marilyn Monroe Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Watercolour

Watercolour was my first love before discovering Pastel Pencils and the techniques I developed using the medium I haven't encountered anywhere else. My inspiration for painting came from visiting the National Gallery in London and admiring John Constable's famous "Haywain" picture.If you would like to learn my watercolour techniques then please watch my free watercolour course below.Course Duration: 1 hour 28 Minutes.[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/hambleden-mill-watercolour" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Watercolour Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]

Free-Hand Drawing using Grids

In the Victorian times, artist’s gridded out their drawings to ensure they had correct proportions and perspectives. A number of years ago I needed to do the same and created my own product - the square drawing grids.These have helped me time again to create accurate outline drawings that I use with Pastel Pencils and other mediums. I began selling these grids 20 years ago and since then thousands of students all over the world have found success.In this course I will show you how to use our grids or any other gridded system to create precise and accurate outline drawings from your own photos.I will show you 3 examples, a portrait, an animal and a landscape. I will also show you how you can use the grids to scale up your pictures, especially useful if you are working from a smaller photo.When using the grids, you will not only understand perspective and proportioning out, but you will improve your free hand ability.This course is free and we encourage you to give this method of drawing a go.Course Duration: 1 hour.[fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/courses/square-drawing" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]Free Drawing Course[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="40" bottom_margin="40" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/]If you enjoy the free courses and want to learn how to draw more animals, landscapes, portraits and more then get access to ALL our courses here![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_separator style_type="none" top_margin="10" bottom_margin="20" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id=""/][fusion_button link="https://school.colinbradleyart.com/pages/become-a-member" color="custom" size="large" stretch="" type="flat" shape="square" target="_blank" title="" gradient_colors="#7ecf6d" gradient_hover_colors="#7ecf6d" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" bevel_color="" border_width="0px" icon="fa-pencil-square-o" icon_divider="yes" icon_position="left" modal="" animation_type="bounce" animation_direction="down" animation_speed="0.1" animation_offset="" alignment="none" class="" id=""]GET ACCESS TO 300+ COURSES[/fusion_button]