Step 3 Wiggly Waterhole - Paint Along With Me

Step 3 is choosing your coloured paper. I have chosen Colourfix paper 1/2 sheet size in Olive Green. I love colourfix paper as it is readily available and holds a lot of pastel and this can be crucial if you are just starting out as beginner painters can often be a little heavy handed.

When choosing the colour of the paper I look at the overall picture and ask myself what is the main underlying colour I see and then make my colour selection from that observation. Today I have selected Olive Green.

The next stage is to tape my paper onto my board which is slightly larger than my paper. I wrap my board with 3-4 sheets of butcher paper or newspaper first to ensure any irregular bumps or marks on the board are suppressed when covered with the paper.

The paper is taped on all sides to prevent any movement. I use builders masking tape for this exercise.

Once your paper is ready I sketch my picture onto my paper using a light touch and a white pastel pencil or charcoal, either one can be removed easily. If using charcoal dust off any excess with a rag before painting. Put in as much detail as you like, the more precise the better.

Get ready as tomorrow we start with colour.

nb: my sketch below is not quite finished but you get the idea.