I watched an Instagram Reel over the weekend of an artist using pan pastels on her gelli plate for some pretty cool effects. I’ve had two pan pastels sitting on a lazy susan on my desk for the entire time I’ve lived in Michigan.
I loved the idea of them. They’re so pigmented yet so soft. But I’ve never had a good reason to actually use them until today?!
Technique of the Day
Definitely watch the video to get the full details of everything going on here, even just the 60-sec sped up part at the beginning.
I started with a Sharpie Creative Marker and very casually drew the flower shape (with bullet tip black). I let that dry and then started painting in the petals with some of the yellow pan pastel, and then painted in the center with the gray that I’ve got. I pulled some of the gray through the petals for a little bit of shadow.
I’m definitely going to pick up some more of these and play around in the future.
When I pulled up the print, it looked vibrant and I was super happy with the pull. Although after the pull there was still a lot of the pastel color left on the plate (though not as much as I thought). So I grabbed some black paint and pulled another print.
This time I got a ghost-like image, that I colored in more after the pull. Check out the video to see the whole thing come together.
Supply List
Heat Gun: Ranger
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Paint: Golden
Gel Plate: Gelli Arts 8x10, 5x7, 3x5
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Tips & Creative Wisdom
Dust Off the Forgotten Supplies
I’ve been side-eying those pan pastels for years—and today they finally got their spotlight. Turns out, they love the gel plate.
Pro Tip: If a supply’s been sitting out for a while, it’s probably been waiting for the right project. Take the nudge and give it a go.
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