Unison Colour began creating pastels in the early 1980s and today they hand produce over a quarter of a million sticks a year. The pastels are made in Northumberland and contain only pure pigments in a cycle of related hues, meaning the results are intense and bright, rather than being muddied by the blending of colours. We spoke to artist Nina Squire to find out more.

In this film, Nina goes into detail about the qualities of Unison Colour soft pastels that make them unique. She shares technical tips about how to get the best results when using soft pastels, and also the tools and materials you may need to get started with or develop your practice with them.

0:00 Introduction

Part One - Unison Colour Soft Pastels
0:17 Why Nina Loves Working with Pastel?
1:48 What Makes Unison Colour Soft Pastels High Quality
2:19 Unique qualities of Unison Colour Soft Pastels
3:33 Suggested Unison Colour Soft Pastel Colours to Use When Starting Out
5:31 Building and Referencing your pastel colour Palette
6:31 The Versatility of Soft Pastels
7:38 Mark Making with Soft Pastels - Fine Lines
8:47 Blending Technique with Soft Pastels
9:31 Building your Pastel Toolkit - Other materials

Part Two - An Introduction to Pastel Techniques
10:19 Practicing and Experimentation with pastel on Scrap Paper
12:33 Creating Fine Lines with Pastel Pencils and Soft Pastels
13:28 Sharpening a Pastel Pencil
15:13 Making Mistakes with pastel - Lifting Colour Using a Putty Rubber
16:44 Using Alcohol and Gum Arabic to Create a Painterly Quality With Your Soft Pastels
18:17 Experimentation with Soft Pastels - Flicking, Scratching, Working Back In
19:09 Creating a Paste Medium with Soft Pastels

Part Three - Pastel Paper and Studio
21:02 The Differences Between Pastel Papers
27:15 Ways to Store Soft Pastels
28:29 Top Tips to Safely Use Soft Pastel, and How to Plan Before Pastel Painting
30:32 How to Clean and Restore Soft Pastels to Their Original Colour
31:20 Safety Whilst Using High Quality Soft Pastels
33:28 Credits

View Unison Colour on our website: https://www.jacksonsart.com/brands/un...

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