Solstice Girl with Blackbird

Magical Realism Portraiture in Dry Pastel and Pan Pastel

Step into the golden glow of a northern summer evening and draw alongside me. In this soft pastel portrait, we’ll bring to life a quiet moment shared between a girl and a blackbird — gentle, intuitive, and full of soul.

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There’s something quietly magical about the long summer evenings here in the north. That soft, golden light that stretches on and on… how it touches the fields, how it lingers in the trees, how it holds a sense of stillness and promise. In this in-depth pastel lesson, we follow that feeling into a summery three-quarter portrait — a young girl with a blackbird companion — drawn and shaded with care using pastel pencils and PanPastel. It’s a gentle, grounding project that invites you to slow down and really enjoy the drawing process.

We begin with the sketching stage — whether you trace or draw freehand, I’ll show you how to begin with intention, already building in shadow and softness from the very start. Using warm earth tones like antique sepia and soft sanguine, we slowly establish the composition: the figure, her expression, her braids, and hints of the field and trees behind her. I’ll share my favorite tips for stabilizing your hand, staying connected to the page, and letting the process unfold naturally. The drawing becomes an invitation into stillness — just you, the paper, and the evolving face emerging beneath your fingers.

As we move forward, we deepen the portrait with fine lines, soft shading, and those painterly pastel touches I love to include. You’ll see how I blend using brushes and paper stumps, layer in softness with PanPastel, and create a luminous skin tone that still feels light and airy. There’s room here for your own rhythm — whether you want to follow closely or take liberties with color and texture. This is a peaceful and richly layered project, perfect for an afternoon when you want to feel fully immersed in art.

Projects: 1 // Lessons: 7 // Time: 6 h 03 mins

In this lesson you will learn:

• Learn to create a soft and expressive three-quarter portrait using pastel pencils and PanPastel, focusing on natural proportions and gentle tonal transitions.
• Explore techniques for shaping a face in pastel, including how to approach features like the eyes, nose, and mouth with a light, flowing touch.
• Use warm earth tones to evoke atmosphere and mood, choosing shades like sepia and sanguine to give your portrait an antique, timeless feel.
• Practice layering and blending pastels with brushes and paper stumps, creating depth without overworking the drawing.
• Work intuitively with lights and darks to suggest depth and drama, adding softness to the dress, the blackbird, and the glowing summer backdrop.
• Build a gentle background with horizontal elements and natural light, inspired by the golden glow of long summer evenings.
• Learn how to stabilize your hand and work without smudging, using simple tools like a homemade hoverboard to keep your pastel drawing safe as you work.