How to Draw Like Paula Rego | Tate

Follow our step-by-step guide to pastel drawing with artist Katy Papineau. For further tips and details about this activity, visit our website at bit.ly/2zoWj2q. Please note, filming took place before the UK's lockdown measures were introduced.
You will need:
- A drawing board
- An easel
- Pastel paper
- Hard pastels
- Soft pastels
- Conte pencils
- White liquitex gesso
- Black or dark grey acrylic paint
- A wide paintbrush
- Fixative
- Masking tape
- A selection of props
All of the materials are available online or at your local art supply shop.
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[@Tate]

Which folk tale would inspire your pastel drawing?

[@bibilisi]

Tate Hansel and Gretel 🍄

[@marcogentile7292]

the Japanese folk tale of the ghost of Yugao (1886), by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

[@susantunbridge4612]

the Russian tale - the girl Vasalissa; who is sent to Baba Yaga's hut to get some fire for her stepmother's cottage fire.

[@patriciamalt6010]

not a fairytale but Alice in Wonderland

[@Earnshawfully]

Baba Yaga.

[@alleycat2697]

Makes me realize how much I need art in my life.

[@vozamaraktv-art5595]

Same. I live for art, I can't without it. ❤️

[@neilagangitlog]

Yaayy! I hope you find enjoyment in your art journey 💕🖌️

[@jeramieivy6032]

I agree I believe everyone should try art they would realize how calming it is.

[@vozamaraktv-art5595]

I now realize that whenever I am struggling with painter's block, all I need to do is to watch some of these videos. And then I'm in the mood to create right away!!!! After books, KZbin is the most underrated treasure trove in the world!! ❤️

[@FilipaValentim]

SO TRUE!!!!

[@michellehattersley4441]

I definitely didn’t search for this video but did enjoy watching it haha! The explore page works in mysterious ways

[@bdan9541]

I love this series. Easy to digest, in depth, and tactile.

[@estelleang5364]

The quiet strength that radiates from emotion and imagination. Beautiful!

[@friedricengravy6646]

Chalk pastels & chalk pastel pencils work great over & under acrylic paint.....even in portraits. U can really achieve a unique but familiar look.....aged & traditional while enjoying the benefits of modern tools such as fast dry times. When u r in the zone & would prefer to continue with layers, no need to wait or switch to another painting. Thanks for the content! Much respect ✌🏻

[@chazzyb8660]

I met Paula, very briefly, while she was Artist-in-Residence at the National Gallery. She incorporated many of the staff into the sequence of paintings she made for the restaurant in the new wing of the gallery. A truly amazing, and deeply disturbing, on occasion, artist. And a wonderful woman. One of the great European artists of our time.

[@Pathrissia]

I love that saying : the picture allows you to feel all sorts of forbidden things So true! That's why I sometimes get anxious when I paint

[@susantunbridge4612]

I am really enjoying these videos; they are liberating. My daughter found art school to be really constricting, U of C doesn't have a great art faculty; so she went into art history/German/linguistics; but has watched these videos and left muttering about leaving the country and really studying art elsewhere.

[@cg8397]

Maybe she can look into online courses at the better schools, considering what happened to Paula Rego when she attended the Slade School of Fine Art.

[@squirrel8161]

I enjoyed New York Academy of Art. I did 12 weeks at Slade and found it constricting - too much theory and too little skills training. Did a month in Florence and found it too constricting because it was too traditional even though they actually taught us painting skills. NYAA was my personal happy medium. Expensive studying in NYC though.

[@annazagon7689]

Thank you for this video Tate! I really like Paula Rego! It is nice to find quality content on youtube about pastels.

[@camilae.p.1328]

Lovely job and so nice to discover the talented artist that is Katy Papineau.

[@edwgwilymedwgwilym2827]

A very very good video and demonstration!! Thank you! I respect Paula Rego and her work very much. I was fascinated to learn from you how she achieves her effects. Good luck with your own very talented work.

[@artofgould1945]

Somehow I’ve never seen these works of art, but not that I have I’m incredibly inspired to create some art inspired by her! I also wanted to say that this video was beautifully filmed, and the artist teaching did a wonderful job ❤️

[@Tate]

We're glad you enjoyed it!

[@anayansizozaya9714]

I love Paula Rego’s work. Thank you so much for this!

[@rysiaandrade9213]

Lovely! Inspired my morning!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

A beautifully presented and well-filmed video. I was intrigued to find out how it would look at the end! I'm going to search for more of these now. :)

[@Yararar]

This is so insightful and calming, thank you

[@FrankKorb]

Exceptional. As a visual art educator I find myself using TATE very often. This is perfect timing as we are teaching narrative work based on the imagery adn stories of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. Thank you for creating and positing this film... I am sharing it tomorrow!

[@elena.3372]

wow! This video is amazing! Her voice is like silk and her skills in making and in explaining are phenomenal! 👏🏼👏🏼

[@byronprimrose4435]

Awesome drawing! Thanks for the demonstration.

[@Dr.Kananga]

"Don't try to be Picasso, be yourself" P. Picasso.

[@thecinematicmind]

I would to love more art exhibitions on pastel artworks and drawings.

[@federicapallaverateliercon4705]

Although not properly my view of art, I have learned a lot and appreciated the hard work behind the works. Thank you very much for this video!

[@rodeastell9726]

Excellent , thank you Tate and of course Katy Papineau. Very inspiring.

[@debrathain]

Wonderful and her work was very mysterious, I’m glad she had it. Probably saved her. All art does. It seems.

[@karl792]

This is really a great concept ! Very interesting and fun

[@sandramalone3522]

This girl has the sweetest voice along with that lovely English accent. It's inspired me to learn how to draw and paint.

[@sandihester]

loved this - really great video!

[@annazagon7689]

Great content! I really like this artist, inspirational :)

[@Xitaychin]

It was unusual and new. Really interesting and a pleasure to watch and listen to! Thank you!

[@11kindpunk11]

That's beautiful. ❤️

[@safiyaarts]

I really enjoyed watching this video, although I have just gone back to using pastels in the past after not using it for more than a decade, this gave me so much motivation and try using the techniques of Paula Rego, and beautifully demonstrated by Katy Papineau. Thank you so much!

[@aants.kawisar1420]

great works. your pastels are very smooth and have reached their maximum technique. hope you are always healthy and keep to produce good works. greetings from Yogyakarta

[@peteconroy1348]

That was really good. You ended up with a great piece of work.

[@martianattack914]

Her voice is so nice

[@Divertedflight]

Looks like Katy is using Lascaux fixatitve. Lascaux claims it's not smudge proof, but doesn't change the appearance. Apparently it's difficult using a fixative that sets a pastel picture without changing the way it looks. I don't know what Rego uses, but Degas used a casein based one.

[@wackity.7879]

I use hairspray which darkens the image. So I always bare it in mind when I start an image

[@Jjjcs]

There are probably no fixatives that doesn’t changes your image even a bit, including pastel or charcoal work.

[@annazagon7689]

I would really love to see a video about *oil* pastels and Paula Rego. If you need any video ideas Tate ;) that would be lovely

[@kattiecummins2416]

Thanks great video I tried it but mine looks nothing like yours yours is so good but I’m glad I gave it a try thanks for sharing

[@artsofdingsonbalahadia506]

Beautiful!!!

[@patrickthompson9022]

love this. thank you.

[@user-rz3tb5nf2w]

Замечательная студия. Вдохновляет 💞

[@juelztintin686]

I love working with chalk pastel on strawboard

[@oksanavershinina_art]

Презентация отличная - это всё, что могу сказать.

[@raktimparashar]

Thank you.this is great ♥

[@QasirZKhan]

Great one ❤️❤️

[@omanriqu]

Thank you!

[@SakZeld]

Lovely but Rego not only inspire on fairy tales, she work with power tematic, and that make her work complex and profound. She didn't mean to be "cute" or "simple", she is a great artist.

[@Fyrtenheimer]

Power tematic?

[@hayleyb467]

@@Fyrtenheimer Im pretty sure they meant 'thematic' as in subject matter

[@Fyrtenheimer]

@@hayleyb467 ohhhh, thanks

[@peacock69mcp]

Always a pleasure to hear Queen's English. When will I see you draw like yourself, in your style?

[@patriciaezzell7484]

Beautiful work

[@jack4757]

This is a great video

[@erewrw1906]

great style of art. im not saying this often, this is nice!

[@scottbotmilton]

what a fantastic video thank you for sharing

[@jennifercoralie9158]

A very good lesson in technique.

[@johnvukelic1602]

The folk tales of John Henry, Dashrath Manjhi, and War . Man versus Machine, Man versus Nature and Man versus Man.

[@wellingtonsboots4074]

Thank you, enjoyed this.

[@PhoebesWorldProductions]

=) That was cool. Thank you. =)

[@paulmarsh9544]

That voice is art itself

[@DMCART9]

Çok güzel, şahane 👌👍👏👏

[@K-FOREST_Original]

Pastel drawing comforts us with another soft texture from watercolors.

[@raerae6422]

Loved everything about this video. Subscribed.

[@liammcooper]

nice! thank you

[@penmuni3833]

I am hard-pressed to not fall in love with you Katy...but your voice is making it impossible :)

[@MsTigergirl1]

Very interesting 👍🏻

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

Excellent 👏🏻👏🏻💖

[@sanarts.atelier]

a good way to get inspiration...

[@kayhandford3854]

‘Well done’ Katy! Great work, you’ve just helped unblock me.

[@dalidaily]

Didn't Rego use dolls and model rooms rather than people?

[@Earnshawfully]

She may have done this, but she was fascinated by a certain woman who worked with her through many paintings. She would pose this woman with props, just as we see in this video. You can see her rather masculine face in much of Rego's work. Sorry, I can't recollect her name.

[@dalidaily]

@@Earnshawfully I know she had an assistant, but much of her work was first making up models to draw from, and that was part of her assistants work. I read that somewhere a long time ago. I shall have to do some research

[@Tate]

@@Earnshawfully The assistant's name is Lila Nunes

[@Earnshawfully]

@@Tate Thank you!

[@marcogentile7292]

👏👏👏💕

[@honesty5964]

Well done!

[@NailyaSA]

Wonderful 💋 thank you ❣️😊

[@judylamar6752]

Wonderful presentation. Thank you. Source of your red smock?

[@pippajackson3027]

Wonderful

[@TheBabs000]

Beautiful

[@lopamudraray4571]

This is a unique technique

[@itsiwhatitsi]

goooood!

[@aahsu28]

really nice

[@sia7224]

When you talk about using Conte pencils to draw the outlines, which specific ones do you mean? Theres the charcoal ones, the graphite ones, and the drawing ones to choose from? Thanks anybody x

[@janelintern6969]

I would just say - best not to blow soft pastel - tapping the edge of the paper is safer as it's not good to inhale the powder. Very interesting video - thanks!

[@luizmauricio3745]

wonderful

[@Tate]

Thank you!

[@jk3253]

Nice tutorial. But did I miss a step? When did the black paint come in?

[@Lena-gadam]

At the beginning a bit of black paint was mixed with white gesso for the gray undercoat :)

[@jk3253]

@@Lena-gadam ah okay. Thanks!

[@arani3395]

1:45 and a hundred years of hard practice

[@mixeduppaint3816]

💚🙏

[@lopamudraray4571]

Does fixative allow to put colour over it ?

[@whatisinyourdream6923]

Excuse me, what spray do you put onto the surface?

[@Tate]

Katy used Lascaux fixatitve.

[@petawilliams8099]

Brilliant

[@koreaart11]

it is interesting!

[@rheaconsolacion4281]

Drawing is supposed to be fun and what she's doing😉

[@yashasvihanda6516]

Wow

[@bulanbintang958]

👌👌👌

[@llzamelia4522]

Do a how to paint like Alphonse mucha

[@llzamelia4522]

YES.

[@MarisolRPG]

wow

[@Kasparoscar]

This, is real contemporary art.

[@artiskalai1970]

Why pastel paper if gesso is going to be applied over it anyway? Would not any paper work in this case?

[@cg8397]

Maybe she's using unsanded pastel paper. In that case applying gesso makes the paper grittier and allows the paper to hold multiple layers of pastel easily.

[@teddyli4763]

Is this one of the sisters from Ever After??!

[@natmj7851]

Teddy Livingston lol no, that’s Melanie Lynskey. Edit: I admit that I also thought of Melanie because Katy really reminded me of her with her soft voice and similar looks. 😁

[@teddyli4763]

Nat MJ hehe thank you!

[@AsifRasheedArt]

I make pastel drawings myself but I'm more into realism.

[@reeerinn]

I love art but when i see or imagine myself drawing using live reference..it makes me anxious, am i taking too long? Im definitely taking too long and this model probably feel tired(even though its their job😐)

[@Tate]

Don't worry. You're not taking too long. It can be a slow process and people work at their own pace. There's no right or wrong speed for creating art. We paused every 20 minutes so that the artist and model could take a break. See if that works for you :-)

[@reeerinn]

@@Tate ah i see. Thank you for telling me!❤️😊

[@julialago6614]

suoer!!!!

[@leandro2286]

How to paint like Modigliani pls :D

[@marciocouto3543]

The final result remind me of Matisse.