Soft Pastel Tutorial Using the Elizabeth Mowry Set of Girault Pastels

[@amandabolden2077]

Wonderful video and beautiful painting! I love to see this Elizabeth Mowry Girault set being used. I love her work too. I bought this set many years ago, it’s lovely! I’m looking forward to getting back into pastel painting and I so enjoyed your video for inspiration. Thank you!

[@johnny1635]

Gosh eye candy for pastelists! Thx for the review.

[@monetcafe]

Thank you so much, @johnny1635! I'm so glad you liked it!

[@corgan0759]

So beautiful ! Your art reminded me of her work Susan. I bought most of her books from Amazon used at excellent prices.

[@monetcafe]

🙂 🙂 🙂 ❤, @corgan0759

[@menililitzel5401]

Beautiful ❤️

[@canadaverydry]

What a talented woman!

[@blessedhappyjams8973]

YOU and your work inspire me to the point of tears. Thank you so MUCH for sharing yourself, your knowledge, and your talents with us!

[@mjpete27]

I appreciate your videos and love that you have such a library of videos to help your viewers to explore different choices of pastels, thank you and Please take care and be safe!

[@gwenboswell7181]

Merci beaucoup❤

[@Carem44]

Beautiful painting. You’ve taken a plain picture and turned it into something beautiful. I also love Girault.

[@sheliacruz3502]

Beautiful painting and a great description of the pastels themselves. Have a great day and thank you for sharing.

[@raemianderson6904]

Susan, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for putting yourself, your beautiful art work out their into this world and all of these amazing lessons. I am a landscape photographer who has become more serious in the past couple of years about creating landscape art work using a different medium such as pastels and watercolor. You truly are an inspiration. You offer practical advice, encouragement and are a light in this world, especially now. So thank you for breaking this all down for me. I am learning so much by watching your videos or I am trying too learn as much as I can. I hope someday to posess the level of skill you have. I am just going to keep trying, having fun and learn as much as I possibly can and grow as an artist and a photograher who thinks of herself as an artist as well in that medium. BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU!

[@monetcafe]

What an encouraging and beautiful comment Raemi

[@catbraunwell6450]

Wonderful tutorial. Thanks a bunch.

[@viviandibrell849]

Absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art and process!

[@kathartford9805]

Beautiful painting

[@JanDBurton]

Beautiful painting!

[@PaulSebben]

Awesome

[@monetcafe]

So glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@jmeetze8]

Beautiful demonstration Susan! I just recently bought this same set that I have wanted for a long time so it was great to see this offering from you. Thanks for the cigar cutter tip!

[@monetcafe]

Janette Meetze wonderful!!! I’m loving this set! 💜 have fun!

[@cindijennings2285]

Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!

[@nicolejulien4545]

Beautiful

[@katherinebuchanan9350]

Such a stunning piece

[@Linda-qq5mg]

This painting has a happy feel to it! It’s really lovely! Thank you for sharing.

[@alescographiks]

Absolutely beautiful! Great tips too

[@LynnePriceStudio]

Thank you so much, Susan. What a beautiful painting. I love how you explain your process. You are such an inspiration.

[@debramoss2267]

Just sublime, what amazing colours, so beautiful, will be watching this over, learnt so much! Thank you for sharing.

[@ananita6888]

Fabulous job! I love love love your art and teaching and I am so happy to see you now owning your dream pastels. They look gorgeous.

[@teodygaspar]

I will try it soon.... Good job

[@JLPrice-kc2uy]

Truly, one of your best. Like icing on a cake, it catches the eye, but the surprise... is what's inside ;) Again you created an atmosphere of beauty. A softness of light playing ever so nicely; blending with the coolness coming forward, dropping one's eyes to a colorful silence. The earth, beneath all this rapture... Tells a story of stormy weather; dark nights, illuminated by lightning , turning it all green. I see all the different elevations in the clearing from all the rain washing down. Area's where water stands while percolating into the earth, storing its nectar; a living thing, like our bodies made from it. Can loving such beauty be wrong..?

[@marthalever]

So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[@virginiaestep6488]

Love watching your videos. Learn so much each time. I am a newbie using pastels.

[@dech4548]

Love this painting! And yes I love my girault pastels, I bought them in a wonderful art store in your country in Rochester NY (which is about 4 hours from my house here in Canada) I bought an assorted set and I use them in every painting! I’m happy that you treated yourself to them finally! You deserve them!

[@annmarie3520]

Your painting is beautiful as always! Even though I'm an oil painter I have ordered and read quite a few Elizabeth Mowry books. Her "Poetic Landscapes" was my favorite and quite inspirational. She seems such a beautiful person. Thanks for your videos!😘🎨

[@liliyadudko9959]

Painting is awesome. Of course the set is great! Something for my wish list ;)

[@madpug01]

Another great video and beautiful painting. I have 1 Girault pastel from a Dakota sampler that I bought. I can't say that I have used it yet, but after seeing this video it warrants another look! Thanks for sharing!

[@marlisetp]

Thanks for the dream.

[@cinnie2543]

Don't know if I've already commented because this is the second time I watched this! ha! Anyway, beautiful work and great commentary. Love the vivid colors and I am saving now for that Girault set! Also the Inktense. So many choices!

[@cinnie2543]

Got the set! So pretty, but I didn't use it on paper with much grabbing power (canson mi tientes), so I need to use sanded paper instead to do much layering.

[@cinnie2543]

Thank you for the beautiful painting lesson. A question for you: how do you feel about the Elizabeth Mowry now that you've had the set for 6 months? Are you finding it as useful as you thought you would?

[@monetcafe]

Honestly, I haven't gotten to play with it as much as I would like. My mom has had a battle with cancer and I've had to care for her some. She's doing much better now, and I hope to be able to play with this set more. That's a great question though. I think I'll still love it, but I do find that I need more darks (such as Terry Ludwig darks) when I use the Elizabeth Mowry set. ;)

[@cinnie2543]

@@monetcafe Prayers for your mom. I'm sure she is blessed to have you. I ordered the Mowry set but haven't tried it yet.

[@gloriabueno7433]

THANKS !!!!!! SU P E R. V I D E O!!!!!!!!!!!

[@donnajohnson2530]

I am brand new to pastels, have never painted with them, have painted acrylics for years. Can you paint with pastels on canvas

[@monetcafe]

Some pastel artists speak of being able to do this. I haven’t had much success with it. You would basically have to coat the surface with a product to add more grit for the pastels to hang on to, otherwise it will just fall off the surface. I do have a product that might work for this so I’ll have to experiment some more 😉👍🏻

How i wish you do a painting with Sennelier pastels...

[@monetcafe]

I'll have to do that.... LOVE Sennelier pastels!!

[@lalagirl1971]

I just found your channel and I love your art paintings!!!! I am totally new to pastels and I was wondering why would you choose alcohol over water or vice versa for your underpainting?? What are the benefits of each?

[@monetcafe]

So glad you are enjoying the videos :) I find the main difference in using alcohol is that it dries faster, and thus sometimes keeps the paper from warping as much as water. I also feel it gives a bit of a difference effect... perhaps more loose and flowing. Hope that helps!

[@joaniemiller4362]

Do you use complimentary colors in the underpainting ?

[@monetcafe]

Yes, doing a complementary underpainting is one of my favorite techniques.

[@noypi75]

Hi. Nice informative video. Just curious. What kind of alcohol do you use?

[@monetcafe]

I use regular alcohol from a grocery store or pharmacy. It's called..."Isopropyl Alcohol" and you can either use the 91% variety or the 70%. Either works for me. :) Some people have even used Vodka! I don't have any though.... lol!

[@noypi75]

😆thanks. Love your videos. Keep up the excellent work. 👍👍

[@JanDBurton]

Are the Inktense lightfast and archival?

[@monetcafe]

Yes.... and they are so fun!

[@JanDBurton]

@@monetcafe That's great! Thank you for answering. I love how you used them. I have some but didn't know exactly what to do with them. I'm getting back into my pastels. By the way, I loved the Christian music you played in a video. Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing. God bless.

[@virginiaestep6488]

31 colors out of the 72 are not considered archival because their lightfastness is below a 6 on the blue wool lightfast rating. Ratings between 6 and 8 are considered acceptable lightfast ratings. They still are great for an underpainting.

[@monetcafe]

@@virginiaestep6488 thanks for this info ... I learned something new. And I believe you are right that it's not as crucial when just using them as an underpainting.

[@flynngentry-taylor1996]

WHAT pastel was the pink you used, and what color pink?

[@monetcafe]

Oh... wow.... it would be tough to find the color name since I combine most of my different variety of pastels in my studio palette. I do think the brand was Sennelier, however. Hope that helps!

[@gloriabueno7433]

PLEASE, show us the produc for darquenes IN spray you use, thank, all you paintings are WANDERFUL!!!!!!!!

[@monetcafe]

The workable fixative is called, Blaire (low odor) fixative. Here is a link where it is sold on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Blair-Very-Odor-Spray-10516/dp/B0044SEOTM

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

Did you struggled to learn to paint I mean where you bad at the beginning cause I dream of painting like you and I'm having a hard time getting it right and also how long it took you to be good

[@monetcafe]

Ha ha.... YES! I was bad at the beginning. I had no idea what I was doing. I used all the wrong techniques and supplies. I found an online pastel group and tried to pick everyone's art brains to learn more. That's why I think I'm passionate to share these lessons. It's a big learning curve at first, but you can learn and paint beautiful things. Keep it up and just have fun :)

[@Gabriel-dm1du]

@@monetcafe thanks

[@ArtistWizardry]

How do they compare to Sennellier 120 Paris set?

[@marinamarshall5725]

Zarah McIntosh They are not that soft. They are so different from anything else- difficult to explain and to understand without trying. Soft and firm at the same time. Unparalleled qualities. I started with several first and now I have full set. My best of the best choices. But Sennelier -“must have” also. Their bright colors and darks are awersome

[@marinamarshall5725]

If you decide to try them, with smaller set, try their “Neutrals” and greens.

[@artat777]

Where can you get these pastels.

[@monetcafe]

This is the only place I have been able to find this particular set... I love them. www.pasteletc.com/giraultemowrylandscape.html

[@JLPrice-kc2uy]

Sorry, you cought me at two sheets in the wind :) I soulfully understand the investment, but i understand your resons better :) But, I stand guilty of being biesed. I love Monet Cafe w/Susan Jenkins

[@gloriabueno7433]

S U P E R. V I D E O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tdelphia1]

That’s a beautiful looking set, but $495 is a big “yikes!” for someone like me wanting to start out. I’d love To see a recommendation for a newbie that is good quality pastels, but not such an “all in” budget commitment until we’ve had a chance to know pastels is a medium we want to make a verylarge investment in.

[@monetcafe]

Tracy Knits Yes, price was one of the main reasons I didn’t buy this set early on. It’s a good value for the amount of pastels and the fact that they are full sticks and not half pieces, but I hear what you’re saying. It’s best to start smaller, especially if you are just starting in pastels. www.dakotapatels.com has some nice little sample sets to try out different pastel varieties.

[@tdelphia1]

Ana Nita I’ve got my eye on the Senneliers...trying to save for one of the nice sized half stick sets. Dakota Pastels’ warehouse and store is 2 hours from me soon a cooler Saturday, I’ll head over. I think in the stores they actually let you pick the colors for the samplers. I do watercolor now and its a shock to go from a medium that encourages small palettes and the sign of a beginner is someone who buys a lot of colors....to pastels where the beginner is someone who “only” has 100 or 200 colors!

[@ananita6888]

@@tdelphia1 I never heard of the Dakota pastels, would have to check it out. OMG you're so rigt about the 200 pastels as a minimum kit for a beginner. That's one of the reasons I too moved to watercolor because as you said you can paint masterpieces with just the 3 primaries or 6 primaries cold and warm. But I love pastels and live vicariously through Susan's joy of painting with them. I do use them sometimes, but not very often. I got oil pastels from sennelier and fell in love head over heals. But I only have the 24 sticks set.

[@tdelphia1]

Ana Nita Maybe we’ll have to start a challenge group for pastelists and to be a member, you can’t own more than 100 pastels. That IS actually an interesting idea...to just very carefully select and maintain what would be the equivalent of a small travel palette’s worth of pastels (100 or less) and then just develop a committed “look” with that kind of limited palette. Prob hard for a realist style, but lends itself to looser/abstract approaches. Dakota is a niche art company for pastelists. And apparently lots of open stock for multiple lines.

[@monetcafe]

@@tdelphia1 How wonderful that you live so close to Dakota Pastels! I've been working with them and they are such nice people. I also happen love Sennelier, and getting half sticks is always a good choice when starting out.

[@tracyforester9825]

$1800 wow

[@derickelsner6802]

First

[@kathys9999]

Beginner pastels at 500.00? Too rich for me to "try" them out.

[@brucedunston625]

Lets see, $500 for a beginner before they even see if its what they want to do! I can tell I'm at the wrong site already.

[@monetcafe]

Bruce Dunston good luck. Lots of free options on KZbin. But before you leave too soon I have a whole playlist dedicated to beginner videos. I give lots of suggestions to find more affordable options for beginners. I just thought this was a good set to be able to complete an entire painting ...where some sets don’t have a great color selection.

[@mjpete27]

@@monetcafe Susan, I believe you have a wonderful channel and Please don’t take the sour grapes offered by this viewer. I don’t believe that they have looked at the overwhelming amount of pastels available and how difficult it is to find the “one” that will bring you happiness with your pastel choice! I enjoy watching your videos and believe that you are very beginner friendly! Thank you!

[@monetcafe]

@@mjpete27 You are so sweet to defend me. God bless you!