Pan Pastels and Indian Ink | My Favourite Art Supplies Right Now
Samantha BeedieI want to be upfront before we go any further. I am still learning with these materials. This is not an expert guide and I am not going to pretend it is. What I can share is what I have been using, how I have been working with it, and what I have figured out along the way that has made the whole process feel genuinely exciting rather than overwhelming.
The pieces I have been working on are all monochromatic portraits using just two products: pan pastels in a deep red and Indian ink in a matching shade. One colour. No mixing, no palette decisions.
Why One Colour
Most of my tattooing is black and grey. I understand tonal work and building depth through value rather than colour contrast. When I picked up pan pastels I wanted to explore that same idea but in red, which is one of my favourite colours. Keeping it to a single colour means I can focus entirely on form, gradient, and line without any decisions about colour getting in the way. If you are new to a medium I genuinely think this is a good starting point. Take one set of decisions off the table and focus on everything else first.
The Paper | Daler Rowney Aquafine Smooth Watercolour Paper
I am using Daler Rowney Aquafine Smooth Watercolour Paper and it has been a really good surface for this combination of materials. The smooth finish means the pastel sits on it beautifully without too much texture grabbing it in an uncontrolled way, and it is sturdy enough to take the ink on top without buckling. Paper choice really does matter with this process so this is worth getting right before you start.
Starting With the Line Work
Before I touch any of the materials, I print a soft version of my drawing directly onto the paper. This came out of a practical problem: I knew I would be using a rubber throughout the process to lift and define edges in the pastel, and I did not want to lose my drawing lines every time I did that. Printing them means they stay put no matter how much I work into the surface.
It also feels familiar from tattooing. I have my design to follow and I can concentrate entirely on applying the medium rather than constructing the composition at the same time. If you work in a similar way digitally or draw confidently enough to trace, this approach is worth trying.
The Pan Pastels | PanPastel Permanent Red
This is the product I am most excited about right now. I am using PanPastel Permanent Red and the quality of gradient you can build with it genuinely surprised me. They are incredibly soft and smooth and the way the colour moves across the surface is just really satisfying to work with.
I apply them using PanPastel Sofft Applicators, which are the sponge tools designed specifically for these pans. I would get these rather than trying to improvise with a brush or your fingers. I also wear gloves throughout the pastel stage and use a piece of kitchen roll to smooth and blend across larger areas, which works really well for getting an even coverage.
For sharper edges and lifted highlights I use a rubber directly on the pastel. This was something I was glad I figured out early because it gives you real precision. You can define a jawline, pull light back into hair, sharpen the edge of a petal. It behaves a bit like a lightener in tattooing and it opens up a whole other set of marks to work with.
Fixing the Pastel | Winsor and Newton Fixative Spray
Once I am happy with the pastel layer I fix it before doing anything else. I use Winsor and Newton Professional Fixative Spray and this step is not optional. If you try to paint over unfixed pastel the brush will lift and smear everything you have built. Spray it lightly, let it dry completely, and only then move on to the ink.
Getting the order of operations right here is genuinely important. Fix fully before you add your ink and you will have no problems. Skip it and you will know about it immediately. I found the excess pastle powder sticking to the paint brush in parts that had not been fix properly.
The Indian Ink | Daler Rowney Deep Red
The last stage is painting the linework on top of the fixed pastel. I use Daler Rowney Deep Red Indian Ink applied with a thin synthetic paint brush. The ink sits cleanly on top of the fixed pastel and gives you that crisp, saturated line that pulls the whole piece together.
At this point I take the gloves off. I did use a sticky postit note on my had just incase, but it should be well fixed with the spray.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
I came to this with a fairly clear idea of how I wanted to work, partly because my tattooing background gave me a framework for thinking about tone and line. But here are the things I think are genuinely useful regardless of where you are starting from.
Fix before you ink. There is no version of this where you skip that step and it goes well.
Use a rubber. A lot of people treat pastels as something you only add to. Removing and lifting is where a lot of the definition comes from and it is well worth getting comfortable with it.
Wear gloves during the pastel stage. You will touch your face without realising and you will end up with red everywhere.
Kitchen roll does more work than you expect. For broad blending it is genuinely useful and worth having to hand before you start.
Start with one colour. Working monochromatically first is a really good way into a new medium. You take one set of decisions off the table and get to understand how the material actually behaves before you add more complexity.
