top of page
Bob Palmerton
Search


Pastel Painting Technique - A Lesson from Start to Finish
I recently started a YouTube channel with pastel painting demos and painting tips. Before YouTube, I would blog about a painting from...

Bob Palmerton
Mar 14, 20225 min read
962 views
0 comments


Fresh off the Easel: Heat Wave
A scorcher in southeast Michigan inspired by latest large pastel painting, "Heat Wave." Heat Wave is 18x24 done in soft pastel on Uart...

Bob Palmerton
Aug 3, 20191 min read
43 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Glimpse of Spring at the Buttonwood Marsh
A quick impressionistic study completed before the rain and wind engulfed my plein air site! Marsh Meadow View Park, Pittsfield Township,...

Bob Palmerton
Apr 23, 20191 min read
24 views
0 comments


StudioSense: Acrylic Opposites
Starting a painting entitled "The Clearing," I chose to build up an under-painting of acrylic. The colors I chose are (in general) the...

Bob Palmerton
Feb 5, 20192 min read
47 views
1 comment


StudioSense: Bold Acrylic Underpainting
I will often start a pastel painting with an underpainting of either watercolor, acrylic, or a wash of pastel diluted with isopropyl...

Bob Palmerton
Oct 17, 20182 min read
274 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Wildflower Wonders (and a special offer)!
In Pittsfield Township, Michigan, just south of Ann Arbor and east of Saline, there is a series of nature preserves (the "Pittsfield...

Bob Palmerton
Jul 26, 20181 min read
26 views
0 comments


StudioSense: Digital Tricks
When I am not outdoors in one of my plein air painting excursions, I often take advantage of digital photography to enhance and complete...

Bob Palmerton
Jul 25, 20182 min read
25 views
0 comments


StudioSense: Summer Morning Field
Early mornings on humid summer days bring out an ethereal veil of the landscape, with a hazy look that almost blurs the nearby foliage...

Bob Palmerton
Jul 16, 20182 min read
32 views
0 comments


StudioSense: Orange to Blue to "Green"
Earlier this month I posted this blog in which I chose among my collection of blues to complete an underpainting all in blue. Here was...

Bob Palmerton
Jun 19, 20182 min read
77 views
0 comments


Pastel Technique: Monday Morning Blues
I recently re-arranged my pastel palette, which revealed an abundance of blues. So I thought I would take advantage of such a variety...

Bob Palmerton
Jun 5, 20182 min read
33 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Morning Snack at Wooley Park
My initial foray into plein air painting resulted in the painting below, "Wooley Park Stroll." As this painting sat in inventory I felt...

Bob Palmerton
Jun 4, 20181 min read
90 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Resting My Wings
At Breezy Point, a beach community on the Atlantic Ocean in Queens, New York, early morning and late day brings out the most brilliant...

Bob Palmerton
May 21, 20181 min read
33 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Pondering Spring
It seems that with a few days of temperatures in the low 70's, that foliage bursts furiously in Southeast Michigan. This pond and field...

Bob Palmerton
May 11, 20181 min read
17 views
0 comments


StudioSense: Pastel & Watercolor Underpainting
Spring has finally arrived in Southeast Michigan. Touring a local nature preserve with my dog Cosmo, I came across this scene, replete...

Bob Palmerton
May 7, 20181 min read
57 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting - Spring Break and the Great Smoky Mountains
Spring Break time is coming soon! "Season's Transitions" was inspired by a hike on the Chimney Tops trail at Great Smoky National Park. ...

Bob Palmerton
Feb 25, 20182 min read
41 views
0 comments


StudioSense - The Balancing Act
Compositions can be enhanced through a variety of techniques. I like to think abut composition from two perspectives: first, the...

Bob Palmerton
Feb 3, 20182 min read
35 views
0 comments


Painting Technique: Capturing the Glow of Winter
Rolling Hills County Park in Ypsilanti, Michigan maintains 3 miles of groomed cross-country skiing trails. I've enjoyed skiing and...

Bob Palmerton
Jan 14, 20182 min read
182 views
0 comments


Pastel Technique: Capturing Distance in the Landscape
Conveying distance across the multiple planes of a landscape can be handled by muting the local color with grays, blues and the color's...

Bob Palmerton
Nov 11, 20172 min read
191 views
0 comments


Time is Running Out - Michigan Art Center Class Starts Next Week!
I am scheduled to teach "Enhanced Landscapes in Pastel" at the Michigan Art Center, starting Wednesday October 11 for five sessions. Last...

Bob Palmerton
Oct 5, 20171 min read
8 views
0 comments


Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Dunes
Sunny day at Breezy Point, New York. Soft pastel on sanded paper; 8x10. See the previous post on the acrylic underpainting....

Bob Palmerton
Aug 17, 20171 min read
14 views
0 comments
bottom of page