Learn more than how to paint. Learn how to trust yourself as an artist.
What Makes This Different
Most instructors show you what they are doing. I explain the why.
Because when you understand the why, something shifts. You begin to understand what color is doing, why a value change matters, and why one mark works while another doesn't. You start seeing possibilities instead of wondering whether you're doing it right.
I have a way of breaking things down that meets you wherever you are. I'm not going to talk above your head or assume you already know. I'll show you what I'm doing, tell you what I'm thinking, and let you see the decisions, changes of direction, mistakes, and discoveries that are part of actually making art.
The goal isn't to teach you to paint exactly like me. It's to give you enough understanding that you can begin making those decisions for yourself. And little by little, you start trusting yourself more.
And the teaching doesn't end when the class does.
This is where Inner Studio comes in. Once a month, Pastel Insider members join me live in my studio. I usually come in with a few things I want to explore or demonstrate, and then the questions start coming through the chat.
That's when things get interesting. We might dive deeper into a technique, experiment with a material, talk about something you're struggling with, explore a creative block, or follow a question somewhere I never expected us to go.
In one recent Inner Studio, we started with a few demonstrations and ended up talking about unfinished paintings, the fear of ruining something that's already working, permission to erase, breaking pastel sticks, how different kinds of pastel work together, and even the role our nervous system can play in creativity. I couldn't have planned that conversation, and that's exactly the point.
Inner Studio gives us room for the teaching to be responsive. Your questions and experiences become part of where we go together. And if you can't join live, every Inner Studio is recorded so you can watch the replay whenever it works for you.
“I felt so recharged and motivated afterwards and I still feel that way! I loved connecting with the other members and being able to ask you questions.”
- Nathalie, Pastel Insider Member
Pastel Insider is an ongoing place to learn, explore, ask questions, and grow with guidance from an experienced teacher who helps you understand not only what to do, but the why behind it.
Join The Pastel Insider Community
This is your moment. Come inside. Let me show you my world. No commitment, cancel anytime.
One full year of Pastel Insider, the equivalent of one month free.
What begins to change
People often join Pastel Insider because they want to learn soft pastel. What they often discover is something more. As your understanding grows, so does your confidence.
You begin to see not just what you're doing, but why. You notice light differently. You understand color in a new way. You become more willing to experiment, change your mind, erase something that isn't working, and try again. Eventually, what you're learning starts showing up beyond the individual lesson. That's when it becomes yours.
One member recently wrote to tell me that she was carrying what she had learned about composition and color into her own artwork, whether she was working in pastel or acrylic. That is exactly what I want for you.
I'm not interested in giving you a collection of paintings you know how to copy. I want to help you build an understanding you can carry into whatever you decide to create next.
Inside This Month's Class
What happens when you want to create something that makes you feel alive, but you don't yet know what that something is?
In Following the Thread, I invite you into the full process of creating one of my own personal pastel paintings, beginning before I even know what I'm going to paint.
We start in my sketchbook looking for the first spark of an idea and follow it through reference gathering, drawing, color exploration and eventually into a finished painting.
But what I really wanted to show you was everything that happens in between.
You'll see me make decisions. Change my mind. Question what's working. Struggle with parts of the painting. Respond when something unexpected happens.
I'm not presenting a process where all the answers have already been worked out.
I'm showing you what it actually looks like to figure them out.
And along the way, I'm telling you what I'm noticing and why I'm making the choices I do, so you can begin recognizing those same moments in your own work.
More than 100 lessons. No expectation to do them all.
The Pastel Insider library is there to be explored, not completed.
Follow what interests you. Paint the subjects that pull you in. Explore landscapes, animals, portraits, color, PanPastel techniques, pastel pencils, mixed pastel approaches and creative process.
Return to something when you're ready for it. Watch a class without painting anything. Come back six months later because suddenly that lesson is exactly what you need.
There is no finish line here.
The library gives you somewhere to go whenever curiosity strikes, while the monthly class and Inner Studio keep bringing something new into the conversation.
Explore the full Pastel Insider library, including complete descriptions for every class.
New to PanPastel? Start here.
One of the biggest questions I get is about supplies.
What do I need? How much will this cost? Where do I even start?
I've spent years researching and testing materials so you don't have to figure all of that out on your own.
Every new member receives my Pastel Insider Membership Guide, created to help you feel at home from the moment you join.
Inside the guide, you'll find:
✔ A simple guide to navigating the membership
✔ Essential supply recommendations so you know what you actually need
✔ A lesson roadmap to help you know where to begin
✔ Tips for getting the most from your membership
✔ Answers to common questions, all in one place
You don't need every color, years of experience, or even drawing skills to begin. Every class includes the original line art I use, so you can focus on learning the medium itself: value, color, layering, blending, edges, mark-making, and everything that begins to make pastel feel like yours.
No guessing. No overwhelm. Just somewhere to begin.
That will look substantially better in the right-hand column. It also sounds more natural and gets rid of three unnecessary paragraph breaks.
A note on finding your style
Style isn't something you start with.
It's something you accumulate.
Lesson by lesson, painting by painting, you're building a kind of filing system. You're learning what catches your attention, what colors you reach for, what subjects interest you, and what kinds of marks feel natural in your hand.
Following along with a lesson doesn't prevent you from finding your voice. It's one of the ways you develop the skills that eventually allow that voice to come through.
The more you understand the medium, the more freedom you have to make it your own.
A membership that grows with you
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LEARN
A new in-depth class every month where I take you through the process and explain the thinking behind it.
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EXPLORE
A complete library of more than 100 lessons you can follow according to your own interests and pace.
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CONNECT
Inner Studio brings us together live each month for questions, demonstrations, exploration and the conversations we couldn't have planned ahead of time.
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GROW
Take what you're learning beyond the lesson and into your own paintings, ideas and creative decisions.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
I remember standing in an art store telling my best friend that the last thing I needed was another medium. I'd tried everything over twenty years. I didn't buy the full set or understand how all of it worked together. I just bought a few colors and started playing.
And then something happened that had never happened with anything else I'd tried. I didn't want to stop.
I've spent the years since then painting, experimenting, teaching, making mistakes, figuring things out, and still discovering new things every time I walk into my studio. Pastel Insider is where I share that experience with you, not because I want you to make paintings exactly like mine, but because I want you to understand enough to make the choices that feel right in yours.
You can come in as a complete beginner or after years of making art. You can paint every class, watch quietly, ask questions in Inner Studio, explore the library, or simply show up when you need a little creative spark.
However you show up, it counts.
I'll see you inside.
Dawn
Join The Pastel Insider Community
This is your moment. Come inside. Let me show you my world. No commitment, cancel anytime.
One full year of Pastel Insider, the equivalent of one month free.
FAQs
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As a Pastel Insider, you'll receive one new in-depth lesson every month, thoughtfully designed to build your skills, deepen your understanding, and strengthen your creative confidence. Each lesson explores different subjects, approaches, and techniques while guiding you through the complete creative process.
You'll also be invited to The Inner Studio, a private monthly live session created exclusively for members. Think of it as a live extension of the membership experience, where we can dive deeper into techniques, explore ideas, answer questions, and continue the creative conversations that happen between the lessons. Replays are always available if you can't join live.
From the moment you join, you'll also have instant access to the complete Pastel Insider library of over 100 lessons, along with line art, supply lists, and a welcoming community to support your creative journey.
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Yes, absolutely. This membership is designed to meet you wherever you are, whether you are brand new to soft pastel or have been creating for years. When you join you will receive the Pastel Insider Getting Started Guide, which includes supply recommendations, suggested beginner friendly lessons, and a clear roadmap so you know exactly where to begin. No guessing, no overwhelm. Just a clear path forward.
And in every lesson I am right there with you, walking you through each decision along the way. No drawing experience required.
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Not at all. Some members paint every lesson. Some watch first and come back later. Some are here to absorb, to be inspired, to spend time in a creative space that feels good. There is no right way to be a Pastel Insider. Show up however works for you.
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Once you join you will receive access to a members only area on my website where you can find all your lessons, downloadable line art, and resources. Everything is easy to navigate and available whenever you are ready for it.
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Yes. You can manage your membership at any time. Monthly memberships can be canceled at any time and you'll continue to have access until the end of your current billing period. If you're an annual member, your membership will remain active through the end of your paid year and will not renew if canceled before the renewal date.
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The Pastel Insider is a membership subscription, not individual class purchases. As long as you are an active member you have full access to everything in the library. When your membership ends your access ends, but you are always welcome to come back.
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Because of the way Squarespace handles memberships, switching from a monthly plan to an annual plan takes one extra step.
Simply cancel your current monthly membership. You'll continue to have full access through the end of your current billing period, so nothing changes right away.
Once your monthly membership ends, return to this page and sign up for the annual Pastel Insider membership. You'll pick up right where you left off with full access to the membership.