Welcome to our Hodgepodge free listing of chalk pastels, acrylics and video art tutorials for all ages. This list of free tutorials is no longer being updated. In fact, at the following link we have an updated list of 100+ Free Art Lessons for All Ages.
For the original list we began with plus a list of basic supplies, please scroll down… Click on each link to view individually…
We love pastels. Nana has taught us to appreciate how beautiful and easy it is to use them. We even keep them close so we can use them for our nature journal entries. I’ve had a few questions about what pastels our children use and where to purchase them. So, I went to the expert – Nana! Below is a suggested list of resources. And further down is our list of chalk pastel and acrylic lessons.
What type of chalk pastels to use?
The pastels our children use (above) are Rembrandt. Nana says they are very good ones to start out with and are available at most art supply stores. She thinks you can even get them at your local Michael’s Craft Store.
Handmade by Terri Ludwig. Nana says these are the “most precious to use.” Our children used a few select sticks of Nana’s to create a Tornado in Pastels. Nana’s Terri Ludwig set is pictured below. Beautiful!
Dick Blick. This art supply company makes their own set of pastels you can order online. A set of 48 colors is only $10.39. Click over and watch online videos. A great resource!
Nana’s advice – start small: The student grade Alphacolor set is a good starter for $10.00. This set includes the basic colors to try out. These colors can be layered to achieve whatever color the student wants to use.
What type of paper is best for chalk pastels?
Our very first pastel pictures were made on a roll of newsprint we had close by. But for the colors to blend well, good paper is suggested. Nana says a pad of Canson paper is available at Michael’s.
How do I store chalk pastels? How do I clean them?
The small set of student starter pastels come in a plastic sleeve for storage. The large bin pictured at the top of the post Nana purchased at Michael’s a few years ago. She says, “I think it was supposed to be used to store beads in for necklace and bracelet making – when that was all the rage. It just looked like it would be good for pastels so I bought it.”
After we’d been using pastels for about two years, Nana gifted us with a wooden box with drawers for storage.
Details in her post, Soft Chalk Pastels: Storage and Cleaning. We tuck our pastel set under the kitchen table for easy access.
Nana’s advice for beginning with pastels
There is no need to make a large pastel purchase or to get a storage container until you have tried pastels, are certain the children will enjoy using them and if mamas want to put up with the mess. Remember, pastels are messy. Blessedly messy. We keep a package of baby wipes close by when we use them.
Where do you store finished pictures?
Honestly, our house is decorated with children’s pictures. You’ll find them on the chalkboard, the refrigerator and adorning the walls.
You can also find finished pastel pictures:
- in our nature journals – the finished pictures just rub off a bit on the back of the next picture.
- in a binder – my daughter created a binder for finished pictures. She puts a bit of wax paper between each one.
Hodgepodge Art for All Ages Curriculum
Many of our readers wanted our tutorials in one handy spot. As requested, we put our chalk pastel tutorials in ebook form for you – including video tutorials! Easy to view on a computer, iPad or Kindle. Easy to print. More details here on A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels. Now you can have a master artist teach your family – Just add paper and chalk pastels!
And from this first digital art curriculum ebook, grew an entire line of art eCurriculum.
Then video art courses for all ages!
Following is a list of Free Hodgepodge chalk pastel tutorials:
Art for All Ages: 10 Days of Tutorials and Tips
Chalk Pastel Techniques – How To Videos
Subscribe to the Hodgepodge YouTube channel with all video tutorials
Chalk Pastel Techniques – a round up of techniques
The {Very Few} Must Have Supplies for Chalk Pastel Art (with video)
- How to Draw Sky and Clouds in Chalk Pastels
- How to Draw a Tornado with a Fisting Technique
- How to Draw a Mug of Hot Chocolate with a Painterly Effect
- How to Draw a Beach with a Skumbling Chalk Pastel Technique
- More explanation on all the above in our Art for All Ages: Tips and Tutorials Series
Celebratory Birthday Cake Video Tutorial!
Classic Children’s Books
- Chalk Pastels and Children’s Books
- My Blue Boat (Teaching Art with Multiple Ages)
- Pete the Cat
- Madeline
- Lentil – shadows and facial expressions
- Cat in the Hat (acrylic tutorial)
- Peter Pan (acrylic tutorial)
- A House for Hermit Crab
- The Little Engine That Could (Train Chalk Pastel Tutorial)
- I Am An Artist
Art Appreciation and Art History
- Icarus by Henri Matisse
- Impressionism with Chalk Pastel Art – Monet’s Bridge
- Claude Monet – London at Twilight
- Picasso’s Bouquet of Peace
Flower Chalk Pastel Tutorials
- Dogwood blossom
- Sunflowers
- 10 Flower and Fruit Chalk Pastel Tutorials
- Hydrangeas
- Queen Anne’s Lace
- Field of Flowers (below the ice cream tutorial)
Birds Chalk Pastel Tutorials
Nature and History Chalk Pastel Tutorials
- To The Woods: Henry David Thoreau
- Lily Pad
- a Tornado in Pastels (video tutorial here!)
- Avenue of Oaks with Spanish Moss (St. Simon’s Island)
- American Flag
- Washington Monument (with fireworks!)
- Civil War Cannon
- Tree Reflection
- Fall Leaf
- Night blooming cereus
- Butterfly
- Caterpillar with video
- How to Draw a Garden Spider with video
- Weather + bonus
- Summer Tree
- Medieval Castle
- Waterfall
- Bird’s Nest (plus a FREE video tutorial How to Paint a Bird’s Nest)
- Marsh
- Dragonfly (tutorial at Harmony Fine Arts)
Food and Fruits Chalk Art Tutorials
- Mug of hot chocolate (with a FREE Mug of Hot Chocolate video tutorial)
- Apple or Pumpkin – you decide! (and the video tutorial of apple or pumpkin)
- Tomato
- Fruit Bowl
- Strawberries and Bananas
- Blueberries
- Watermelon
- Grapes (at Free Homeschool Deals)
- Macaroni and Cheese– Heart of the Matter’s April 2011 Digital Magazine
- Coca-Cola
- Fudge Pie + recipe at Heart of the Matter
- Ice cream sundae
Seasonal
- Christmas tree in the snow
- Christmas ornament
- Christmas wreath video tutorial
- Christmas Star over Bethlehem
- Old Shed in the Snow
- Winter Fun – sledding (at Habits for a Happy Home)
- Snowman Paints! Video Tutorial
- Fireplace
- Olympic Rings
- How to Draw an Olympic Torch
- Valentine Tree
- Free Fall Art Lessons for All Ages
- Easy Art Projects for Fall
- Fall Walk in the Woods
- Fall Trees (acrylic)
- Tree Reflection
- Challenge! Draw an apple or pumpkin in less than one minute! (video)
- Fall Tree (video) + the few must have supplies for chalk art
- Little Church in the Woods (video)
- Bubbles
- At the Beach
- a Path to the Beach – (VIDEO tutorial with example of skumbling technique) Nana’s first lesson in pastels, the one that began our love of chalk pastels
- Beach Umbrellas
- Twilight
- Sailboat at Sunset
Swimming Creatures and Marine Life
Our Free Art Tutorials and Lessons Pinterest Board
Follow Tricia’s board Free Art Tutorials and Lessons on Pinterest.
Free Acrylic Lessons
I thought that we could take a break from our wonderful pastel lessons and go explore a new medium…acrylic paint! I have painted with acrylics for many years…using them to paint wall murals, tee-shirts…the paint is a very forgiving medium. You can make a small investment at your local craft store and get enough basic, primary colors to mix any other color or hue that your heart desires!
Nana’s Story
- Master Artist – a story of Nana and a tour of artwork in her house
For us, using pastels is sheer joy. We’ve found they are great for making nature journal entries.
“Ok, I have to tell you, I am NOT an art teacher… not even close. The most my kids ever do with art is maybe a hands on history lesson with coloring pages and some minor drawing. I have now ventured into teaching them art WITH NANA! We completed lesson one in pastels this morning, and it was fabulous! She is inspiring a love of art in a family that knows nothing of it! Thank you so much for sharing your precious mother with us all.” ~ Lori Lange, homeschool mom of 5 @ Abnormal Herd
The practical aspects of a mess: We always have baby wipes close by to wipe hands. We wear something we don’t mind getting stained or don a smock.
My guest post at Homegrown Learners
- Nana is a Master Artist in pastels. Pastels are an easy, forgiving medium. Fun for children and adults alike!
- Visit our Art Tutorials Pinterest board.
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Hi Tricia,
We’re trying to access Nana’s wonderful pastel tutorials but are getting an error message.
Your help is appreciated – we haven’t done the last two and are missing them : )
Thank you.
Richele
Oh thank you for the heads up Richele! Just swung the site over this past weekend. Will work on updating the links and email you when ready. In the mean time, the latest one is posted over at Habits for a Happy Home. Just click http://habitsforahappyhome.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/art-with-pastels-plus-winter-fun-tutorial/ Thanks again for your patience! ~ Tricia
All links are updated!
Thank you! I just started teaching pastels to my son. I have taken so MANY art classes, but I forget how it is in the beginning. So I forget where to start.
Julie I’m so glad you and your son are joining in the pastel fun. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Tricia- the arts and crafts stores sell a matte finish/ satin spray to affix the pastels to the paper and then they won’t smudge! Sorry I can’t remember exactly what it’s called but an employee should be able to help you.
Thank you for mentioning this Leah! I remember we talked about this in one of Nana’s tutorials. Yes, there is a fixative available. And it will preserve your pictures well. You do have to take your picture outside to spray it as it is a strong smelling substance. Nana does frame some of hers and covers the picture with glass. That is an option as well. But mainly, we have ours all around as I described above. Thanks again Leah 🙂
Thank you for these wonderful tutorials! I’ve already used one with my children and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you!!
Stacy – It makes me smile to read comments like yours. For you are joining in a love of ours – and that is exactly why we share this love of art! Thank you for your kind words.
We’re making our summer fun list, and I am bookmarking this page so we can enjoy some of your tutorials this summer! Thanks for sharing:)
Wonderful Jenn! Makes me happy to know you’ll be enjoying them as part of your summer fun.
Tricia,
Really can’t thank you enough for these tutorials. We did the second one this week. Sprout, who was the most resistant last week, was begging to do more. I feel so good finally being able to indulge an artistic passion and–even better–sharing it with my kids. Thank you, and thank Nana!
Carey – this gives me great joy to hear about artistic passion! So glad you are enjoying the pastels. They are such fun – and so forgiving.
So……would Nana sell me her pastel nest picture ?
Hi Mary, Thanks for your interest. The original pastel nest picture is not for sale. However, you may contact me if you are interested in talking more about one like it 🙂
How generous of you to share Nana’s talent! We have completed our first pastel, a Path to the Beach, and the kids loved it. I especially appreciate you showing everyone’s artwork… my littlest doesn’t feel so little when he sees your little ones’ drawings. The kids are making a “Daddy date” to try another picture. Thank you so much!
Sarah – wonderful! Thank you for stopping back by to let me know. The path to the beach is one of our very favorites. So glad your children enjoyed it as much as we do 🙂
I cannot link up to the ‘tree” lesson – no. 6. It says the site is closed. Please advise what to do….
Thanks for these great lessons…. we also feel we have finally discovered art we can actually do!
Hooray for Nana and pastels!
Thanks Caroline! You have caught one lesson I haven’t pulled from the old site. Will put that in the cue for next time and will aim to get it up ASAP. I appreciate your patience.
Thanks so much for your speedy response…. No’s 10 and 20 are also problematic – while you are at it! 🙂
My kids love these lessons every week!
We just completed our first lesson, “A Path to the Beach”. The boys (7 & 10, along with mommy) enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you so much for this fun resource. This will be our first time doing art at home during our school year.
Blessings to you!
Gabreial & her boys!
Thank you so much for letting me know! So glad you are enjoying the lessons and will be joining us for art this year.
We started using pastels after I read a different post of yours. Thank you! Although messy, they are awesome and our family is really enjoying them! This post will be a valuable resource as well. Blessings!
Oh! I love to hear that you and your boys are enjoying pastels – yes, messy but fun. Easy clean up. Thanks Dawn.
Wow, thank you so much! I am really looking forward to trying out some of these resources. Blessings!
I’m so excited I found your art lessons. I’m going to go buy us a set of pastels ASAP! Is there any order that Nana would suggest we go in, since we’re just starting out, or would we be fine just picking a lesson and going with it? Basically, I just wonder if each lesson builds upon the last or not.
Thank you!!
Hi Elizabeth! Each lesson stands alone. Our very first one we ever did is entitled A Path to the Beach and is listed under Seasonal. Jump in with whatever appeals to you.
Hi,
The art is wonderful.
I’m looking for dry pastels not oil based.
Where do I find them and what should I ask for?
Please help.
Thanks
Blessings
BJ
Hi Bruce – I have a few links available to order online, above. But you can also go to your local arts and crafts supply store. We have Michael’s and Hobby Lobby here. And you would ask for chalk pastels. Hope that helps!
Thank you for these wonderful tutorials! My boys and I tried our hand at the apple and pumpkins last week and we loved using chalk pastels!
http://koreamom.blogspot.com/2012/11/fun-with-chalk-pastels.html
Thank you for this very lovely & encouraging post…there’s just so much raw beauty in pastels and the art they help create..I love crafting and drawing and painting but I’d been intimidated all this time by pastels…your post has encouraged me to visit the local stationery stop to try out some pastels for myself and maybe for my daughter too!
Oh this is just what we are trying to share with this post and these lessons. That chalk pastels are not intimidating at all. All ages can enjoy them. Please do give them a try!
Hi! This sounds like so much fun! I have 5 children. Four of them would love this (the baby would just eat the chalks).
If I have 4 children, ages 4-13 who would like to work on lessons at the same time, how many sets of chalk would you recommend? Do I need one set for each child?
Thank you! I am so excited about this. I know my children will be too!
Thanks for your question RaShell! Here is Nana’s answer: “For beginning artists, no matter what the ages are, one set of shared chalks will suffice. That way, if they do not like pastel art, then all you have done is pay for one set. Let the student decide if they want to continue before you invest!”
I hope you all enjoy the pastel tutorials. And be sure to share photos of your finished art work. I’d love to showcase them on my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/hodgepodgemom/art-tutorial-showcase/ You can send them to me by clicking the little mail icon at the top right of the site 🙂
Thank you so much! I appreciate your time. I can’t wait to get them started. 🙂
Also, are these tutorials different than the ones in A Simple Start? Does the Simple Start have video tutorials for every lesson?
Thank you again!
I have just found you! I am so excited to share these wonderful lessons with my children.
One question about storing the masterpieces they will create. Do you think it would harm the pictures to spray them with hairspray? I was a preschool teacher many years ago. That is how we kept the chalk from rubbing off on the children on the way home and it also kept the pictures from getting messed up.
Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
Edith – that is just what we recommend! An aerosol hairspray (rather than a pump style) – very lightly. If you spray too heavily the paper will curl. Please enjoy!
It was too weird that I signed onto Facebook just now and found a link to this page. I literally just finished cleaning up my son’s first attempt with pastels. 🙂 He enjoyed it, as did my twenty-one month old with his fingerpaints. Ive been thinking about putting him in art lessons or getting a curriculum, hes just recently started expressing a real interest in drawing-I think I’ll start with this now! Thanks!
We finally bought a box of chalk pastels and my kids started with your Angry Birds inspiration. They loved it! And I did, too! They grabbed their plush Angry Bird animals as models and really enjoyed the process of creating. Their ages are a newly turned seven and an almost five (near Christmastime). They were surprised at the forgiving nature of the chalk pastels and I can foresee lots of art time being added to our homeschool. Thank you and thank Nana, too!
Janet – how FUN to start with Angry Birds! I am so happy to hear about this and about many more happy art times for you in the future! I agree, chalk pastels are for very forgiving and because of that so many have found success with this medium. Thanks!
Sorry, I did not understand how to get to the 50 Free art lessons. I pinned it, I sent it from Pinterest to a friend (because it said share and enjoy), but I still don’t see how to start a first lesson.
Please help!
Thank you in advance, it looks like an awesome resource! Can’t wait!
Tanya
Tanya – you can scroll down and click on any of the links to enjoy the lessons. There is no particular order – though our very first lesson in chalk pastels – the one Nana first taught us – is a Path to the Beach. Landscapes are a really good place to start and offer immediate results. You might also like our Art for All Ages series: https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/tag/art-for-all-ages-tips-and-tutorials/ and our You Can Be An Artist! series: https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/tag/you-can-be-an-artist/
Hi there!
I found out about this through one of the billions of email lists I’m on, LOL. I’m just wondering a few things:
1) The pic at the top as “50 Free lessons” and then “Scroll down for the printable lessons.” I’m confused about that as I don’t seem to see any printable lessons…?
2) Are the links in this post the “50 Free lessons”?
3) Will these links continue to stay live, or are they only live for a certain period of time?
Thanks ladies!! 🙂
Hi Tasha- thanks for your comment. There are actually well over 50 free lessons now 🙂 and if you (1) click on each lesson, you can then click the green ‘print friendly’ button (amongst the sharing buttons at the bottom of each post) to print. This will turn the post into an automatic download/pdf. You can choose to print the lesson with/without photos (2) yes! (3) The vast majority of the links are live, though some are subscriber freebies
I hope you enjoy!
What a special way to share your family’s love for art with others. Thank you. I’m having a difficult time finding the link to the volcano art. Could you please clarify how to access it? Thank you.
Hi Kim – Thank you! The volcano tutorial was a subscriber only bonus. If you are a subscriber, then feel free to send me an email via the contact us tab above and we will see what we can do 🙂
Just wanted you and Nana know that we are continuing our love for chalk pastels and all that you have taught us.
Phyllis – what a beautiful combination for creating a Super Blood Moon from your artists! The blending of the blue background and the orange and red for the moon. Fantastic! Thank you SO much for sharing – #YouAREanArtist (adding to our Art Tutorial Showcase Pinterest Board)