Seahorse Chalk Pastel Art Tutorial

We begin today with an undersea ride on a seahorse!

This is a fun pastel and you will need to gather together the following colors of pastel: a rusty color orange, yellow, black or dark brown for the seahorse, and your favorite colors for the sea around him: blues, aqua and green.

Start by taking your rusty orange pastel and slowly make a big, long “S” shape for the back of the seahorse. Then, continuing with the same color, curve the “S” over as shown in the photo, drawing the head and snout. The snout will look a little like a horn! Give him some full cheeks or chin, then a very proud neck. Keep that line going and draw the curve of his little full stomach area, then another curve down to his tail. It is all in a circle!

If you look at the picture, you can see that there are some curved lines; these are like scales on a Seahorse and make sure that you make them curved to show his roundness.

Seahorses do have a bit of a gill on their backs. We just drew a little saw-like gill and put a small, pointed crown on his head! Let him have a large black eye near the snout.

Now take your rusty orange and lightly color your seahorse, you can really just barely color him and spread the color out with your finger to get in all his curves.

The next step is most important: You cannot leave your seahorse just floating on a blank sheet of paper! He is the best horse in the sea and you must put him in a beautiful ocean! Skumble lightly your green toward the bottom of the paper to show the ocean floor. Fist it in and make it misty and watery. Then use your favorite blues and aqua colors to let this seahorse ride the water proudly!

Remember to name your painting, turn it over and date it and sign your name. There you have it! A beautiful, magical seahorse! You ARE an artist! Good work!

Featuring You! You ARE an Artist!

So, paint your summer games picture and be sure to share with us! Simply tag @hodgepodgemom on social media, send a photo via the Hodgepodge contact form here or post on the Hodgepodge Facebook page. We will be sharing these via the Hodgepodge instagram or on our Art Tutorials Showcase Pinterest board – or both! Nana will even comment on a few I am sure!

Free eBook and More!

• Get your FREE ebook (with a coupon)! Getting Started in Chalk Pastel Art.
• See how you can get started in just three steps! Watch the one minute You ARE an Artist video at chalkpastel.com.
• A note on chalk pastels: Pastels are an easy, forgiving medium. Fun for children and adults alike! Details on the pastels and paper we use, how and where to purchase are in our series, Chalk Pastels 101. A simple set of chalk pastels is very affordable. Nana also teaches acrylic lessons.
• The practical aspects of a mess: Pastels are blessedly messy. We always have baby wipes close by to wipe hands. We wear something we don’t mind getting stained or don a smock.
• Be sure to subscribe to our Hodgepodge YouTube channel for free video art tutorials!

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