The Best Set of Terry Ludwig Pastels ...Holiday Gift List #1

'When in Doubt'              9x12         pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $155

 You know you want them and you know you need them. Yes you do NEED them. Good pastels make a big difference and Terry Ludwig pastels are some of the very finest pastels made. They are my personal favorite. And if you love them as much as I do or are ready to give them a try.... NOW is the time while they are on sale. All sets are now 20% off until December 31st. Visit the Terry Ludwig website to see all of the sets as well as the bonus goodies available if you make a purchase.

Now for the big question.... what is the best set to choose? I'm tempted to say the answer is ANY set is the best set especially if you don't have any at all. But that isn't what you want to hear! I get it. Pastels are expensive and you want to be sure you get the set that is best for your needs. Unfortunately the only set that will meet all of your needs is the FULL set. And because that is out of reach for many artists we have to choose a set to start with. And that is the answer. One set is going to be the start of your collection. As you grow as an artist you will want and need more pastels. There really isn't one 60 piece set that will be enough forever but there are some great choices to get you started. Here are some ideas....

My Favorite Well loved Terry Ludwig set....the Richard McKinley Landscape set

• If you don't have any good soft pastels then you really need the basics. Maggie Price Basic Value 60 piece set is a great starter set. It has a good range of colors and values and will form a good core set of pastels.

• If you paint landscapes and you have some pastels already then a 60 piece landscape set is a great choice. There is a plein air landscape set, a Marsha Savage landscape set and a Richard McKinley landscape set and an arid landscape set. I love them all so it is hard for me to recommend one over the other. My advice is to visit the website and look carefully at the sets. Which set of colors are you drawn to?  Which set has colors you like to use? What type of landscapes do you tend to paint?  Generally speaking the Arid landscape is great for the desert southwest or any arid country. The Southeast set is great for the green and humid southeast. The plein air set is a great general landscape and the Richard McKinley set is great if you are lacking in atmospheric neutrals. (I used the Richard McKinley set for today's painting. I find I can paint just about any landscape with this set)

• If you have a good start with pastels but feel like you are lacking greens....start adding to your green collection with any of the green 30 piece sets. You will have to evaluate your own pastels to see what you are lacking but I find that the neutral greens are always needed and lacking.

• If your budget won't accommodate a larger set consider starting with one of the 14 piece sets. Best Loved Basics are great and who doesn't need more violets? The Most Requested Violet set is a must! When in Doubt.....use purple!

What is your favorite Terry Ludwig set and why? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Today's painting started as an unfinished demo on Canson paper

Today on Patreon: I show you a quick video tip on how to paint tree branches that look subtle and painterly. Check out Patreon here www.patreon.com/karenmargulis