[Note: As you put together your supplies and equipment to paint outdoors, think lightweight and portable, find creative ways to simplify everything you carry with you on a painting trip. You will want to have a selection of both soft and hard pastels in various hues, tints and shades.]

Soft Pastels

Many companies sell sets selected for landscape. The larger sets will give you greater choices and require less blending. I recommend that you purchase a high-quality landscape set of no less than 24 colors from one of these companies:
  • Sennelier Half-Stick Soft Pastel Sets | purchase
  • Terry Ludwig Soft Pastel Sets | purchase
  • Schmincke Soft Pastel Sets | purchase
  • Art Spectrum Soft Pastel Sets | purchase
  • Holbein Soft Pastel Sets | purchase

Hard Pastels

I recommend you purchase a small set of 24 or 36 — they will last years. These are much less expensive than the soft pastels.
  • Prismacolor NuPastel Color Set | purchase
  • Cretacolor Pastel Carré Hard Pastel Set | purchase
  • Sargent Art Square Chalk Pastels | purchase
  • Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils | purchase

Pastel Paper/Boards

I prefer to use specifically prepared cards/papers, which have toothy, gritty coatings on them and a heavy stock. These coatings will accept lots of pastel and reworking without plugging up or going slick. The heavy weight eliminates wrinkling and flapping in the wind. I suggest you purchase prepared papers/boards from any one of these companies:
  • Coloufix Paper | purchase
  • Wallis Sanded Pastel Paper | purchase
  • Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card Pads | purchase
  • Clairefontaine Pastelmat Card Pads | purchase
  • Richeson Gator Foam Premium Pastel Surfaces | purchase

Boards

You can buy Foamboard cut several inches larger than paper size to tape/mount the paper to.

Accessories

  • Nichiban Tape 2” wide | purchase | purchase
  • Fixative | purchase
  • Soft Vine Charcoal | purchase
  • Kneaded Eraser | purchase
  • Natural Chamois | purchase
  • Stomps, Tortillons, etc as required by your personal style | purchase
  • Knitting Needle or Straight Skewer | purchase
  • View-Finder | purchase
    (or make your own: Make two “L” shapes out of cardboard, about 7”- 8” on the leg and 1½” wide.
    Hold together with binder clips)
  • Binder Clips and/or Bankers Clasps to hold down the paper in the wind | purchase
  • A box of wipes to clean your fingers (or latex gloves if you use them) | purchase