A pure-pigment medium, pastels have been used by painters for centuries for the powerful and evocative colour they can produce. Professional artist and experienced teacher Mark Leach uses pastel to translate beautiful landscapes into striking, minimalist paintings with simple form and strong blocks of colour, while still retaining a sense of location and place. His simple techniques demonstrate how to move away from realism and towards using abstract painting to express mood and feeling. The book includes:

Introduction: Beyond realism * Balancing the emotional and physical

Composing and Developing Images: Composing a non-realistic image * Feeling and passion * Light, form and texture * Seeing colour * The journey to abstraction

The Joy of Colour: Understanding the colour wheel * Colour moods * Colour palettes and mixes

Subjects to Paint: Still life * Landscapes * Figurative painting * Colour on water

The Art of Pastels: My studio * Pastels * Pure pigment * Composition * Sketching from life and landscape * Painting from sketchbooks and photographs * Light and tone * Mediums and supports for pastels * Pastel painting techniques