🎨 How to Create Stunning Art with PanPastels Using the Reverse Drawing Technique

PanPastels are incredibly versatile—and one of the most magical techniques you can try is reverse drawing. This subtractive method involves laying down rich pastel pigment first, then lifting it away with a kneaded eraser or stencil tool to reveal highlights and intricate designs.

Whether you're working on landscapes, abstract designs, or nature-inspired sketches, this technique creates glowing, ethereal effects that look like soft, colorful versions of charcoal drawings.

✏️ What is Reverse Drawing with PanPastels?

Reverse drawing flips the traditional process on its head. Instead of drawing lines with a pencil or brush, you remove pastel from a surface that’s already been covered with pigment.

Here’s how it works:

1. Apply a heavy layer of PanPastel across your paper with a sponge or soft tool.

2. Use a kneaded eraser, stencil eraser, or edge tool to "draw" by lifting pigment.

3. Add details or clean edges by shaping your eraser or using fine-tipped tools.

🧡 Why This Technique Is So Fun

• Highly intuitive: You're sculpting with light.

• Instant contrast: The erased areas pop out dramatically.

• Soft & dreamy look: Perfect for trees, figures, and glowing objects.

• Great for mixed media: Works well over ink or watercolor washes too.

🔧 Pro Tips for Best Results

• Use textured pastel paper for better grip and clean erasing.

• Eraser control: Shape your kneaded eraser into points for detail.

✨ Try These Project Ideas

• A glowing butterfly on a warm background

  

• Abstract swirls and stars in a night sky

  

• Skeleton leaves or winter trees

  

• Silhouetted animals or birds (great on black or other dark papers)

  

• Wintry Landscape

  

🛍️ What You’ll Need

• PanPastels in your favorite shades

• Sofft tools or soft sponges

• Kneaded eraser or stencil eraser

• Pastel paper or heavy mixed media paper

🖋️ Final Thoughts: The Magic of Reverse Drawing with PanPastels

Reverse drawing with PanPastels is more than just a technique—it’s a creative shift in how you think about mark-making. By removing color instead of applying it, you reveal luminous highlights, ghostly silhouettes, and dramatic contrasts that are hard to achieve any other way.

It's tactile, meditative, and playful—perfect for loosening up your art practice or adding something new to your sketchbook routine. Whether you’re a seasoned pastel artist or a total beginner, this method invites happy accidents and unexpected beauty.

So go ahead—load up that sponge, shape your eraser, and draw with light.