The holidays are always a fitting time for taking pause to note the accomplishments of the year, but this time we find ourselves taking a slightly longer view: The magazine celebrated it’s 10th anniversary this year, an occasion we’ve celebrated in all six of our issues for 2009. We wanted to take this moment to thank all of you for making the life of the magazine possible and invite you to share the next 10 years of the journey with us. We couldn’t do it without you.

With love and appreciation,

The Staff of The Pastel Journal
Editor, Anne Hevener (center)
Senior Art Director, Cindy Rider (not pictured)
Features Editor, Sarah A. Strickley (right)
Managing Editor, Jessica Canterbury (left)

You may need to supply your own silver bells and blinking lights, but shopping online does make it easy to bring home your holiday treasures without a lot of hassle. The editing elves in the F+W Fine Art Group released all kinds of great new products in 2009, all available in the NorthLightShop. This year, The Pastel Journal elves decided we’d make ourselves pick one 2009 item that we think you won’t want to miss:

ANNE: Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing Light and Shadow
Although there were no all-pastel books released in 2009, North Light Books came out with many titles that artists of every persuasion can appreciate. One such book is Strokes of Genius 2. This is the second volume in a series that celebrates the beauty and diversity of drawing. The collection of 140 drawings—some studio works and others straight off the sketchpad—are done in a variety of media, including pencil, charcoal, ink and yes, pastel. In fact, it is a fabulous black and white pastel by  Donna Levinstone that graces the book’s cover. Because the book is a collection of work from 100+ artists, every page provides a glimpse into a new artistic style and creative vision—a perfect jolt of inspiration! (sale price, $21.77)

SARAH: Eight Greats: The Pastel Journal's 10th Anniversary Artist Interview Series Digital Download
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m hopelessly drawn to Top 10 lists. They help me to assuage the sense that I’m always missing something I should have seen, but didn’t. If you’re similarly drawn to “best of” collections, our Eight Greats download is the perfect PJ treat for you. It’s a chance to talk a walk down memory lane with eight of the amazing artists the magazine had the pleasure of featuring this year—and a chance to savor some simply stunning pastels. Clicking through the pages of insights shared by the artists (three of the eight—Jimmy Wright, Fred Somers and Brennie Brackett—were my interviewees!) is fun and easy. Plus, I get that swell of pride that always happens when I see the good work our team is doing.

JESSICA: The Pastel Journal 10th Anniversary Collection: 10 Top Interviews Digital Download
"I think people are aware, more than ever, of their growing need for harmony with their environment, and I am convinced that landscape artists today who share their sensitive perceptions of the natural world also have the power to speak to the yearnings of others through their work." —Elizabeth Mowry, The Pastel Journal, April 1999. In celebration of The Pastel Journal's 10th Anniversary, we dove into our extensive archives—61 issues, 2,156 pastel paintings and 4,802 pages!—in search of our top 10 interviews. Our first specialty digital download, which debuted in March, includes tips and inspiration from acclaimed pastelists Elizabeth Mowry, Albert Handell, Judith Carducci, Wolf Kahn, Daniel E. Greene, Dino Paravano, Harvey Dinnerstein, Sheldon Berkowitz, Peter Seltzer and Chin-Cheng Hung, making the collection a pastel classic.

CINDY: The Pastel Journal 2008 Archive on CD
These annual CD archives are the perfect solution for saving studio/office space—and a little sanity. My favorite feature is the searchable index, which comes in especially handy when I want to locate a particular article but am unsure when it was published. Don't get rid of your print editions, though; just box or bind them and keep the digital versions right on your desktop for easy access. The 2008 archive is a year’s worth of issues and includes nearly 500 pages of information, instruction and inspiration (on ehanced PDFs). It's a great way to revisit your favorite artist profiles and re-acquaint yourself with painting techniques.

Of course, if you are not currently a subscriber (or have someone on your gift list who could use a subscription), our No. 1 Pick from the NorthLightShop is a subscription to The Pastel Journal—the best way to make sure you get every copy of the world’s ultimate resource for pastel artists. Available on the shop for $32 (with Canadian and international options as well).

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North Light’s veteran drawing and acrylic painting instructor’s latest beginner-friendly guide Paint Landscapes in Acrylic with Lee Hammond hits shelves later this month. Lee shows you how to use a handful of colors, a simple three-step approach, and the friendly medium of acrylic to create charming landscapes throughout the seasons. Practice this simple three-step tree and see for yourself how easy it is to replicate nature in acrylic.

1 Trunks and Limbs
With a no. 2 liner and Ivory Black that has been thinned down with a little water, pull up the strokes for the trunk and limbs as shown.










2 Foliage
With a no. 2 round bristle, lightly dab the black into the tree to start the look of foliage. Use your paint thicker for this application.











3 Hint of Color and Shadow Below
Mix a blue-green for the tree’s hint of color. Add a small amount of Prussian Blue into some white, then add a small amount of Cadmium Yellow Medium. Using the same no. 2 round bristle, lightly dab this color on top of the black already applied. If it gets too heavy, simply add some more black mixture into it to open it up. Create a very light tint of the blue-green color by adding more white, and apply a small amount on the tips of the branches for a soft look. Add the shadow underneath for a realistic look.