Alcohol and water are used by many artists, called wet pastel techniques, to start paintings. Pastelist Avon Waters demonstrates three ways to begin a pastel paintings, using alcohol in two of the ways and water in the third way. There are many ways to begin a pastel painting and many ways to use wet media in pastels, normally considered a dry media. There are also many ways to use wet materials or wet pastel techniques that are not just in the beginning of a painting but during a pastel painting. This video doesn't address those methods, but instead focus on the way beginning artists can use alcohol and water to start pastels. Avon Waters also says artists can use different kinds of alcohol, such as Everclear, Vodka, or denatured alcohol. Here he uses rubbing alcohol to start the pastel painting. By using alcohol beginners can quickly fill in the paper with values and color rather than blending with only dry pastels. Wet alcohol washes and water washes fill in the blank paper faster than just applying dry media and blending it into the nooks and crannies of the tooth of the pastel paper.
Art releieves the stress of our daily lives and work, and getting started in pastels, painting in pastels, and painting landscapes or any other genre, doesn’t have to be stressful or cause you pain. Art should bring your happiness and the early episodes of videos by Avon Waters on how to get started in art using pastel and pastel painting help you toward the goal of learning art, and living a happy life. Happiness through art is the ultimate goal of videos by nationally recognized pastel artist Avon Waters.

INDEX by Subject of Longform Videos by Avon Waters
Episode 1: What pastel is right for you…soft vs hard pastel
Episode 2: Introduction to Mixing pastels, how to extend the number of colors you have
Episode 3: Introduction to color wheels and basics, beginning color theory
Episode 4: Absolute Best Pastel Paper, or, what paper might be right for your style of painting
Episode 5: Part 1, How to select the right picture for your first pastel, how to copy others to succeed
Episode 6: Part 2 of copying to learn to make art, blocking in color and large shapes by copying other artists
Episode 7: Three Ways to Start a pastel using Alcohol and Water