How to Turn a Photo Into a Pastel Drawing
Pastel art has a rich history, dating back to the Renaissance when artists first began using pastel sticks to create vibrant and expressive works. The medium gained popularity in the 18th century, with renowned artists like Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt using oil pastels to capture the subtleties of motion, light, and shadow in their portraits and landscapes. Unlike other mediums, pastels offer a unique blend of intense color and soft, matte texture, allowing artists to achieve a dreamy and ethereal quality in their pieces.
Today, BeFunky brings the charm of pastel art into the digital age with our pastel-inspired Artsy effects. These effects mimic the rich colors and smooth blending of traditional pastels, allowing you to transform your photos into pastel-inspired masterpieces within just a few clicks! And for those wanting to capture the delicate lines and soft shading that go hand-in-hand with this medium, look no further than our popular Sketcher effects, which can also be found within the Artsy tab.
Want to learn how to turn your favorite photos into pastel drawings? Keep reading to find out!
How to Create a Pastel Sketch Using BeFunky
Ready to convert a photo into a pastel drawing online? Head directly to the Pastel category within our Photo Editor and open to the photo you wish to convert into a pastel drawing. Then, just follow the steps below!
Step 1: Select Your Pastel Art Effect
Click on each Pastel effect to sample how it looks on your image. You can adjust the strength of the effect using the corresponding slider. For our tutorial, we chose Pastel GFX. This effect utilizes generative AI to create stunning, hyper-realistic pastel drawings from any image.
Step 2: Customize It
Click the icon on the left-most side to open the Settings menu. Here, you can customize the hue and color blend. You can also choose to preserve the original colors of your photo. When you’ve finished making your adjustments, click Apply.
Step 3: Save Your New Pastel Artwork
When you’ve finished turning your photo into pastel art, select Save at the top of the screen and then choose the best destination for your new digital pastel drawing.
Digital Pastel Drawings, At Your Fingertips
With BeFunky’s Pastel effects, you can easily create beautiful images that pay homage to this dreamy medium while adding a modern twist.
Ready to see what pastel masterpieces you can create? Check out the Pastel effects for yourself to see what all of the fuss is about!
Photo to Pastel Drawing Inspiration: What Else Can You Create?
Our pastel-inspired effects add a soft and dreamy quality to your photos, making them perfect for a variety of subjects. Here are a few of our favorite ideas to get your creativity flowing!
Portraits
Want to echo the classic portraits of artists like Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt? Whether it’s a candid shot or a posed portrait, the pastel effects can soften features and blend colors to seamlessly create refined and elegant artwork. We also love how the Pastel effects really highlight the subtle nuances of expression and skin tone, making them the perfect choice for portrait photography.
Landscapes
The Pastel effects can make your landscapes look like they’re straight from a classic painting. Landscapes are transformed into serene, atmospheric scenes reminiscent of 18th-century pastel landscapes. The soft blending and rich colors of these effects are great at highlighting the beauty of sunsets, fields, and forests alike.
Still Life Images
Use the Pastel Artsy effects on photos of everyday objects to give them an artistic touch. The subtle textures and soft gradients will add depth and dimension to your compositions, making simple objects look elegant and refined. Whether you’re photographing a bouquet of flowers, a bowl of fresh fruit, or a vintage teapot, the pastel effect can transform your still life photography into beautiful works of art that capture the essence of classic pastel paintings.
