You do not have to figure this out alone.
Most instructors show you what they are doing. I explain the why.
When you understand the why something shifts. You stop second guessing and start trusting yourself. And that stays with you in every piece you make from here.
I have a way of breaking things down that meets you wherever you are. Not talking above your head. Not assuming you already know. Just clear, honest teaching that makes this medium feel like something you can do.
I’m so glad you are here.
I'm Dawn Vander Stoep. I paint and I teach soft pastels, and after eight years with this medium I am still as in love with it as the day I picked it up.
I came to PanPastel after decades in other creative work. And when I finally tried it something happened that had never happened with anything else. I never wanted to stop.
Teaching found me through a friend who saw something in me before I saw it in myself. She encouraged me to share what I knew and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. This is my calling. I genuinely love being able to break this medium down in a way that feels approachable, and what makes my teaching different is that I don't just show you what I am doing. I explain the why behind every decision. And again and again I hear from people that it clicks for them in a way it never has before.
In 2025 I was invited to spend two weeks at the Golden Foundation for a special PanPastel residency. I got to go behind the scenes, tour the facility where PanPastel is made, meet the teams, and be welcomed into an experience most artists never get access to. It felt like being invited into a family. I am still processing how much it meant.
This medium is magic. I love sharing it with you.
This is where it starts.
Over 80+ lessons waiting for you from the moment you join. New lessons every month. Line art included so you can focus on painting without the pressure of drawing.
And me, walking alongside you, explaining the why behind every decision.
I have been waiting for you.