Behind the scenes - Meet PanPastel

Hello and welcome to the first episode of Behind the Scenes - Meet the Manufacturers!

I'm very excited about this new series and I'm thrilled to present to you the first manufacturer today...

We are talking to Bernadette Ward from:

Only this last year I discovered their products and I instantly fell in love with them!   

PanPastel!

If you have ever worked with PanPastels you know what I am talking about, if you haven't... boy oh boy, you really missed out! So sit back, enjoy reading the interview and don't forget to take your chance of winning today's awesome give-away!

Thank you so much Bernadette for participating and for the wonderful give-away!

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Bernadette Ward, I'm the Co-founder/Owner of Colorfin LLC. We are a small business so my responsibilities cover many areas…although my primary focus is anything on the commercial side of the business and especially related to sales/marketing.

I love to travel, which is lucky as I travel quite a lot for work. Creatively, while I get to work with PanPastel all the time in many ways and never get tired of experimenting and creating with it, I also love to paint in other media and am currently experimenting with encaustics which I discovered through using them with PanPastel Colors. I also love to knit.

By who and when was your company founded?

I founded the company with my husband, Ladd Forsline, 7 years ago. We had been developing our new ranges (PanPastel & Sofft) for a few years by then and set up a manufacturing facility to make the colors. We are based in a small rural town in Eastern Pennsylvania, close to the Appalachian trail, but not far from the cities of New York and Philadelphia. A great location.

I have been involved in the art materials industry since 1988, on the product management/sales & marketing side of things. Ladd is a trained artist, his background includes sculpture and ceramics, so he really understands materials. He had also previously developed two other significant new products for artists: OilBar® and ColourShaper®.

What are the kind of products PanPastel develops and how are they being produced?

We develop and manufacture a unique range of artist’s colors called PanPastel®, alongside a new range of applicators for art & craft called Sofft®.

We developed our products for fine artists, and they are now being used with impressive results by mixed media artists. Mixed media is a very experimental area with no limits so PanPastel works great for so many techniques with almost any other medium.

PanPastel Colors are artist’s pastel colors manufactured in a pan (cake-like) format instead of a stick. The pan format is unique and holds the color like paint; making PanPastel the world’s first dry color medium that functions like a paint. Sofft Tools are tools and applicators made from a specially formulated micro-pore sponge, to be used with PanPastel and with any water-based media.

PanPastel had never existed before we created it we had to develop everything from scratch including manufacturing equipment. We have a small team that helps us in production. 

How are new products developed?

Ladd & I develop everything ourselves. It is a very organic process that starts in the studio.

We work together on everything 100% but we each have our own strengths (as explained previously). It is a really good combination of skills with just enough overlap to make it work.

It’s hard to describe our process, it comes from a deep understanding of materials, how artists work and what the trade customers need also. It’s one thing to come up with an idea for a cool product, but it's a whole other thing to work out the best way to make it, and then make sure it works through the distribution chain to the retail store and eventually to the artist.  

We are not interested in re-inventing the wheel.  We  also do not want to replace existing materials, our aim is to enhance the process of making art by offering completely new materials to artists that will help stimulate artistic expression and solve problems for the artist.

We are really enjoying seeing how mixed media artists are using PanPastel. We recently launched some new kits including new mixed media kits (with Donna Downey) these are shown here. 

Where can we find you?

Website: www.panpastel.com

Blog: www.paintdrawblend.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PanPastelColors

Twitter: http://twitter.com/panpastel

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/panpastel/

Our YouTube page has a good selection of videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PanPastel

Like this one about Color Mixing Techniques:

Or this one on Paint Backgrounds and Color Washes with PanPastel:

 

And here is today's give-away:

Wow, who would not want to win such an awesome set of colors!

Now, what do you have to do to be able to win?

First visit PanPastel's website and/or You Tube Page, then come back here and tell me what your favorite product and or video is and why. Comments close on Thursday, January 10 at midnight (GMT+1). The winner will be announced in the next Behind the Scenes on Friday, January 11.

Next week's manufacturer is Scrapbook Adhesives^TM by 3L! Don't miss it! :)

Thank you for stopping by today!

Comments

[marsha.]

:-)

[Vicky]

I also fell in love with the PanPastels last year! I mainly like to work with greens and blues, and my favourite Sofft tool is the round angle sponge, so cool to colour big surfaces with it!

[Miranda]

I also fell in love with this product and I like to work with all the products but the round angle big sponge is my favorite! Like the video of the Mixed Media technique, because I would like to explore that area more.

[Diane Bosscher]

Hi! Love this manufacturer's idea! I never used panpastels before, so I'm glad with this opportunity to win some. I like the Donna Downey Mixed Media I kit. The colors are wonderful and make me happy.
Bye, Diane Bosscher-Struik

[Dana van den Bosch]

Love the colours of Exploring Mixed Media1 With Donna Downey. It will be a great experience to make a project with it.

[Judith Liefting]

Last october i got theoppurtunity to work with pan pastel at a workshop. It was love at first side! Now a days i have a small collection pan pastel and their is so much to learn! Love the Donna Downey video's on youtube, they are a great inspiration! Just now, on the panpastel site, i saw the new kits, exploring mixed media 1 video from Donna. After i post this letter, i'm go na try it out, because it looks amazing! I'm inspired!

[Danielle]

Thanks for this post. I just started using Pan Pastels a few weeks ago and I am absolutely in love with them!! I love all the information that was included in this post!

[Herma]

I love pan pastels and mostly I work with the big oval sofft sponge.
My favorite video is "Stormy Landscape Painting w/PanPastel"

[Riikka]

I think those Mixed Media kits are an awesome idea! I have many times held these in my hand at the local art supply store, but still have resisted their tempting call :D

Thank you Birgit for this awesome series!

[Anneke]

Hai Birgit, what a great opportunity to win a set of pan pastels. I really would like to work with it. And I would like to explore the various difference that it can be worked with. I love to work with paint and spray and this would be nice variation.

The product i like the most is difficult to say because i can't choose. but "Highlights - Donna Downey kit video tutorials" is
definitive my favorite video. I like the way of working. A beautiful result with less material. Love it.

Groetjes Anneke Delhaas

[Amy]

Crazy in love with PanPastel myself, I love the intensity of the colours and the way you can do so many things with them. I love shading with them also but I was so excited to watch the "Add clouds to underpainting" video! Awesome!!!

[Irit]

This is a company I like and don't have any... Just waiting to the right moments to get some cash and to buy some, unless I am lucky here...LOL

[CathyYP]

Discovered Pan Pastels last year via Donna Downey. I LOVE them..I only have a few colors and would like to add to my collection. thank you for the opportunity to win this!!

[AnnetteD]

As yet I do not have any but know about pan pastels from donna downey and my local acrapbook store. Thank you for the opportunity to jump start a collection.

[Saara W]

I'm in love with mixed media and watching you tube's Exploring Mixed Media 1 with Donna Downey made my fingers even more itchy! Those Pan Pastels look like a lot of fun and great opportunities! I'm from Finland and haven't heard about Pan Pastels before. Have to take a closer look where to find them. Thank's for the great idea!

[Jennie Outterson]

Never have had the opportunity to play with them but been watching videos. I love the vibrant colors. Would love to have a set.

[Jocelyn]

Oh how exciting....I just started using pan pastels via Donna Downey!!! I did a class with her in December and the vibrant colors are amazing!!!! Wow the add clouds to underpainting was awesome...I just want to sit and watch every single video!!!! Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!!! Pick me please!!!!

[Peg]

What a fantastic product!
Deborah Secor's video is wonderful, I love how she makes it looks so easy that even I could happily play with PanPastels.

[Brigitta]

I've never worked with panpastels yet, but after having seen the short Donna Downey video's I would love to give this a try, the kits are absolutely gorgeous!

[Renee Fletcher]

I absolutely love working with Pan Pastels. I enjoyed seeing how well the colors blended without contaminating other in the videos.

[Tanya P.]

I have not tried these yet! I love the Exploring Mixed Media with Donna Downey ones!

[Jan B]

Well, of COURSE my favorite is the 80-color set. A girl can dream, can't she? I love all the videos - they're so fun to watch and so inspiring! Thanks for all the great info - and for the chance to win that beautiful color set.

[Hillie]

I;m very curious to Pan Pastel!! Hope to get a change to work with it!!

[Tricia]

I have never used this product but just watched Donna Downey and I'm ready to try them!

[Renee]

I like pan pastels kits because you get several colors to work with. I would love the chance to win!

[Jane]

I have a couple of colors of pan pastels and love them. So fun to work with. I enjoyed the video of the artist painting the cloudy sky along with her instructions. So interesting. Love the series you are doing and can't wait for the rest! Jane s

[Marie-Anne Raeman]

i liked the basic video's the best because i don't know much about panpastel...

[Romy]

Wat leuk om te zien wie er achter dit merk zitten! Ik heb zelf nog nooit met Pan Pastel gewerkt, maar zie wel vaak mooie creaties voorbij komen. De grote sets zijn mijn favorieten, omdat je dan een ruime keuze aan kleuren hebt. Uit de video's kan ik niet echt een favoriet kiezen. Ik vind ze er allemaal heel indrukwekkend uitzien :)

[Nicole Maki]

I have a few colors of Pan Pastel that I bought after taking a class from Donna Downey.

My favorite products are the ones that come with Donna's videos as that helps you get using them right away. In fact, I'm a little bummed as I bought my color set before they came with videos.

They are an amazing supply. Thanks for the chance to win.

[Wiebine]

Wat geweldig om te zien wat je allemaal met Pan Pastels kunt doen, het mixen van de kleuren is ook geweldig zeg, en dan met een gummetje wat weggummen. Lijkt me super leuk om eens lekker mee te spelen,
groetjes,
Wiebine

[Nurse Ratchet]

I really learned from the mixing video. I have had a starter set for almost a year but have not really used it except for a workshop with Nathalie Kalbach. I think my problem has been that I do not have the correct tools to apply the PanPastel and need to investigate further which I should purchase....thanks you for the inspiration.

[Gerrina]

Mijn fovoriete video is die over de soft tools en mijn faviriete produkt is de kleur wit, omdat je daarmee van een kleur zoveel andere tonen van die kleur kunt maken.

[Margaret]

I love them all! All those fabulous colors! Who could choose just one!

[Ulyth]

Favourite product: the tools Sofft to be used with Pan Pastel. I use these and am completely in love with them!
Thanks for the chance to win Birgit!

[Jaime Dittman]

oh my goodness. lovely product. I really like how versitile it is and how it is such a rich true pigment after application. I shared the link with my sister, and my creative group. Thanks again for the opportunity to learn about this product and to win it!

[Marjolijn Stas]

I love mixed media and so the videos with Donna Downey are my favorites, Love the bright colours.

[Marjolijn Eisenga]

Wat een mooi item, “PANPASTELS” Ik ga zeker proberen om er mee te werken.
Ik heb al een idee in mijn hoofd, ik wil een drieluik gaan maken boven mijn bank.

[Christina Aiton]

I am inspired by the wide range of colors and how they blend - I have been wishing for some Pan Pastels for quite a while so thank you for the opportunity to win.

[Lisette]

I also discovered pan pastels last year and I loooove them. I bought a small set to start with but I definitely want more for my mixed media and colored pencil art. I love this product the most: Portrait 30203. It 's not visible at their website but just the bos of this set is gorgeous; that artwork! I think think this is the best selection of colors :)

[Lisette]

Oops, I meant the BOX is gorgeous ;)

[Kathleen Ramsay]

I discovered PanPastels less than a year ago. I love how you can play with the nuances of the shades, intensity of the colours and how well they can be blended.
it is a fabulous product! I only wish I had more!!!

[Barbara L]

I have been using Pan Pastels for some time. I like both of Donna Downey's videos because she does things that are most useful for my own style.

[Lorraine aka grannypoppy]

I was introduced to Pan Pastels by Donna Downey and have taken two of her online workshops, using them. They are sooooo wonderful! My favourite product ... the kind you DREAM about ... is the 80 colour set! Can you imagine :) Just looking at them makes me happy!

[Sharon Ling]

Hi there!
I have longed to buy some Pan Pastels but to date haven't yet. I love the vibrant colours and the amazing work I have seen all over the internet that has been done using them. My favourite product would have to be the 80 colour set (80 Color Set 30800) because I couldn't just choose one group of colours. I'm an all or nothing kinda girl!
Cheers
Sharon Ling

[Anette]

Wow what a awesome projects and artist on You tube! Beautiful projects and paintings!!! I love Donna Downey the best. Love her work and Pan pastel projects. Would love to win some. I never used Pan pastel before but i know them because of Birgit her beautiful projects. I would love to work with it. What beautiful deep colors! Thank you for this opportunity to win some.

[Moira OReilly]

I seem to be seeing Pan Pastels everywhere lately :) but have not had the chance to try them out yet. I watched the introduction video on their channel (and naturally subscribed) and wow ... what a cool medium. Thanks for letting me get to know them a bit more. Can't wait to get my hands on some of the product and try it out

[Jan Hennings]

I took a class with Donna Downey when she was in Iowa. The class wasn't related to Pan Pastels but she took time to briefly introduce us to Pan Pastels. Although I don't own any, I loved how they were so easy to work with and glide with such ease :)

[Kathie Barrus]

I love the youtube video Cloudly landscape painting with panpastel. It was amazing to see how she created it using pastels. Gorgeous! I have also used them with Donna Disney in a workshop and love them. I don't have a lot of Colorado yet but I am getting there:) I am mainly using them for backgrounds but as I get comfortable with them will use them on bigger pieces.

[Melissa Brauen]

The YouTube Video 'Portrait Painting Techniques'. My first foray into artwork was a box of rather hard chalky pastels and I started portrait study right away - I spent a lot of time grinding to use them for softer looks, using my fingers to blend. I moved away from that type of work until I discovered Pan Pastels and your videos. I like this one best because it inspires me to return to portraiture and it shows great techniques and how to use your tools. And I LOVE this product - I use it for mixed media and paper crafts as well.

[Gini Cagle]

I would love to try Pan Pastels! My favorite colors were in the Extra Dark Shades 30207 - so yummy!