Everyone makes these mistakes. Change the ways you normally do things. Color your dance. When you stroke, don’t shout, whisper. Like a well-kept secret, take care of your art. That’s how The Tingology magic of Harmony pastels works.

The first mistake is using pastels like paints or pencils.

I guess you wouldn’t use a spoon to cut a steak. Harmony crayons need a different way of being used. A lot of new users press and drag like they’re using a colored pencil. As a result? Smudged mistakes and sighs of frustration. When you use a pastel, be soft. Let the stick glide over the paper. Don’t think of bear hugs, but butterfly kisses. Layer slowly instead of pushing hard. Feels light. Add color. Take a lot of steps back. Close your eyes. Your work no longer feels dull or overdone; it feels alive. Your friends will be amazed at the magic you’ve used. Truth? It’s better to have less.

Sticking to “safe” color combinations is mistake number two.

Old hands in color theory still have bad dreams about it. If you only use baby blue, dusty pink, and pale lemon because they “go together,” the end result will be dull. That safe way? It doesn’t thrill very often. The soft explosions in harmony colors will surprise you. Put a splash of rusty orange next to misty blue and see what happens. Put on a shadow in the color lavender. At first, this confidence might make you jump, but it pays off. Do you remember the first time you seasoned pineapple with salt? The same rush. Sometimes you need to shut down your brain and trust your eyes.

Mistake #3: Not thinking about fixatives and paper options

It’s crazy how often people forget to do this. They say, “I’ll just frame it, it’ll be fine,” and then they watch their work fall to the ground. Not the fun kind of missing either. It’s more important than you think to have the right surface. Sanded paper takes color very well. When you smudge regular drawing paper by mistake, you have to swear under your breath. Also, be careful when you use fixatives. Too much and the colors fade. If you use too little, they will smear. First, test on scraps. It’s like night and day.