Techniques to learn and materials needed
Hello all, I dont have a background in art in any capacity other than a photography class I took in school. I wanted to give some form of physical art a try and landed on soft pastels. I watched a few "basics" YT videos but I'm so new to art that I wasn't even sure what is a "required" step vs someones preference. So to not overwhelm myself I picked up a few singles across different brands and a few different types of paper just to see how they all interact and to determine what I like and dislike.
Now I'm at the point where I want to actually practice real techniques before buying a set and trying to make something. But I don't really know where to start. I've read/seen things about "under painting" some use alcohol others just water. Is this something you do across all pieces or for certain applications? Or are there different strokes or ways of blending to master. I fully intend on following some kind of tutorial once I get going but i'd like to know why the artist is doing things in a certain way or if there are just generally understood methods regardless of the medium
Also what kind of pencil can I use for the sketching portion. Do I need a black pastel pencil? Or will a normal one do fine?