Happy Monday, folks! We have an explosive 4th of July inspired project today, and an introduction to drawing with pastels. You are going to need a set of chalk pastels, some black paper, and a reference photo of some fireworks. Google a good one, and meet me back here for instructions.

Now that you are ready, pick a color and make a smoky haze by lightly rubbing the side of the pastel in a circular pattern on the paper. This is a great time to map out your composition. Chalk pastels are highly pigmented, so they seem to glow against dark backgrounds.

Use your finger to rub the pastel into smoke.

Find the center of your circle, and work your way around it with short organic lines.

Choose another color, and draw more lines. Be aware of the direction you drew your original lines and try to match the angles.

Keep going and alternating colors and building lines until the explosion looks full. A little imperfection in the lines makes it look more realistic, so allow your lines to be different lengths.

Begin and build your other fireworks the same way.

Use lighter colors on top of darker colors to connect areas and create highlights.

It gets really fun when the lines start overlapping!

To finish, use your finger to smudge some of the ends of the lines as though you were continuing the lines. This will soften the edges and create areas of focus in your composition.

That's it! Happy Independence Day! We wish you all a safe and exciting 4th with your loved ones! Be sure to tag us @etsydallas #EDCreativityCamp, we would love to see!