Picking an art class sounds simple—until you’re staring at options that feel more like personality tests. One promises a soothing escape with chalky colors and slow builds. The other lures you in with wild splashes, no take-backs, and zero patience for second guesses. Welcome to the pastel versus ink art dilemma thetingology.com/class.
Pastels are like the friend who brings you soup when you’re sick. Soft edges. No pressure. They don’t expect brilliance. Just effort. You hold one and it feels like recess all over again—except the colors are richer and you’ve got better motor skills now. It’s art therapy disguised as a workshop. You build shapes gradually. Smudge a bit. Layer it again. Forgot to blend that edge? No problem. Just go over it. It’s forgiving and earthy. At the end, you’re left with something tangible and comforting. Plus dusty fingers. Lots of dusty fingers.
Now swing to the other extreme—ink art, especially the liquidy, unpredictable kind. This one doesn’t wait for you. You pour. It spreads. You tilt. It rebels. It’s like painting with a caffeinated octopus. No outlines. No second chances. You learn quickly that control is optional and often ignored. It’s fast, dramatic, and thrilling. You’ll mess up. You’ll also make something that looks like a galaxy sneezed on your canvas—and somehow that’s a win.
And yes, you will stain things. Your hands. The table. Maybe your jeans if you lean in too far. But for every drip that goes rogue, there’s also that one swirl you didn’t mean to make that ends up being the star of the whole piece.
So what’s the better choice? Well, ask yourself this: after a week of nonstop stress, do you want to blend your way into a tranquil peach sunset, or would you rather fling pigment around like a rebel chemist and see what the universe delivers?
Pastel folks tend to love the repetition and the quiet triumph of seeing a scene come together. Ink people chase surprise and embrace the weird magic of not knowing what’s next. It’s not about skill. It’s about mood. Some days you crave order. Other days you want art that talks back.
Either way, there’s no wrong answer. Take a class. Take two. Let your brain breathe a little. You might discover you’re not just a pastel person or an ink person—you’re both, depending on the day, the weather, or how much coffee you had. Just pick up the tool, make a mark, and see what happens.