Pastel for Beginners Workshop

Description

Pastels offer it all: rich color, direct mark making, control, a forgiving process for correcting, and immediate gratification! Christine Ivers, a master in the medium, leads you through the essentials, helping you discover what pastels can do for your work. Through a variety of exercises and demonstrations, you will be encouraged to find what works best for you. Be warned, you just might become addicted to pastels!

The workshop starts with an explanation of what to look for in materials. Then, you’ll get a feel for how pastels work through a painting of a simple still life. Next, Chris paints a scene of a summer vineyard road, demonstrating tools for working with color and light. In the third session, Chris does some experimenting on her own, comparing the effects of three different underpainting techniques. The workshop concludes with another landscape demonstrating techniques for adding details and finishing a painting.

In this workshop, you’ll learn:

• The difference between soft, medium and hard pastels, what to look for and when to use them.
• What to look for in the various surfaces available to pastel artists.
• Best practices for working with the medium.
• Ways to approach various underpainting techniques.
• Tricks of the trade from a professional artist.
• How to protect your work when you are done.

Student Testimonials:

I love Chris’s relaxed style and the encouragement she gives her students. I learned a great deal from this short workshop and was sorry when it came to an end. However, there was more than enough information to keep me busy for months trying to truly absorb and practice all that was presented. Thanks, Chris. I look forward to your drawing class as well. ~ Jane P.

Chris Ivers is a gifted artist and teacher. She presents her material well, in an easygoing manner, which put me at ease as I put pastel to paper. I thoroughly enjoyed her class!Stephen M.

The workshop exceeded my expectations. Your system and process work wonderfully. Chris Ivers is an excellent teacher – her content is valuable, with lots of super tips as well as providing a logical progression of knowledge in a clear manner. She is a great teacher! The only downside for me is that she doesn’t have another pastel workshop available yet! I am going to take her drawing workshop in the new year (timing of the fall ones doesn’t work for me). ~ Jo D.

Skill Level

Beginning artists are encouraged to participate in this workshop.

Format

This workshop is offered “On Demand” and has no instructor attached to provide feedback on assignments or participate in discussion. You will have access to discussion boards and gallery, where you can share work and ideas with other students in the community. Come join the fun!