Magic of Pastels

NOTE: There will be no class the week of Thanksgiving, class session will end on December 11 (5 weeks)

Whether painting with soft pastels, or drawing with pastel pencils or charcoal, this class will allow you to explore techniques, styles, and creative approaches that will bring your visions to life on the paper before you.

You will work from your own source material such as a photo you took - printed or on a tablet (phone images are not encouraged). A still life, a landscape, that beach view you really want to get back to... it's all fair game. You decide your subject and we'll break it down into the composition and pieces to give it new meaning as you interpret it into your art.

Materials (please email cathmcilhenny@gmail.com with any questions or before purchasing materials for the class):

• Pastels, such as NuPAstel (hard), Rembrandt (medium, Schminke, Unison, and Sennelier (soft) are some examples. 

• Ebay is a good source of quality sets of the above pastels as well as Daler-Rowney and Grumbacher (discontinued but a good medium to soft stick.) Online sites include Dakota, Jackson's, Jerry's Artarama, and Blick Art Material. Be sure to buy "artist quality" rather than "student quality". Your finished work will thank you.

• Paper, such as sanded UArt 320 and Pastel Premier are the most forgiving. These are the papers I use most. As you become more comfortable with the medium, there are many other papers.

• Charcoal sticks and pencils if drawing.

• Pastel pencils, such as Faber-Castell, Stabilo, Derwent and others

• Charcoal paper from Strathmere or Canson M-Teintes for drawing using pastel pencils, and charcoal.