(Please Scroll down the page for more info about the lesson and the materials you will need)

*Unless booking on the day of the lesson, you will receive the zoom link and the image we’ll be drawing on the day before the lesson (PLEASE CHECK JUNK MAIL IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE THE EMAIL)

Online Pastel Drawing Lessons - Tuesdays, 6.30-8.30pm, £12

• All levels are welcome, from beginners to the more advanced

• Learn the fundamentals of drawing from observation

• Discover a range of techniques to help you achieve different effects

• Challenge yourself by drawing a different subject each week

Subjects include: Portraits, Human Figure, Landscapes, Still Life, Skyscapes, Urban Scenes

Learn how to get the most out of your soft pastels in these fun and relaxed drawing sessions. With step by step instructions, explore a wide range of techniques and discover how to control this wonderful, colour rich medium. You will also gain insight into the various types of pastels and related materials available to you including the best types of paper to choose.

I will be drawing along with you, so you can see how I apply the pastels as I talk through the process. During the lesson I will also offer feedback on your work and you can ask as many questions as you like. You don’t need to complete your work in the space of 2 hours! Have fun, learn about the process, allow yourself to make mistakes and you will improve naturally over time.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED:

Soft Pastels: If you already have a set of pastels, just use those! There are many brands to choose from, for example:

Professional: Sennelier, Unison, Rembrandt, Schmincke, Conte

Student: Inscribe, Jaxell

The list goes on! You can get great results with any of these brands. The professional ranges certainly contain more pigment and therefore the colours are more vibrant, although they are more expensive.

During the lessons I will mainly be using a mix of the Inscribe and Jaxell soft pastels.

Paper: Roughly A4 or A3 in size. The type of paper you use plays a huge part in the overall look of your drawing. Paper with more tooth will hold the pastel better allowing for more layering. Paper with more texture will hold the pastel in a different way, revealing the pattern of the texture through to the surface of your work. It’s worth exploring different types of paper to see what you like. (I will discuss paper types in the lessons)

Options: Canson (Mi-tientes), Daler Rowney (Murano), Daler Rowney (Ingres), Clairefontaine (Pastelmat), Sennelier (Pastel Card)

Charcoal: Medium or thin sticks of willow or vine charcoal

Putty Rubber: Any brand (although I’d advise against Winsor&Newton’s as it’s a bit too soft)

You will also need a drawing board or something to rest your paper on, and some masking tape to tape the paper to the board.

Extra Materials (Optional): You may also like to try colour shapers for pastels which allow for more precision, and pastel pencils for more details.

LESSON SETUP:

I will be using Zoom for these sessions, so once you have booked a place and received your confirmation email, I will then send you an email with a link to the lesson (please allow a little extra time for this email, and check your junk mail if you don’t receive it). Unless you are booking on the day of the lesson, you will receive the link and portrait on the day before the lesson. All you will need to do is click the link when it's the date/time for the lesson to begin (6.30pm Tuesday) and you will be prompted to either “Open Zoom Meetings” or if you haven’t used Zoom before “download & run Zoom”.

In seconds you will be directed to the lesson! (Check image below)

You don't need to have a Zoom account.

You will however need a laptop/desktop computer (preferably with a webcam and mic).

Attached to the email there will be the image of the portrait we'll be drawing. You can either print this out and attach it to a drawing board next to your paper, or simply download it onto your computer and draw it from your laptop screen.

If drawing from your computer screen, you'll just need to split the screen (as seen above) so you can see both the portrait and the Zoom session. I will have one screen on my drawing board showing you everything I'm doing and talking through the process, and another screen for my face so I can also talk directly to you.

You are welcome to talk, ask questions and show your work through your webcam if you'd like extra help, although if you prefer to have your webcam off and just listen, that's fine too. There is also a chat window if you prefer to type your questions.