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Let’s Get Started with Pastels!
September 25 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Curious about pastels but not sure where to begin? This beginner-friendly workshop breaks pastel painting into simple, structured steps — from choosing your reference photo all the way through to a finished, framed piece to take home.
Instructor: Jacqueline Fegan (jfegan49@gmail.com)
Skill Level: Beginner
Cost: $45
Date: Friday, Sept 25, from 1:00–4:00pm
This workshop introduces students to pastels — helping them learn the differences between hard, oil, and soft pastels and how to use each effectively. We’ll follow a structured process that starts with identifying shapes and values in sample reference photos. Then we will practice creating small thumbnail sketches using shapes and values to simplify what we see. These thumbnail sketches help define your composition — horizontal or vertical, whole photo or subsection — before color ever enters the picture.
From there, we’ll explore color by creating several studies based on your final thumbnail sketch: a single-color (monotone) study, two contrasting colors, two complementing colors, and the local colors you see in your own reference photo. Together, your thumbnail sketch and color studies become the roadmap for your final painting.
The last step is creating your masterpiece — applying soft pastels to one of your color studies, adding depth, detail, and highlights. Your finished painting will be matted and placed in a protective sleeve for you to take home.
What You’ll Learn:
- The different types of pastels and how to use them
- Types of paper suited to pastel work
- How to identify shapes in pictures
- How to identify values in paintings
- What a thumbnail sketch is, and how to use shapes and values in one
- What a color study is, and how to use it to explore color options
- How to layer and blend pastels
- Why scaling matters
- How to protect a finished pastel painting
- The value of following a process from sketch to finished piece
What to Bring:
An apron or old shirt, and a picture or photo that interests you (magazine clippings work great too!).
All other materials provided, including papers and pastels, pencils for in-class use, and matting, backing, and a protective sleeve for your finished piece.
Location:
Railroad Street Artworks
3 Railroad Street, Suite G
Fairport, NY 14450
Jacqueline Fegan is a Fairport-area pastel artist who loves helping others discover the medium. Knowing firsthand how daunting all the pastel and paper options can feel, she built a step-by-step process that makes that first step approachable — helping students build confidence and leave with a finished piece of their own. See more of her work at jfeganartworks.com.
