Illustration in Oil Pastel

This is a paid class that requires registration. Sign up here.

Come create paintings with a medium that uses elements of both drawing and painting--oil pastels!

Oil pastels are wonderful for capturing a scene in a more impressionistic way. In this workshop, students will learn about value and color, as well as ideas like temperature of light and temperature of shadow. We will review how oil pastels work, including fundamental techniques like layering, mixing, and scumbling. Students will also learn how to blend the oil pastels. We will go over the differences in creating an image that is entirely in the same color family using analogous colors, how complementary colors can be used to great effect in a piece, and how the principles of color theory can help bring together all the elements of a finished oil pastel illustration.

There will be demonstrations during class and the option to draw either a full still life, a full repetitive pattern illustration, or focus on a single flower or fruit in your own drawing. You will be experimenting and having fun with the medium, learning how to use it, and coming away with one or more finished pieces.

All materials are provided, but if you have an object from home you'd like to draw in the workshop, you're welcome to bring it in. This class is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Donna Letterese (she/her) is a Cartoonist and Illustrator who loves color and the feeling of "painting by drawing" using oil pastels! They are a wonderful medium for being expressive and free while still capturing the color and form of flowers, objects, and the world around us.