for more information or to register contact Art Lab
email - click here telephone - 902-254-2972
instructor - Diane Leifheit
course cost - $225
class size - 10
experience level - Novice (knowing a bit about drawing and sketching) to intermediate and beyond.
course description
This two day course will explore how pastel, the dry medium, will enhance your understanding of color, composition and design, and of course, the beautiful, flexible medium of pastel. Working from thumbnail sketches, each participant will be working to create pastel paintings that work compositionally to draw the viewer into the artist's world.
Diane will help all levels increase their abilities in color, composition, design and of course to have great fun with pastel.
NB-A working knowledge of drawing is very helpful. It is recommended that, in your sketchbook, you make a drawing a day for a month to warm up prior to class. If you're not used to drawing keep it simple and move to more complex forms only when you're ready for the challenge.
course details
Day 0ne: Diane will demonstrate from a still life set up in the morning. Each student will get a hands-on feel for the medium, starting with preliminary, thumbnail, three tone sketches. Diane will demonstrate how colors work with each other to create more color. Everyone dives into painting the still life in the afternoon.
Day Two- You will paint from preliminary drawings from actual plein air studies and supplement with photos of the same scene. Participants will paint from their own photos.
supplies to bring
A set of SOFT PASTEL STICKS as large as the student is able to acquire. (No Oil Pastels). REMBRANDT brand is a good set to start with and seems to be easiest to locate and less expensive than others. It must be emphasized that the more pastel sticks you have the better your results will be. Sets of less than 48 sticks will not be adequate.
I work with many different brands, my favorite is Girault but I also use almost every brand at some point, especially when I work in the studio. (It is an addiction to get more colors.)
NuPastel or Creta Color HARD PASTEL sets 48 to 96 are available
An assortment of PASTEL PENCILS. CARB-OTHELLO, CONTE, etc. A few light, middle and dark tones (not black or white). We will use these for drawing.
I have found that Ebay seems to be a good place to pick up boxes of pastels. Use “soft pastels” in your search or else you will get baby clothes! My favorite source is Dakotapastels.com Very good descriptions of all the brands and supplies.
Several of your favorite landscape photos for reference.
Several sheets of CANSON MI-TEINTES PASTEL PAPER in a middle value color (i.e. steel gray, felt gray, light blue, sand, etc.) Not black or white. You may bring other brands of pastel paper. Sizes from 6x8 to 12x16 (Available at Art Lab)
Two or more sheets of UART paper.
Glassine paper to protect work when traveling or storing
Bottle of isopropyl rubbing alcohol, a small container for the alcohol. A tuna fish can is perfect.
Several medium-size OLD bristle brushes.
BACKBOARDS on which to mount your pastel paper at the easel. Foam Core, Masonite, plywood, etc. (1/8” to 1/4”). Cardboard will not be sturdy enough. Cut it slightly larger as the size of paper you intend to work on. Foam core is my go to.
Masking tape, not blue painters tape. Or Artists white paper tape if available
A kneaded eraser, a single-edged razor blade, a roll of paper towels or old clean rag tee shirt material, a package of baby wipes to clean your hands.
A portable EASEL that tilts forward. Table easels are okay, but a floor easel at which you can stand and move freely yields better results especially if you become interested in painting outdoors.
A BIG SMILE! We will be reaching outside of our comfort zone to learn new things. We will be practicing and experimenting; there will be NO emphasis on making “framable” artworks, so leave that pressure behind. Students who desire a serious critique, with suggestions for improvement, may bring a few completed pieces, or works in progress.
about the instructor
Diane has been exploring different themes of the Adirondack Mountains of New York, the garden and travels in the Yucatan. Diane is enamored of plein air, the method of painting outdoors, and has participated in plein air festivals from Virginia to Parrsboro, all painting in pastel. Diane does note that painting outside in winter is not on her to do list. Instead the studio becomes the venue of choice where she explores numerous still life setups and returns to those summer photo references to keep painting the landscape.
Her work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions regionally and internationally.
Recently her work “Cape Split, Bay of Fundy” inspired by her 2019 artist residency at Parrsboro Creative, was recognized in seventh place at the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada 2023 Pixel Pastel juried exhibit.
contact the artist:
deleifheit@gmail.com Website:www.dianeleifheit.com
Cancellation Policy
If for any reason the participant wishes to cancel prior to two weeks before the commencement of the course, the full fee minus a 10% service fee will be refunded. Please note that there will be no refunds if the participant cancels within two weeks of the commencement of the course.