July 15-16, 2023
Freedom and Spontaneity Using Soft Pastels for Urban Sketching
Workshop Description
This workshop will focus on simplifying complex urban scenes and painting impressionistic urban sketches using bold colours and expressive marks using soft pastels. Learn the essentials and working methods unique to soft pastels, their limitations, and the opportunities it offers as a unique medium. All levels of sketchers are welcome.
Learning Goals
- To compose a scene by judging the quality and direction of light
- To add elements of semi-abstraction and focus on the core elements in a scene
- To construct an “illusion of detail” through expressive pastel application to bring a looser and more painterly feel to your work
Workshop Schedule
- Meet and Greet/Introduction (15 minutes)
- Show and Tell (10 minutes)
- Starting out/Scene selection: viewfinders, cropping. (5 minutes)
- Quick Intro to Pastel Mark Making, General Rules for Success (Light on Dark, Soft on hard), simplifying shapes. Mistakes to avoid. (20 minutes)
- Sketch 1: Watch (30 minutes)
- Sketch 2: Paint along (60 minutes)
- Review of the Sketches/Feedback for Students (40 minutes)
Supply List
- Set of 30 - 40 approx. Soft (ideally handrolled) pastels – Schmincke and Sennelier are both excellent in my opinion though they are expensive being top-tier artist-grade pastels. Sennelier has more beginner-friendly sets of half sticks i.e. a landscape/urban set works perfectly. Mungyo (Also known as Honsell Artist Quality) also offers handmade pastels sets that are excellent value for money. The colour range is more important than quantity, i.e., having more tonal variations as half sticks is better than buying fewer full sticks.
- Pastel Paper: 9 x 12 inch or 12 x 16 sheets will suffice depending on your preference. I prefer larger as it can always be subdivided to suit a scene. Clairefontaine Pastelmat or Sennelier LaCarte are the Ideal pastel papers in my opinion. They have plenty of tooth for layering and come in a great selection of colours. Please get Dark or Mid Tone sheets. Avoid Light Tones, and NO WHITE PAPER, please.
- Other artist-quality sanded papers (such as Art Spectrum, Uart, Pastel Premier, and Canson Mi-Tientes Touch) for soft pastel will also suffice. Unsanded paper like velour, Ingres, and regular Mi-Tientes is also fine, but can be unforgiving to beginners although they are cheaper.
- Supports: Field Easel (optional but extremely helpful) - Not an endorsement but I use MEEDEN Artist Watercolor Field Easel; there are plenty of alternatives available.
- A smooth drawing board (MDF board will suffice). Should be at least the size of the paper + a couple of inches for handling (approx. 16 x 20 size for 12 x 16 sheets or 12 x 16 size for 9 x 12 sheets)
- Small sketchbook/scrap paper for thumbnails (optional)
- Masking tape and paper clips
- Paper towels or rags to wipe your hands.
- A ruler or straightedge (12 inches).
Meet Your Instructor
In the studio I have explored various mediums including acrylics, oils, watercolours and so on. However, a large proportion of my plein-air work and urban sketches are either in watercolours or pastels. I use impressionistic and abstract elements to simplify complex urban landscapes. I use bold and vibrant colours and spontaneous mark-making to convey light, energy, and liveliness in my work - and pastels are an ideal medium for this.
I have taught design as an academic instructor in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and at the University of California at Berkeley. I have also taught painting in watercolours and acrylics as private lessons. Most recently (in November 2022) I taught a 3-day workshop on watercolour essentials at Northern Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto.
Social Media Links:
https://www.instagram.com/yasirhameedarts/
In partnership with the St. Lawrence Market Neighborhood BIA in Old Town Toronto
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