Fur and Feather in Pastel (Online Workshop) Winter 2025 w/ Karen Israel
January 14 to January 28 (Tuesdays), 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/BTW4ld0yHVY
Workshop Description
In this 3-week workshop, the focus will be on creating vibrant and expressive animal paintings in soft pastel.
There will be discussion about drawing from the photo reference. I will be sharing my photo references but you may choose to work from your own. I will review pastel techniques and I will share tips to improve your ability to maintain correct proportion and perspective. We will also look at different compositional ideas for your paintings.
I will explain my method of matching values and how to tone or underpaint the surface to help with those value relationships. We will move into a discussion of color and how to use it to create drama, design and harmony.
Finally, I will show you how I create soft and hard edges.
Workshop Outline
Week 1 -
First hour: Demo of an animal’s portrait on cream colored UART paper, discussing anatomy, drawing tips and underpainting techniques using alcohol, begin pastel application and background work.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin their drawing, underpainting and pastel application.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 2 -
First hour: Discussing work from the previous week. answer questions begin work of a feathered creature, on black UART sanded paper applying pastel in layers, discussing mark making.
Second hour and a half: Students will work on black paper, starting their feathered creature, applying pastel.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 3 -
First hour critique /questions from previous week begin work on a new animal using an ink underpainting on cream UART paper.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin a new project on UART paper with ink or alcohol underpainting.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Workshop Materials List
Photographs: you may use my photo references or you may paint from your own. You will need a large variety of soft pastels in light medium and dark of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors and greys, some pastels in a softer version and some in a harder version.
For Beginners, I recommend these sets:
https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castel-FC128272-Creative-Crayons-Assorted/dp/B000I5MNNO?th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Cretacolor-Carre-Hard-Pastel-
Set/dp/B000MQL678/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1414OF56SSRH8&keywords=cretacolor+pas
tels&qid=1708042816&s=arts-crafts&sprefix=creatacolor+pastels,arts-
crafts,140&sr=1-2&th=1
Sanded Pastel paper: UART 400 grade, cream color and UART 400 grade Black (no bigger than 11x14 or so.)
One piece will be done on the black and the other 2 weeks we will work on the white. If you don’t want to buy the black, I will explain how to tone the paper to make
it black.
Easel
A board to tape or clip the paper to, larger than your paper size.
1/2 or 1” artists tape https://www.jerrysartarama.com/artists-white-tape
Soft eye shadow brush
Nylon 1” flat watercolor brush
Paper towels
A few pastel pencils, any brand. A black, white and ochre type
Ajar with a wide lid of isopropyl alcohol
Optional: sumi ink, india ink, walnut ink, watercolors
January 14 to January 28 (Tuesdays), 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/BTW4ld0yHVY
Workshop Description
In this 3-week workshop, the focus will be on creating vibrant and expressive animal paintings in soft pastel.
There will be discussion about drawing from the photo reference. I will be sharing my photo references but you may choose to work from your own. I will review pastel techniques and I will share tips to improve your ability to maintain correct proportion and perspective. We will also look at different compositional ideas for your paintings.
I will explain my method of matching values and how to tone or underpaint the surface to help with those value relationships. We will move into a discussion of color and how to use it to create drama, design and harmony.
Finally, I will show you how I create soft and hard edges.
Workshop Outline
Week 1 -
First hour: Demo of an animal’s portrait on cream colored UART paper, discussing anatomy, drawing tips and underpainting techniques using alcohol, begin pastel application and background work.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin their drawing, underpainting and pastel application.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 2 -
First hour: Discussing work from the previous week. answer questions begin work of a feathered creature, on black UART sanded paper applying pastel in layers, discussing mark making.
Second hour and a half: Students will work on black paper, starting their feathered creature, applying pastel.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 3 -
First hour critique /questions from previous week begin work on a new animal using an ink underpainting on cream UART paper.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin a new project on UART paper with ink or alcohol underpainting.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Workshop Materials List
Photographs: you may use my photo references or you may paint from your own. You will need a large variety of soft pastels in light medium and dark of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors and greys, some pastels in a softer version and some in a harder version.
For Beginners, I recommend these sets:
https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castel-FC128272-Creative-Crayons-Assorted/dp/B000I5MNNO?th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Cretacolor-Carre-Hard-Pastel-
Set/dp/B000MQL678/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1414OF56SSRH8&keywords=cretacolor+pas
tels&qid=1708042816&s=arts-crafts&sprefix=creatacolor+pastels,arts-
crafts,140&sr=1-2&th=1
Sanded Pastel paper: UART 400 grade, cream color and UART 400 grade Black (no bigger than 11x14 or so.)
One piece will be done on the black and the other 2 weeks we will work on the white. If you don’t want to buy the black, I will explain how to tone the paper to make
it black.
Easel
A board to tape or clip the paper to, larger than your paper size.
1/2 or 1” artists tape https://www.jerrysartarama.com/artists-white-tape
Soft eye shadow brush
Nylon 1” flat watercolor brush
Paper towels
A few pastel pencils, any brand. A black, white and ochre type
Ajar with a wide lid of isopropyl alcohol
Optional: sumi ink, india ink, walnut ink, watercolors
January 14 to January 28 (Tuesdays), 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/BTW4ld0yHVY
Workshop Description
In this 3-week workshop, the focus will be on creating vibrant and expressive animal paintings in soft pastel.
There will be discussion about drawing from the photo reference. I will be sharing my photo references but you may choose to work from your own. I will review pastel techniques and I will share tips to improve your ability to maintain correct proportion and perspective. We will also look at different compositional ideas for your paintings.
I will explain my method of matching values and how to tone or underpaint the surface to help with those value relationships. We will move into a discussion of color and how to use it to create drama, design and harmony.
Finally, I will show you how I create soft and hard edges.
Workshop Outline
Week 1 -
First hour: Demo of an animal’s portrait on cream colored UART paper, discussing anatomy, drawing tips and underpainting techniques using alcohol, begin pastel application and background work.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin their drawing, underpainting and pastel application.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 2 -
First hour: Discussing work from the previous week. answer questions begin work of a feathered creature, on black UART sanded paper applying pastel in layers, discussing mark making.
Second hour and a half: Students will work on black paper, starting their feathered creature, applying pastel.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Week 3 -
First hour critique /questions from previous week begin work on a new animal using an ink underpainting on cream UART paper.
Second hour and a half: Students will begin a new project on UART paper with ink or alcohol underpainting.
Last half hour: Critique, Q&A.
Workshop Materials List
Photographs: you may use my photo references or you may paint from your own. You will need a large variety of soft pastels in light medium and dark of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors and greys, some pastels in a softer version and some in a harder version.
For Beginners, I recommend these sets:
https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Castel-FC128272-Creative-Crayons-Assorted/dp/B000I5MNNO?th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Cretacolor-Carre-Hard-Pastel-
Set/dp/B000MQL678/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1414OF56SSRH8&keywords=cretacolor+pas
tels&qid=1708042816&s=arts-crafts&sprefix=creatacolor+pastels,arts-
crafts,140&sr=1-2&th=1
Sanded Pastel paper: UART 400 grade, cream color and UART 400 grade Black (no bigger than 11x14 or so.)
One piece will be done on the black and the other 2 weeks we will work on the white. If you don’t want to buy the black, I will explain how to tone the paper to make
it black.
Easel
A board to tape or clip the paper to, larger than your paper size.
1/2 or 1” artists tape https://www.jerrysartarama.com/artists-white-tape
Soft eye shadow brush
Nylon 1” flat watercolor brush
Paper towels
A few pastel pencils, any brand. A black, white and ochre type
Ajar with a wide lid of isopropyl alcohol
Optional: sumi ink, india ink, walnut ink, watercolors