Workshops

Pastels:

As we'll be using all parts of the pastel, we recommend square sticks with no wrapping. Common brands include ProArt, I Love Art, Jackson, and so forth. Look for sets of 12 or 24 in the $5-15 range. Note that these are soft pastels, NOT oil pastels. The square profile is important to achieve a wide variety of marks. Prismacolor Nupastel are not recommended, as they're small and relatively expensive (you'll go through these very quickly).

Paper:

Our experience has been that Canson Mi-Teintes provides the richest color palette and most consistent drawing surface. While you can certainly try any color that appeals to you, we recommend the darker tones - blues, reds, browns - over the lighter ones, as they provide the widest range of pastel blending opportunities. Full sheets (50x65cm) are preferred, but half-sheets are acceptable. A total of 6 full sheets are recommended.

Other materials:

You'll need a drawing board and clips to secure the paper, in case the venue doesn't have enough to go around. Bring some cloth rags or paper towels to condition the paper. We won't be using our fingers or stumps or other blending tools, but soft pastels are, well, soft, and your hands will get pastel-ly, so you may opt to wear clothes that can get dirty or an apron. If you're leery of getting your hands dirty, you may also wear surgical gloves. Masks are required because of Covid, but they're not a bad idea when you're using pastels on your own, too.

Spray fixatives are typically used to fix pastel works, but in this workshop we're less concerned with creating finished pieces than we are with learning and practicing techniques. If you create something you want to save or continue to work on, wax paper, tissue paper, or Glassine can be used as a cover.