A recap from Day 3 of the Pastel Live virtual art conference:
“Three amazing days (or nights, because I have 8 hours difference in time) of PastelLive 2022,” said Katerina P. “Great event to refresh and reset my mind! Time when I felt far from war. With gratitude and love from Ukraine to all masters and all who organized this wonderful event!”
We’d like to thank Katerina and every single one of our attendees for being a part of this event – you are the ones who help us keep going, as we all continue to inspire each other to grow, learn, and connect in this incredible world of art. We hope to see you at the next online event, Realism Live along with Clyde Aspevig, Daniel Graves, Terry Strickland, Glenn Vilppu, who are among the incredible lineup of teachers.
And for the last day of Pastel Live this year, we want to thank our wonderful sponsors once again! Today, our shout-out goes to Pierre Guidetti of Savoir Faire; Tony Allain with Savoir Faire; and Julie Swanson Davis with Blick Art Materials.
Highlights from Day 3 of Pastel Live
Suzanne Godbout said she prefers to paint from life (versus using a photo reference) because it allows her to see the subtle colors in the light and shadows. “My goal is to interpret this subject,” she said, explaining that she takes some liberties with the drawing and the color as she paints her subject – in this case, a still life that features a silver bowl, white cloth, and fruit.
Brenda Boylan helped us gain a better understanding of light and shadow within a scene, walking us through her color choices and strokes each step of the way. Here, we see her adding details that help tell the story without distracting the eye from the focal point.
Richard Wilson welcomed us into his studio, where he showed us how he uses an underpainting, creates strong light and shadow while using both hard and soft pastels, and adds texture to the surface while painting a figure in a landscape.
Do your underpaintings look like “colorless globs?”
“A strong underpainting will lead to a stronger painting,” said Karen Margulis. During her workshop, we explored the mystery and the magic of starting a pastel with a watercolor underpainting.
Joining us all the way from Australia, Lyn Diefenbach taught us to make a photo reference work for your painting vision. She demonstrated how to remove “rubbish” from the background, change the value relationships, and use both negative and positive space.
In a mixed media demo, Albert Handell explained how to start with a two-color watercolor underpainting and then use pastel to create a work inspired by nature. “I’ve been working on trees lately; the twig formations intrigue me,” he said. Adding a detail here and there, he reflected, “Isn’t that lovely?”
For a limited time, replays are available for this year; you can also join us live for next year’s Pastel Live virtual art conference! Simply visit PastelLive.com now and register for the best personal instruction and live interactions with artists from all over the world.
If you can’t wait until next year, join us in November for Realism Live (more details here!).
