Pastels are an excellent choice for plein air (on-location) sketching or painting. Join us for three sessions in the Berkshire summer as we explore the beautiful grounds of Chesterwood and the basics of how to approach our outdoor sessions in order to come away with satisfying results and a deeper understanding. Students may create sketches that become the basis for studio work or they may even produce a finished piece!

Rain Date: September 13

Materials

Pastels:

Minimum to purchase if you do not already have pastels:

40 stick set (at least) of soft pastels: Rembrandt, Unison, Ludwig, Senellier, Great American, Richeson, etc. If you lean toward landscape or portraiture, get a set labeled as such, otherwise opt for a general set. Half-stick sets are a good way to try them out. AlphaColor brand is unsatisfactory.

PLUS Small set of Nupastels or other hard pastels

Paper:

Sanded paper - a pack or pad of small pieces (e.g. 9x12, 11x14) - you can cut larger sheets - such as UART, Premier, Art Spectrum; select one or two white or off-white, optionally also some colors.

Other materials:

Sketchbook, pencils, eraser- These are important workhorses!

White artist’s tape or pale masking tape (no black or blue)

Soft paper towels (VIVA are best)

Hand protection: barrier cream or gloves (optional)

Equipment:

Easel – a folding easel of some sort is necessary. Simple ones are fine to start.

Work Board – flat surface to hold your paper (gator board, heavy foamcore, etc)

Optional — folding chair, sun hat, umbrella (parasol), insect repellent

Vine charcoal, pastel pencils

Small watercolor set w/3/4” brush (not a fine sable! Synthetic is good)

Viewfinder

Grayscale value markers (15%, 30%, 50%, 70%)

Sources:

Online merchants such as DakotaPastels.com, DickBlick.com, JerrysArtarama.com are reliable and fast. You can also buy pastels directly from many manufacturers.

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