This is an Independent Study Course for Soft Pastels
This course is about Color and Light in floral subjects. Colorful subjects like flowers are fun to paint, yet all that color can get overwhelming. By taking a closer look at Color Basics you will learn how to create brilliant color in Florals - the color that glows but does not scream.
You'll be working with different flowers (Roses, Peonies, Irises, Sunflowers, Wisteria, Daisies, Rose of Sharon, Pansies and some others). Starting with value sketches you will explore their different shapes and move on to painting them with confident and expressive color.
*At the same time, this is not a botanical painting course, the focus is on Color and on capturing Light.
Teachable.com provides unlimited time access to this course - you'll have many years to master the techniques I teach.
What's in the course:
How Light Affects Color
You'll learn how light affects color, how the color changes depending on the amount or angle of light, on the time of day, etc. This is important so you can express that light in your scene with the right colors.
Keeping Color Luminous
Mixing Color in pastels is not working the same way as in a wet medium. You'll learn the way to modify colors by layering while keeping them clean and luminous.
Shaping Flowers with Values
You'll learn how to add volume and depth to your paintings and to avoid them looking "flat."
Painting the Star of the Show
Sometimes there are too many flowers that call for attention, and it's easy to lose focus. You'll learn to pick the star of the show and build the painting around it for more impact.
Adding Glow to Your Florals
Translucent petals of the flowers create a beautiful backlit effect. You'll learn how to capture that glow.
Composing with Color
Color is an important player in a composition. Learn how to use it to lead through the painting, create emphasis on certain areas or atmospheric depth in a scene.
Who is this course for?
- Do you work in Soft Pastels?
- Do you often think that you just don't have the right colors?
- Do you struggle to capture the light in your subject?
- Are you frustrated by a chalky or muddy color when you try to mix/layer colors in pastels?
- Do you ever feel that your scene looks flat and uninviting?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then this course is for you.
While you are learning to paint beautiful flowers you will get deeper understanding of Color in general and specifically how it works in Pastel medium (soft pastels).
After completing this course you will:
- Get more confidence when mixing colors in pastels.
- Learn how to create richly nuanced color while keeping it luminous.
- Bring the warmth of sunlight in your work.
- Master Wet Underpainting technique to add more dimension to your colors.
- Learn to capture the beauty of flowers, the silky smooth or velvety textures of their petals and their subtle glow.
*This is a SOFT PASTELS Self-Study course!
Each Chapter includes a presentation on a particular topic, exercise/s and a full demo with my commentary. Full Demos are about 50 min to 1.5 hours (with the exception of the Intro Sketching section demos).
Each lesson moves from more simple projects (exercises) to more complex (demos). This way the beginners can spend some time mastering the exercise assignments and practice sketching, then move onto the longer demos.
Meet Lana!
Hi! I'm Lana Ballot.
I'm excited to share with you my passion for Color and the beautiful medium of Pastels! I'm fascinated with color and light, and pastels is a great medium to capture them!
I am a professional artist and pastel painting instructor, living on Long Island, NY. I have been teaching classes and workshops throughout the United States and internationally.
I have been exhibiting and won awards in National as well as International Juried competitions, including the Pastel Society of America’s annual show Enduring Brilliance and the prestigious Pastel Journal’s Pastel 100 competition.
My work has been published in national and international art magazines, such as Pastel Journal, Plein Air Magazine, Pastel Issues of the Pratique des Arts, Artists & Illustrators.
I'm a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and The American Society of Marine Artists.
