Seasons of Trees

Realistic Trees

Learn how to make trees in your painting look realistic, study the shapes of different trees.

Seasonal Colors

Learn how to create depth and atmosphere in tree scenes in every season.

Character & Mood

Learn how to show the character of a tree through lines, shapes, color and texture.

The class projects/demo videos will be based on similar reference photos. Students also can use their own reference in their homework.

March 2026 Zoom Class:

October 5, 12, 19, 26 2026

2-4pm EST (NY)

Learn to Paint Trees in Each Season

with Soft Pastels

In March, the focus will be on Trees!

We will look closer to see how their shapes and textures reveal their character. We will discover how they tell the story of each season.

Every season presents different challenges in painting trees and allows us to see them in a different light:

Winter gives us a chance to see bare tree trunks and graceful branches
Spring contrasts the subtle haze of new green leaves with bright spring blossoms
Summer foliage adds volume and presents us, artists, with the challenge of how to avoid boring and monotonous greens
Autumn, with its fiery colors everywhere, makes us choose and focus on the elements that are essential to tell the story while simplifying the supporting characters.

As always, we will explore the relationship of Light and Color.

Join me to explore the trees in different seasons!

Zoom Class Format

The class will meet on Zoom every Thursday in March (4 meetings, starting March 5th).

*If you cannot make the Zoom meetings you can watch the recordings later.

The Zoom meetings will include: presentations and/or short demos (or videos), discussions of the common problems with the homework projects. The class includes 2 full demos as pre-recorded videos (students will watch the full demo videos during the week and then do the their homework projects). I will provide a recorded critique for each student individually.

Students can use provided demo references or use their own photos for their homework projects.

Register for Seasons of Trees

$240

Zoom Class March 2026

4 Zoom Meetings, 2 full video demos, short exercises demos, March 5, 12, 19, 26 - 2026

Terms and conditions

The class will combine Zoom meetings (2 - 4pm EST) with discussions and critiques as well as longer video demos to watch during the week (2 full video demos during the month).

The videos and recordings will be accessible through the student's account at teachable.com (by using it the students agree to receive emails from Lana Ballot’s school set up on this site).

The links to the Zoom meetings will be provided a day ahead of the meetings. Each Zoom meeting's discussion will be recorded as a video for the students to review if necessary.

Due to the digital nature of the instruction, the refunds are not given - students will watch the recorded Zoom presentation if they miss a meeting. The students who have to miss a class and have to submit their homework later, will get my recorded critique video the next week after I get their images (during the month of the class).

All material in the course is copyrighted and cannot be shared with anyone (links, pdfs, etc.), unless explicitly allowed by the instructor Lana Ballot.

Sharing images (on social media) of the work completed during the class is appreciated with a mention of the class and @lanaballot

By registering for this course, the student agrees to the following terms: the instructor, Lana Ballot, cannot be held responsible for any infringement on someone's copyright by students using the photos not provided within the course. Students using the reference photos not supplied in this course are fully responsible for complying with any copyright laws and getting the permission from the copyright holder of the images.

Teachable.com course platform provides unlimited time access to this course - you'll have many years to master the techniques I teach.

Materials

UART sanded paper, 400 grit, neutral color, 9"x12"

Pastel Premier sanded paper, Clay color, 9”x12” (or you can tone UART paper into warm tan mid tone color)

Mid tone gray sketching paper (for quick value studies)

Hard and Soft pastels (good range of basic colors from light to dark, particularly in greens, blues, etc.)

Isopropyl Alcohol (you can use water instead)

Flat synthetic brush about 3/4"

Bristle brush for corrections

Artists' Masking Tape to attach the paper to the board

Foam core board

Glassine or Tracing paper to protect the finished project

Meet Lana

Hi! I'm Lana Ballot.

I'm excited to share with you my passion for the Color and the beautiful medium of pastels!

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 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.

Testimonials

What my students are saying about this course and my classes and workshops:

"I’ve signed up for this course, and I’m absolutely blown away by the professionalism, quality, tons of useful information, and priceless tips that Lana is delivering at each session. She is a great educator!

Highly recommended to everybody who wants to improve his painting skills!"

Mena L.

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"In a word, the workshop was “masterful.” But, I will go beyond just one word to express my deepest appreciation of your dedication to your craft. Whether the way you taught, emailed preparatory materials, painted, or critiqued, you exemplified the traits of a master. Thank you.

I learned a lot and plan to take future workshops with you."

Lisa D.