“Painting the Big Wave in Pastel” art workshop

Join artist Carolyn Hancock for a one-day workshop, Painting the Big Wave in Pastel, on Saturday, August 31 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM in the Brazosport Art League studio! Registration is $100 for BAL members and $125 for non-members.

REGISTER NOW!

About the workshop:

To paint the sea, it’s important to understand what’s going on out there, that way you won’t make the mistake of giving waves shapes that are impossible. -E. John Robinson

The workshop will begin with a discussion and brief demo of how water moves and the structure of a wave. We will have a quick discussion on how I place the focal point and compose a painting with intersecting lines, using either Fibonacci measurement or angled armature lines. The choice is based on how complex the image is.

I will complete a full demo, spaced throughout the day. The demo will be divided into stages, where I stop and the attendees paint to that same stage:

• A quick sketch of the composition with minimal lines, using pastel pencil
• Dry underpainting in local colors with pastel
• Build up layers with pastels, adjusting shapes, values, edges and colors. I generally work from distance (sky) to wave to front flat water and foam
• Lots of tips and tricks

MORE INFO:

Before the workshop, attendees will receive an email with links to helpful resources, a materials list and a high definition photo of wave to be painted. I use Uart or LuxArchival sanded papers; they work beautifully for layering colors for seascapes. For those who don’t have sanded paper, I can supply one for $3.00 each. The size will be determined by the image and composition but likely will be 8×16 or 12×16.

SUPPLIES:

PASTELS

The dominant colors in the wave are values of blue and turquoise, but there are also violets, grays and white, maybe greens. Whatever soft pastels you already have should work; the brands are not important. However, I seldom use the harder pastels like NuPastel and Rembrandt: these make it difficult to paint the soft fluid effects of water.

If you do not have ocean color pastels, these 3 sets which I have are great: Richeson Turquoise Blues, Mount Vision Blues, Unison Tricia Taylor Seascape Set

Dakota (https://www.dakotapastels.com/) carries two sets of Richeson that look good: Lana Ballot Land Essentials and Jeanne Rosier Smith Land and Sea

PAPER

A white or light colored sanded paper. I use both Uart 400 and Lux Archival for seascapes. Lux is a heavier paper and doesn’t curl like Uart. Your paper can be mounted or simply taped to your support. We are using a dry underpainting, so mounting is not essential.

THE USUAL ACCESSORIES

• Easel
• Support for paper
• Pastel pencils if you have them
• Clip or tripod to hold reference photo or tablet
• Cloth to protect the floor
• Hand wipes

ABOUT CAROLYN:

Carolyn Hancock is a portrait and seascape artist residing in Richmond, Texas. She is a pastel only artist, her techniques with the medium combining thick impasto strokes and texture with translucent smoothness. A lover of color, she uses it with a gentle touch offset with a vividness that defies the pastel medium. Unique to her sense of realism is the feeling of an impressionistic work, with soft edges and a touch of mystery.

Hancock studied art in Los Angeles and with Master Pastelists Daniel Greene, Alain Picard, William Schneider, Doug Dawson, Christine Swann and others. She is an Associate Member of Pastel Society of America, an Elected Member of American Artists Professional League, member of  American Women Artists and Past-President of the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas.

Hancock’s art has been juried into international exhibitions, including International Association of Pastel Societies, and her paintings are in U.S. and international collections. View her website:  https://carolynhancock.com