Top 10 Best Pastels classes, courses, learnings kits and gifts in the UK

Inspired by the wonderful Van Gogh show at Tate Britain? Or just want to learn more about using colour- Create great tonal drawings and lush colour studies with pastels in this great day of practical drawing and tuition! Join L for a great class with practical demonstrations, lots of instruction for beginners and one to one advice for those with more experience. We will be looking at the drawings and paintings of the master colourist and mark maker Van Gogh for inspiration, using simple set ups and props with the life model to recreate imagery from his work. Learn about how to work with light and shade and basic colour theory, using conte and soft coloured pastels to produce lush and developed drawings. Great for portfolio building.

Join London Drawing for a great class with practical demonstrations, lots of instruction for beginners and one to one advice for those with more experience. We will be looking at the drawings and paintings of the master colourist Pierre Bonnard for inspiration, using simple set ups and props with the life model to recreate imagery from his work. Learn about how to work with light and shade and basic colour theory, using conte and soft coloured pastels to produce lush and developed drawings. Great for portfolio building. Brilliant for building your confidence and great for all levels of ability.

Join us for a brand new workshop with the brilliant portrait artist and London Drawing tutor Frank Gambino! Create strong and impactful drawings in colour using chalk pastels and conte. Build your confidence in rendering a likeness in your drawing and really make the most of your materials- working with layering, application and lush colour combinations. Over lock down Frank has developed his work into colour using pastels- and he will be sharing his techniques and insights in this new workshop full of demonstrations, tips, advice and one to one tuition. Spend the day working from the life model in chalk pastel and conte with lots of information on how to build up volumes of the face, achieve likeness and depth in your portraits from this brilliant and expressive artist and tutor. A great class not to be missed! Materials: All basic materials will be provided as part of the class- so you can test it out and see if the medium is for you before investing in materials which can be expensive. However- if you have your own pastels/ conte or would like to buy a set we have a materials list we can recommend- and we encourage you to bring your materials along! Pastels vary wildly in quality and temperament so this is a great class to get a sense of how materials work and how to get the best out of them. Saturday 18 June 2022 10-4pm £95 All basic materials included – Bringing your own materials is encouraged- materials list info below Suitable for all levels of ability Venue: Artizan St Library, 1 Artizan St London E1 7AF Materials we provide: Chalk pastels/ tonal conte/ coloured sugar paper/ erasers If you are bringing your own materials: Any chalk pastels and pencils/ conte/ putty rubber/ coloured pastel paper/ * Daler Rowney fixative- please note due to ventilation issues in the space and security issues with access to the studio we wont be able to use fixative during the class Materials Frank uses and recommends if you are investing in your own things: Rembrandt chalk pastels. Stabilo chalk pastel pencils Daler Rowney (kneadable) putty eraser

Join the award winning artist and London Drawing tutor Kim Scouller for a day of pattern, colour and texture and explore techniques of the great decorative master himself – Matisse! Inspired by Matisse’s bold approach to colour and pattern explore his unique depictions of the female form set against colourful hanging fabrics. Using quick charcoal studies to simplify the female form and brightly coloured pastels and paint to immerse yourselves in the decorative world of Matisse. We look at examples of Matisse’s most famous works particularly his use of flattened space with pure colour and his treatment of the human figure. Expect an abundance of colour, bold patterns, odalisque figures and lots of fun! Saturday 23 July 10-4.30pm £95 All materials included Do feel free to bring your own things if you have materials you would like to explore and get advice using