Shibori

Dates: Thursday, November 21

Time: 9:30am - 2:30pm

Price: $50 plus $25 materials fee

Instructor: Eva Hunter

Students will create their own fabric design. Shibori is the Japanese art of creating stunning designs and patterns by folding, stitching, tying, and manipulating fabric during the dyeing process. 

Pastel Painting Workshop

Dates: Saturday, December 7

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm (with a midday lunch break)

Price: $90 plus $10 supply fee 

Instructor:  Mary Padgett

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This workshop is an opportunity for you to receive individualized instruction in the pastel medium from an expert. For individuals new to pastel, Padgett's goal is to educate you about the broad range of pastel products and techniques, to assist you in developing your personal style, and to encourage creative exploration. For experienced pastellists, Padgett's goal is to provide feedback in a supportive working environment. Padgett will set up colorful and varied still life arrangements that you will work from.

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Pastel Supplies:
You will want to have a minimum of twenty pastel sticks, enough to give you some variety of
color, saturation, and value. More pastel sticks will give you more options so I encourage a larger selection. You will want to choose supports (i.e., papers or boards) to work on that
are appropriate to the type of pastel you will be using. Pastel is versatile; it can be a drawing medium or a painting medium, a colorful line or a painterly mark. There are many pastel products available so it is important to consider your preferences and intentions as you acquire supplies. If you prefer to work in a more linear style, use hard pastels. If you like heavier applications with broader marks choose soft pastels. You may decide that you want to use a varied selection. For a good overview of pastel supplies visit Rochester Art’s web site www.fineartstore.com. 

The pastel brands mentioned here are sold by Rochester. Syracuse’s Commercial
Art Supply offers a limited selection of pastels: NuPastel, Pan Pastels, Rembrandt and Jack
Richeson’s Minis. If you shop at Commercial be sure to bring in this supply list, with it they will offer you a student discount. Pastels are also available through internet/catalogues like Blick (www.dickblick.com), Jerry’s Artarama, etc., and Amazon. Most pastel manufacturers offer pastels both open stock and in sets.

A set is a good way to begin to build your palette. (1/2-stick sets are a good value). Some
companies put together still life, landscape, or portrait sets. If pastel painting is new to you Padgett recommends purchasing one of the following sets of pastels: Prismacolor NuPastel (a hard pastel product) set of 24 or larger; Art Spectrum (moderate density) 20 or 40 1⁄2-stick set; Rembrandt (moderate) 30 1⁄2-stick set; Schmincke (soft) 18 1⁄2-stick set; Sennelier (soft) 20 or 40 1⁄2-stick set; Unison (soft) 30 1⁄2-stick set; Great American (very soft) 60 1⁄2-stick set. You can see all of these at www.fineartstore.com. To experience the range of pastels available I recommend purchasing one of Rochester Art Supply’s “Tasty Pastel Samplers”. They retail for about $25. http://www.fineartstore.com/s-1396-samplers.aspx

Padgett owns a variety of different pastels, each purchased for its hue and value. Her favorite manufacturer is Terry Ludwig, www.terryludwig.com. 

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Pastel Papers:
If you select NuPastels, Art Spectrum, or Rembrandt your paper doesn’t need to have a “tooth”
to hold the particles of pigment. You can use any manufacturer recommended paper for charcoal or pastel, for example, Canson Mi Tientes or Strathmore. Padgett recommends buying a couple of large sheets of hot press (smooth) watercolor paper or Arches or Rives printmaking paper and cutting it to the size you’d like to work with. Additionally, purchase a couple of sheets of Colourfix or Mi Tientes Touch in any colors you like to try. Both of these papers have more of a tooth and will hold more pigment, the resulting painting will have a richer quality. It is fun to work on colored papers because the paper’s color will affect the appearance of your pastel hues and values. If you purchase any of the “soft” pastels (Schmincke, Sennelier, Unison, Great American, etc.) you’ll want a “toothier” surface to grab the particles of pastel. Use Pastel Premier Sanded Paper (available in fine or medium grit and in 5 colors), LaCarte Pastel Paper

(14 colors, cannot take water-based media), Unison Pastel Paper, Pastelmat Pastel Card, Richeson’s Unison Pastel Surface, UArt (a toothy sandpaper-like surface available in 5 grits from coarse to fine, takes water-based paint), Colourfix, and/or Mi Tientes Touch. You can see these papers on Rochester Art’s website: https://www.fineartstore.com/s-1285-surfaces.aspx

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Miscellaneous Supplies:
Padgett encourages you to do preliminary value studies of your compositions. To do so bring some inexpensive drawing paper (white, gray, or tan) and few sticks of vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, and/or conté. Padgett also encourages you to explore the pastel technique and will make available acrylic paint and pumice ground to customize your painting surfaces. If you would like to take advantage of this
opportunity bring several sheets of 100% rag paper, either a smooth (hot press) watercolor paper (min. 140#) or a printmaking paper (Arches or Rives).
 

Bring along any brushes and water-based paints you already own to use in preparing your surfaces and to experiment w/mixed media. An assortment of brushes can be useful for blending and for removing soft pastel from drawing surfaces. Blending tips are useful also, especially when a finger is too large for a small area. Rochester Art Supply is now carrying Colour Shapers, silicone tipped tools for blending. They come in 5 sizes/5 shapes. Padgett finds Pan Pastel Sofft Tools, particularly Sofft Sponges, very useful. Fixatives are not always necessary. If you are working with soft pastel on a textured surface, the tooth of the paper will hold the pigment. In Padgett's experience even hard pastel on smooth surfaces stays in place — that is, when the painting is handled carefully. However, fixatives can be used to isolate a layer of pastel from subsequent applications. Recommended brands are Sennelier’s Latour or Lascaux. Glassine paper is a smooth, archival, inter-leafing paper that will protect pastel pictures in transport and storage. In a pinch, you can use wax paper or any very smooth paper. Skin protectants and barrier creams (Gloves in a Bottle or Dermashield) or disposable powder-free gloves will protect your hands and make clean up easier.

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For more information about Mary Padgett, click here. 

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