PAC, SCA

My landscape paintings are inspired by my love of nature, travel and environmental conservation. My process and style have been shaped by my curiosity and love of lifelong learning. My art is a creative journey from on site reference studies to exploration of colour, media and substrates in the studio.

Painting Water Reflections

ICAN 2025 - Studio A West
Thursday, May 29, 2025
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Full-Day Workshop

“Dip your toe in, the water’s fine”, learn how to use mark making, layering and value to create effective water reflections.

Students will learn how to use mark making techniques, such as scumbling, to effectively portray water reflections. Students will learn how to effectively convey reflections using changes in value, layering and shapes. After a series of mark making and blending skill building techniques and exploratory colour studies, students will use a step by step approach to apply colour layering and mixing techniques to create their own landscape reflection painting. Lots of demonstrations and individual support provided. A reference image will be supplied, but students have the option of bringing their own reference image.

Pre-order your supplies from Studio Six or Wyndham Art Supplies at a discounted rate* and have them delivered to the conference! See Studio Six offer details. See Wyndham Art Supplies offer details.

Workshop Material List

Pastel

Recommended
Any basic set of soft pastels. I use a variety of Unison (Gail Sibley landscape set) , Diane Townsend (lights and larger blue terrage) and Terry Ludwig for darks e.g. Eggplant. I use hard pastels such as Nupastels for preliminary layers. but other brands e.g.Rembrandt also work well. Avoid Mungo and Artist Loft (Michaels). Pastels do not deteriorate with age*.
Options: Soft: Sennelier mini pastels, Jack Richeson

Limited Supply Options
Warm blue e.g cobalt or phlalo, cool blue e.g. french ultramarine, white, light cream, yellow, yellow ochre, sap green, warm green e.g. Kelly green, burnt sienna. Aim for having a light, med and dark and warm/cool of each primary and secondary colour.

Pastel sticks eg. Nupastels or Rembrandt can be purchased individually.

Pastel Pencils Optional

Recommended
Stabilo CarbOthello or Caran d’Ache or Derwent e.g. set of 12. Pastel pencil sharpener, matt knife with sandpaper also an option.

Limited Supply Options
These can also be purchased individually. I use pastel pencils for details and blocking in the sketch.

Vine or willow charcoal. Great to darken values and define the composition. White charcoal pencils are also useful for highlights.

Optional but helpful, white teacher’s chalk to define your composition.

Pastel Paper

1 piece – 9” x 11”

Recommended
I will be doing the demo on Pastelmat as it is a paper that allows for wet preliminary washes and lots of layers. Uart 400 is also good (but seems to be in short supply at the moment). Choose a sanded pastel paper with tooth and texture that allows for alcohol washes. The lower the number the higher the grit or tooth, good for more layers, higher number, good for fine detail.

Limited Supply Options
You can buy larger pieces and cut them down to smaller sizes. Paper can be purchased individually. Please note that Sennelier LaCarte paper will not work with a wet medium. Please avoid Canson as it has limited possibility for layers and does not really accommodate for wet layers.

Some technique studies done on separate paper e.g. thicker drawing paper or multimedia paper. Dollarama sketchbook paper works well.

Tracing paper and/or glassine to cover finished painting.

Medium

Recommended
70% Alcohol or Spectra fix (Non toxic).

A small jar with lid, a water container e.g. plastic yogurt container. Please note we will not be spraying fixative in the class.

Limited Supply Options
70 – 90% alcohol available most drugstores.

Brushes

Recommended
Soft brushes for working with pastel medium. Synthetic brushes are best. E.g. #6

Limited Supply Options
Dollarama brushes: Synthetic

Variety of sizes of soft watercolour brushes to use for blending, stiffer bristle brushes for removing excess pastel dust. Eg. #6, angled brushes are helpful
Dollarama bristle brushes

Easel Supplies

• Neutral coloured masking tape or painter’s tape
• Bulldog clips to fasten your paper to your drawing board
• A large pad of newsprint with two or three large clips works as a smooth surface to work over
  or
• Home Depot Masonite board or gaterboard (limited supply options)

Other Supplies

• Kneaded eraser
• Paper stomps in a variety of sizes
• A colour wheel and greyscale finder are invaluable.
• Sketch book
• Pencil
• A black flexible tipped marker
• White eraser
• Ruler for thumbnails and value studies

Optional Supplies

• Saral Paper transfer. This is an option to transfer your drawing to your pastel paper. Avoid wax based transfer paper like carbon paper. You can also coat the back of your drawing with pastel.
• Soft towel, toilet paper roll or rice to clean pastels

Safety & Process

• Brayer or roller to finish off painting.
• Barrier cream: e.g. Gloves in a Bottle (Lee Valley),
• Marvellous Marianne’s Skin Safer Concentrated Barrior Cream or
  Close fitting latex gloves
• Soft cloths or paper towels
• Styrofoam meat trays to hold pastels while working.
• Cardboard, tinfoil etc. holder on your easel to catch dropping pastel dust.
• Plastic table cover to save your workspace
• Wet wipes and or towel to clean your hands

Other Notes: Please note that unlike other art supplies, pastels don’t really deteriorate with age, so if you happen upon a second hand set it could be a viable option.

• NB. Keep your pastels in their foam lined carrying cases for safety.
• Viewfinder, with a small opening to match tonal values is also invaluable for composing and matching values.
• Recommended to have piece of carpet or towels under where you will be working in case of dropped pastels