Landscape Painting

ICAN 2025 - FD5
Thursday, May 29, 2025
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Full-Day Workshop

Our focus in this workshop will be on how to navigate the sometimes overwhelming details of nature and simplify the scene for impactful paintings. Through a series of exercises we will break down the landscape based on the structure of light, and distill the foundational shapes that form the essential architecture of your subject. With these key elements in place we can then open ourselves up to paint expressively and make colour choices that connect the viewer to the story we want to tell. This workshop includes a slideshow, printed material on concepts discussed, demonstrations on the pastel painting process with discussions on colour and application, group discussion, and individual tutoring. *Subject sources will be provided.

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

• A sketchbook, 2B pencil, eraser
• A black marker
• Ruler
• Masking tape, 2 sided tape, or bulldog clips to fasten your paper to board
• Apron
• Gloves or barrier cream
• Wet wipes
• Wax or Glassine paper to protect your work in transport.
• 30-60 Soft Pastels – see below for details
• 12- 24 Hard Pastels – see below for details
• 6 pieces of Sanded Paper – see below for details
• Spectra fix – (Optional to bring if you are interested in working with the medium wet or fixing your work). A bottle can be shared between friends.
• A small jar with lid
• A few paint brushes for working with pastel wet – optional.
• Exacto knife or scissors if you need to cut papers
• Mask if you want one.

Soft Pastels

• A selection of about 30-60 SOFT PASTEL in a range of colours (bright to dull) and values (light, mid tone, and dark) that cover the colours in the colour wheel (meaning- use the colours around a colour wheel to make sure you have a good base palette and importantly – include neutral/ earthy versions of these colours too (think landscape!).
• The brand of soft pastel you use is up to you- I use many brands and switch between them. If you are just starting out as a pastelist- below are some kits that could be helpful. If you already have pastels you can mimic the colours from these palettes to make colour selections from your own pastel collection. Note: I am not asking you to buy these kits – they are just a good description of colours to bring.
• Diane Townsend Thinline Sets – Full Line or Plein Air kit(48 pc.)
• Unison Colour – Handmade Soft Pastels – Starter Set – 63 Half Sticks
• Sennelier Soft Pastels Half Stick Set 120/Pkg-Paris Set

Harder Pastels

• Please also bring A SELECTION OF HARD PASTELS that cover the colours of the colour wheel such as: Cretacolor Hard Pastels Starter Pack 12 Piece Set, or Conté à Paris Colour Crayons Sets – 12 or 24 Pack – Assorted Colours

You can use the colour palettes in the suggested kits as a colour guide to select from your own collection.

• Holbein, NuPastel, Faber Castell, Rembrandt etc are also suitable choices for hard pastel.

Sanded Papers

• Type: The paper type and colour is your choice. Here are some suggestions: Pastel Mat, U-Art, Pastel Premier, or any other pastel paper that has a ‘sanded surface’. Pastelmat in colour “BRUN” is my preferred paper because it holds both hard and softer pastel very well, and can also handle a wet medium. Please note: Mi-Teintes pastel paper or Art Spectrum papers are not suitable for our process.
• Quantity: We will be doing several exercises in- 8”x10”, or 9”x12” sizes. Please have about 6 pieces of pastel papers in the listed sizes (6 pieces total). Suggestion: you can bring 1-2 full sheets and cut them down to size ahead of time, or bring a block/pad or pkg of 8”x10”,or 9”x12” pastel papers. The key here is to have options that allow for you to work with your own flow and not run out of paper.

Subject Matter

• You do not need to bring photos to work from. All source material will be provided.

My go to source for all my pastel supplies is www.wyndhamartsupplies.com in Guelph. They have lots of selection and ship materials.