Workshop with Tony Allain

On their Way

Pastel 8 x 10
NFS

I recently attended a workshop organized by the Pastel Society of Connecticut, with master pastelist Tony Allain. What a treat! Tony's generosity in sharing painting tips and techniques left us with many "take aways" after 3 days of painting outside of our comfort zone:

- Painting from sketches, not photographs
- Applying the least amount of pastel strokes (150 max.) to keep paintings fresh
- Speed paintings (10 minutes) to loosen up
- Creating a painting with 3 colors (3 values of each)
- Painting figures with a wide marker (like a Sharpie) and applying deliberate pastel marks

I composed "On their Way" entirely with pastels since I did not have wide markers at the workshop. It is my first attempt at a group of figures. So much fun!