PLEASE BOOK AND PAY BY 24 JULY 2026

9:30am to 4:00pm

Morning Tea Included - BYO MUG

Desley is are representational artist inspired by nature, working mainly in pastel.  Her creative process involves collecting her own reference material, freehand sketching the subject onto a pastel surface and using soft pastel to build up layers.  She is a member of the Pastel Society of Australia, an Exhibiting Member of the Royal Art Society of NSW and part of the Deep Water Art Space creative community.  You can check out other examples of her work at: www.desleystewart.com or on Instagram: desleystewart_art.

In this workshop you will learn how to create a portrait of your favourite pet in soft pastel and pastel pencils by using Desley’s five-step process.  Firstly, you will sketch your subject using a grid, then you will choose your colour palette, then create tones using soft pastels.  You will then use pastel pencils to develop the fur and features before you finish off and assess how far to go with the detail.

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Materials:

Reference images – Bring your own pet portrait image(head and shoulders is best) OR use one of Desley’s supplied reference images.  Choose images with good composition and arange of values.  Print it in colour, A4size, or work directly from your iPad (make sure it’s fully charged!).

Pastels – bring the pastels and pastel pencils you already have in the colours of your pet, adding a range of warm and cool greys.

[Desley prefers Art Spectrum, Unison, Schminke or similar quality - cheaper brands can have more filler and less pigment and won’t create the same results].

Paper

One sheet of Pastel Mat A3 or A4 preferably in beige. Pastel Pencil or Charcoal Stick

You will need some vine charcoal or a pastel pencil for sketching in. Backing Board and Desktop Easel

Please bring a firm backing board and large clips. The board should be larger than A3.

Underpainting Alcohol

Isocol Rubbing Alcohol is perfect for underpainting and is available from chemists.

Paint Brush

A watercolour style paintbrush is essential for the underpainting – preferably flat ended.

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Misc.

·  Kneadable rubber

·  Ruler

·  Pastelpencil sharpener

·  Wipes