2026 Annual Awards Art Exhibition

PLEASE BOOK AND PAY BY 21 AUGUST 2026

9:30am to 4:00pm

Morning Tea Included - BYO MUG

Wendy Orchard, also known as The Art Journaler, discovered the joy and versatility of sketchbook journaling in 2018 and since then, has been enthusiastically sharing her knowledge and skills through Nature Journaling and Travel Journaling workshops and presentations.

Rather than being limited to a particular style or medium, Wendy allows her subject matter to guide the creative process.  The result is a body of work that is informative, creative and distinctive, with each sketchbook page telling its own unique story.  

Wendy is a member of the Northern Beaches Art Society and shared her skills and passion for Nature Journaling in a NBAS workshop in 2024 and presented as guest speaker at our 2025 AGM. In August, she returns to present another inspiring workshop, offering more ideas for expanding the possibilities of your sketchbook practice.

Focusing on flowers, mushrooms and the creative use of everyday objects in your sketchbook, this workshop isn't about completing finalized pages but instead, you’ll take away a rich toolkit of creative techniques and inspiration to fuel your future journaling.  You can check our more of Wendy’s work on facebook – The Art Journaler and Instagram– theartjournaler.

Materials:  Feel free to bring along any other items that you may have in your kit.

Surfaces:

Either -

·    A5 or larger  Sketchbook with Watercolour Paper or Multimedia Paper (190 – 300gsm)

Or –

·    2 x Sheets of  A4 Watercolour Paper, preferably hot pressed (200 – 300gsm)

(if you have any off cuts of watercolour paper or  card they could be handy)

Pencils & Pens:

·    Coloured  Pencils or Watercolour Pencils (Wendy prefers watercolour pencils)

·    A good quality  WHITE coloured pencil or watercolour pencil (eg Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer  – available as a single pencil in art shops)

·    Graphite  pencils

·    Black  Biro/Ballpoint Pen

·    Water-Soluble  Pen (Wendy has then for $1 ea)

·    Waterproof  Fineliner Pen – 0.3 or 0.5

Brushes:

·    2 x Small (no.  2 or 3) cheap brushes (can be damaged)

·     Brushes for Watercolour or a Waterbrush

Paints:

·     Watercolour  paints

(Wendy can supply a dot sheet if you don’t have  paints)

Misc:

·     Eraser

·     Glue Stick

·     Dip Pen

·     Masking Fluid

NB. Both  Dip Pen and Masking Fluid don’t have to be Artist Quality & available at  discount stores.

‍Attendees  will receive an email prior to the workshop with images that we will use  during the workshop.  You can choose to  print these out or download them to your phone or iPad/table.‍

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