Dive into the luminous, velvety world of soft pastels—a deeply expressive medium that bridges the line between drawing and painting. In this course, you'll explore a range of mark-making and blending techniques unique to soft pastels, known for their rich pigmentation, lush texture, and painterly qualities. Subjects can include still life, figure, photography, or abstract compositions—your interests will shape your direction.  Soft pastels invite a tactile and intuitive approach to color. We’ll work with their strengths: broad, sensuous applications, layering for depth, and subtle transitions through finger-blending and tools. You'll also discover how to pair soft pastels with complementary media such as watercolor, and charcoal to expand your expressive range.

What you will learn:
1.How and when to use soft pastels effectively in contrast to hard pastels and pastel pencils.
2. Color theory principles: analogous and complementary colors, contrast, cohesion, and expressive palettes.
3. Application techniques specific to soft pastel: scumbling, feathering, layering, and blending with fingers or tools.
4. Tonal and linear modeling with soft edges and painterly transitions