Orange Community Education & Recreation

During this one day workshop, students will learn the basics of using pastels and create landscape and nature drawings inspired by the Orange Art Center’s grounds. Students will learn the basics of using hard pastels and en plein air drawing. En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air”, and refers to the act of painting outdoors with the artist's subject in full view. All skill levels are welcome. No prior experience required. Shared supplies and equipment provided; students are required to bring their own sketchbook, pastels and blending stumps ( links provided at registration).

Learn how to natural dye with food scraps and flowers. Each student will receive a blank 100% cotton bandana and a variety of natural dye materials. Students are highly encouraged to bring their own additional materials to experiment with (i.e. an old flower bouquet, leaves, onion skins, tea bags, etc.); this is your chance to get creative! Students will learn the basics of natural dyeing and how to make colors stable for washing. This is a 90-minute make-and-take workshop and no experience is necessary! Ages 16+ are welcome to attend. Please wear clothes you do not mind getting a bit messy.

The ability to create a believable illusion of spatial depth with just a little pigment and water is one of the most magical abilities in watercolor. It is accomplished through a complex orchestration of several distinct skills, all of which contribute to the perception of spatial depth. These procedures allow the viewer to see distance whether in a landscape or between objects. Depth can be the result of a skillful assembly of values or it can result from the use of correct perspective. It can also be enhanced tremendously by skillfully creating a variation in edges and blends or by assembling shapes of varying sizes and relationships. In this workshop, David will train artists in the skills needed to create and assemble these various visual effects using his step-by-step procedures. Get ready to paint! A supply list will be provided upon registration; participants skill leveled intermediate - advanced welcome. Course Image Credit: David Rankin