A mixed media class exploring nature, empowerment and healing.

For as long as I remember I have been painting animals. So it seemed natural I would combine my love for animal guides with pastels.

Since I was a kid, my very first artworks were animals in pastel. Later, my love for portraits grew as well so I couldn’t help but combine these three elements in this one exciting class!

I will be sharing both my soft pastel and oil pastel techniques, while we explore the animal spirit realm and how we can communicate and work with nature and our power animal guides… A real adventure into the wild!

This class is for anyone who loves pastel and wants to get familiar with them and discover interesting combinations with mixed media… but most of all this class is for those who want to bring more magic in their art and lives by reconnecting with nature and it’s wonderful spirits, bringing guidance, empowerment and healing.

I hope you will join us!

xo,

Katrina

lesson 2 - direction

In this next project we move into soft pastels, and create another portrait with a more muted, limited palette. I show some of my different shading techniques for creating skin tones and fur. I share with you some of my methods of reading the signs and omens of nature, and how to recognize when our spirit messengers are trying to get a message across, and how to ask them in turn for direction and guidance.

lesson 3 - healing

In this second part of the workshop we explore mixed media backgrounds with texture and acrylic. We meet mother Bear and discuss how we can learn from her healing medicine and protective spirit. Bears are one of the most powerful healing guides, and by painting her I believe we can bring her healing medicine into our heart and lives. We will experiment first how to create a textured, mixed media background, letting our creative muse come out and play. We complete the painting with oil pastel, creating a woman with the bear as her healing guide.

lesson 4 - empowerment

Last but certainly not least, we will call on the Dragon to bring strength, creative passion and magic back into our lives. The Dragon is an extremely powerful and mystical guide who will strengthen your connection with the spirit world and magic. She is a strong protector of Mother Earth and works closely with nature and it’s guides. This time we will be creating a dramatic background with watercolor as a base for our pastel. As I show you some of my favorite pastel techniques we create this magical painting of our warrior woman and her dragon. ?

bonus lesson

In this bonus video make an experiment of working with really cheap/bad quality oil pastels and/paper, sharing with you some tips and tricks on how to “make it work” and what to expect when working with these type of materials. I totally understand that many can’t afford expensive or artist grade materials, as I hadn’t either for many years. You’ll see how I want to throw it in the trash and just give up many times throughout the process. But I totally believe that we don’t always have to make a masterpiece!

• Getting familiar with both soft pastels and oil pastels

• Layering with pastel to create luminous skin tones

• Exploring both front and profile portraits in pastel

• Painting hands with soft pastel

• Discovering how to connect with our animal guides

• Exercises and techniques on how to read and tune into their messages

• Using texture and mixed media as a base for oil pastels

• Creating interesting and unique backgrounds

• Painting animals in detail with oil and soft pastel

• using additional elements of nature in our portraits to tell a visual story

• How to call on our power animals for guidance, direction and healing.

• How we can bring more magic into our lives and art

• Exploring different types of pastel media and pastel paper

• and much more…

Supply List

You don't have to go buying everything on the list. Many things might be substituted for materials you already have! Below is a list of tools I will be using, along with links…

• Oil pastels (I use Senneiler but you can totally use what you have)

• Soft pastels (I use a variety of Sennelier and Rembrandt, but please use what you can afford and have).

• Pastel pencils (just a few colors in light and dark shades, especially black and white).

• Pastel paper and a mixed media paper (for the third lesson). I use different ones for each lesson, it’s good to experiment with different papers and see what you like and prefer.) Some of the ones I used are Fabriano Tiziano in the cool shades, Pastelmat N.4, U-Art paper, and oil pastel paper from Sennelier but you can easily exchange this one with the mixed media or watercolor paper for this lesson.

• Texture paste or gel medium, and a sharp object like a pen or porcupine stick to scratch into the paste.

• Fluid acrylics or inks in warm colors for creating a background

• Stencils (optional)

• Acrylic paint brushes

• Blending stumps

• Paper towels, wet wipes, water jar

• Small palette for the inks or fluid acrylics

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This beautiful, self-published book has been carefully designed with the utmost care and intention. Each page is infused with vibrant color AND stunning imagery to ignite creativity and help build color confidence! Use the color palettes as a guide to your piece or utilize the many photo references for sketching and painting!

You are going to want to take this book with you on all your creative outings and adventures!