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Course Information
Course Instructor
GETTING STARTED
MATERIALS
SKILL BUILDERS
THE DEMOS!
AFTER THE PAINTING
THE WRAP-UP
PHOTO GALLERY
RESOURCE VIDEOS
What Others Have Said
Super
By: Barbara Read
I am not quite finished watching it all, but this has been absolutely the best course ever. I have been using pastels for awhile, but this course just added so much more and has helped my efforts in many ways. The course has also inspired me to make time to paint more. I love Gail’s enthusiasm and talk as she paints. Gail is truly an inspiring teacher. Thank you, Gail.
Just blown away!
By: Susan Strauss
I am an art instructor at a Connecticut state college. As a portrait artist, my strengths are representational drawing and painting. I had always used color literally and never thought outside the box. When I taught the Pastels class, I found that I could not inspire my students to capture what I most valued about pastel work - the glorious unapologetic color. I went in search of some answers. It was Gail's video about painting glass with bold primary colors underneath that first brought her work to my attention. That led me to Pastels 101. I have been blown away by what she has achieved in the program! I found that Gail tells what is most important about each topic. She doesn't miss a thing whether she is talking about choosing an easel or graying bright colors. She makes it clear she really wants you to benefit from her experience. She repeats the most important information whenever it is relevant. There is a tie-in between each “skill builder” and the demonstration. When it comes to the demos, she allows us into her head. I don't know of any artist who could describe her thinking while they are working as clearly. And the color! By embracing the values and vividly interpreting the hues, Gail Sibley glorifies everything she paints. She does all of this with great passion and in a most engaging manner. This project was definitely a labor of love. It is so clear that so much time was put into this project. I say with all candor, the Pastels 101 course exemplifies effective teaching. Thank you so much, Gail! Susan Strauss
Brilliant
By: Eddie New
I equivocated about buying this course since I couldn't start it right away and thought I knew a bit about pastel painting. Having completed the course I now know a lot more and have thoroughly enjoyed learning it. Gail is a terrific teacher and has put together a course which could not be more comprehensive. Her enthusiasm shines through in every video and if this course does not inspire you to get your pastels out and start painting you may want to check that you still have a pulse. I am sure I will refer the lessons again and again as I follow where my painting leads.
Money well spent
By: Brad Evans
By Brad Evans This course was exactly what I needed as an advanced beginner. The videos were entertainingly educational. The exercises were well designed and very much worth doing. I am glad to have the course at my finger tips for future use and review.
Money well spent
By: Brad Evans
By Brad Evans This course was exactly what I needed as an advanced beginner. The videos were entertainingly educational. The exercises were well designed and very much worth doing. I am glad to have the course at my finger tips for future use and review.
Clear demos, useful exercises and guaranteed learning
By: Joe Franklin
I just love Gail Sibley's enthusiasm! And sincere delight that another student/follower completed this very useful course. Every module had something useful but I found the ones that focused on how color works -- relative colors, greying down bright colors and how to choose first colors and eventually your palette were the most valuable for me. One exercise in lost and found edges turned into a small finished piece that I entered in a show and sold in April. I explained to the buyer it was really a color exercise on scrap paper, but she insisted on buying it. (It was framed for the show.) I know I am not finished with this course, there are topics that one viewing is not adequate for all the nuances. I will likely repeat many of the modules over the next couple of months. Thanks, Gail! Joe Franklin
A Course for all abilities
By: Barbie Gilliam
The 101 course is a fantastic development of skills for the pastel artist , cleverly created to cover a huge number of important aspects of pastel work , & Gail achieves this in her own vibrant and happy style . Each lesson is clearly illustrated & stands alone , but with the possibility of revisiting all sections, each aspect can be reinforced . I loved your rules of perception & little mantras to help us remember the sequence of a painting.... look , see , do .... to make us think about edges , values , thirds , and thumbnails . There are always new things to learn , & when expressed by someone else often the penny drops & we say “Ah ! now I get it !” Having been a decorator of faux finishes on furniture , walls , stone , beams , in fact on any surface , I have been delighted to discover how pastels can be used in similar ways to convey depth & the impression of texture . Gail’s build up of layers of colours - often starting with shades that appear to have nothing to do with the final images - provides subtle interest to subjects which may otherwise look flat . So , thank you Gail so much for keeping my inspiration for pastel work going ! Now I spend more time planning , choosing value colours , improving my mark making, & treat backgrounds as importantly as the subjects .... something with which I often struggle . Watching , & hearing your thought process whilst painting alongside you resulted in a pretty attractive pears picture , & I continue to apply the multi layered technique wherever possible .
A Course for all abilities
By: Barbie Gilliam
The 101 course is a fantastic development of skills for the pastel artist , cleverly created to cover a huge number of important aspects of pastel work , & Gail achieves this in her own vibrant and happy style . Each lesson is clearly illustrated & stands alone , but with the possibility of revisiting all sections, each aspect can be reinforced . I loved your rules of perception & little mantras to help us remember the sequence of a painting.... look , see , do .... to make us think about edges , values , thirds , and thumbnails . There are always new things to learn , & when expressed by someone else often the penny drops & we say “Ah ! now I get it !” Having been a decorator of faux finishes on furniture , walls , stone , beams , in fact on any surface , I have been delighted to discover how pastels can be used in similar ways to convey depth & the impression of texture . Gail’s build up of layers of colours - often starting with shades that appear to have nothing to do with the final images - provides subtle interest to subjects which may otherwise look flat . So , thank you Gail so much for keeping my inspiration for pastel work going ! Now I spend more time planning , choosing value colours , improving my mark making, & treat backgrounds as importantly as the subjects .... something with which I often struggle . Watching , & hearing your thought process whilst painting alongside you resulted in a pretty attractive pears picture , & I continue to apply the multi layered technique wherever possible .
What a great journey!
By: Marie Desy-Field
I came across Gail's course through Howtopastel group and bought it without hesitation. I've just finished it yesterday by following the demo by sections and painting at the same time and I am sad that I've already completed it. It is so full of very useful information and I have already gone back to some sections in order to 'revise' and I know that this course will be my reference. Gail has gone through everything there is to know about painting with pastels. What a great teacher she is. Her talent in communicating her enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Just When I Thought I Knew a Lot About Pastels!
By: Dianne Adams
When I first got into the course, I was thinking that I already knew a lot of the information given, and was hoping that I had not spent money on something that would not help me further my study of pastels. However, as time went on, I grew not only to love the course, but to also love Gail. She is such a thorough teacher who is funny, bright, cheerful and a great cheerleader! I just finished the course through watching all the lessons. Now I will go back through it, with all my videos and printed pdf's, and do the exercises. I'm anxious to put the knowledge to use! I am one of those with a busy life with family members..caretakers for both young and old; and I am not the most time organized person, but I hope to follow Gail's suggestion of painting a little each day. I've been inspired, so now I have to keep the inspiration going. Even though I may have liked some of the lessons to be combined rather than so many little things, maybe that's what kept things moving along. I look forward to seeing what I can do with Gail's help!