Pastel Portrait Class

NEW! NOVEMBER CLASS.

3 hour pastel study from life by Instructor

Since our October class filled up pretty quickly, and still had a lot of interest, we decided to do the class again in November ('26)!
New Class Dates:
Thursdays : Nov. 5, 12, 19 and Dec 3rd.
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Four Part Pastel Drawing Course

Thursdays, Nov. 5th, 12th, 19th, and Dec 3rd 2026
6:00 to 9:00 PM at Hipbone Art Studio.
4 Classes, in person.
Class will be limited to 10 students.
Instructor: Rodrigo Avila
https://www.avilaportraits.com/
Price: $225 for 4 classes
Fee covers all materials and model fees.

A four part introductory class focusing on
the pastel portrait from Life.
All skill levels are welcome including beginners.
In this class we will be learning a logical step by step approach to drawing a full color pastel portrait from life in one 3 hour session,
beginning with how to construct an anatomically accurate head, followed by a deep dive into the intricacies of light and shadow, the important role value plays in pastel work, and how to make the most of unique color possibilities pastel allows.
After this class students will have the knowledge and tools for a repeatable process when approaching the live portrait in pastel.
All Materials Provided: We will be working in soft and hard pastels (traditional chalk, not oil pastels). All necessary materials will be provided by the instructor including pastels, pencils and specialty papers. Model fees are included in the tuition but as always, we do encourage tipping our models.
Also, students are encouraged to bring their own pastel sets if they have them.
Week 1: Following a review of basic drawing precepts, students will be sculpting 3d portrait heads in plasticine to help fully understand the structure of the human head. We will also be working from screen images and doing a one session drawing with an emphasis on anatomy and structure, learning standard proportions and landmarks of the head as well as understanding guidelines to achieving a likeness.
Week 2: We will continue to work from screen images for this session, this time focusing on lighting and value, studying the planar break ups of the face, doing laying-ins, as well as working on composition and design of the page.
We will also go into materials, and processes specific to pastel work, and introduce techniques for applying pastels and color.
Week 3: We will continue to work on building a properly constructed and composed portrait but in this session we will be working from live models. Two models will be available to draw from and students will be completing two drawings (one of each model) in order to understand and get used to the process from beginning to end.
Week 4: For the final class, students will be doing two drawings, once again with two models. We will dedicate the entire time to drawing from the models Instructor will provide one on one instruction throughout.