Last Sunday I did a workshop at the
Light Factory in Eltham. It was run by Lynne Lund, and was advertised as a 'fun class in which to learn about a variety of mediums'. There were only five students, which was good for us because we all got more individual attention than if there had been more people.
Lynne spent the morning demonstrating how to use oil, watercolour, acrylic and pastels, then we had to make up our mind which medium to use to paint a picture in the afternoon.
I chose pastels along with another student, as I've had very little experience with them and wanted to learn more. The other girls chose various paint mediums. Lynne set up a still life of white flowers in a blue and white vase, against a black background. She wanted us to stick to one or two colours, to make it simple, but I found it very difficult using pastels, so she suggested that I bring more colours in to my work. After an hour struggling to draw something that resembled a vase of flowers, and failing miserably, I called it quits, and turned to oil paint. Within half an hour I'd done a painting using just one colour, and everybody was most impressed! But I was able to achieve that because I'd previously had classes in the technique.
The other girl who was using pastels was also having a hard time of it, and I said to her my pastels were going straight to the opshop next week as I can't see myself using them again! Lynne overheard me and said 'Don't give up so soon! If you took some more classes which focussed only on pastels, you would probably find it easier and more enjoyable". She's right, and I was only joking about taking them to the opshop, as I would like to have another go with them, as I really like the effect of pastel drawings in art shows.
I like water colour too, and failed in my attempts using that last year, but want to try again. Maybe next year I'll find some classes where I can focus on learning those two mediums. Not one day workshops - a six or eight week course is much better.
