Trees in Pastel

Study and Expression
An Online Pastel Workshop
with Marla Baggetta

What YOu'll

Learn

What's Included

Assignment 1: Outdoor Sketching
Study and Observation

Find a comfortable spot that appeals to you. Relax and take in the moment. Find the tree or grouping of trees you want to draw.

Assignment 2: Character Studies
Silhouette + Gesture

Gather together your reference photos or better yet go on location! You can also use some the references I’ve provided for some or all of your studies. That’s up to you.

Assignment 3: Cut Paper
Values + Mass

When we are painting we are paradox dancing. We need to see things with innocent eyes, as though we don’t know what a single thing is; not a tree or a leaf or a blade of grass. Try to see only shape, value and color and interpret these in the simplest possible terms.

Assignment 4: Seasons
Making Poetry

I always get excited about painting in the fall. There is such an explosion of color! It seems as though everywhere you look there are layers of glowing foliage and you see trees in your neighborhood that you don’t notice any other time of year! So, I’m going to start in fall and work my way through the seasons.

Assignment 5: Beyond Greens
Pushing and Inventing

I love to paint outdoors in the summer here in Oregon. There is one problem; so much GREEN! It can get downright boring. So let’s get a deeper view into greens and see if we can make some sense of them and make them a bit more exciting.

Assignment 6: The Master
Edgar Payne

I selected Edgar Payne for our assignment because he was an amazing painter! But particularly the way he massed foliage clusters together.

Assignment 7: Putting It Together
A Sense of Place

We’ve spent a number of weeks studying and painting a revered subject that is near and dear for most of us. For our final assignment, find that special location that you’ve been wanting to paint. Take some time with your choice

Assignment 8: Drawing Focus

This exercise has two parts. For the first part you’ll be creating a tree from your imagination and the second part, you’ll be drawing a tree from direct observation, using either photo reference or a real tree model!

PDF - Instructional Guide

Follow along with beautifully made step-by-step instructional PDF guide written and produced by Marla.

All About 

Trees in Pastel

I’m pleased to bring you this in-depth workshop, “Trees in Pastel”! For this workshop, think of yourself as naturalist/artist. Think John Muir and Ansel Adams! Let yourself be enchanted by the diversity and magnificence of trees!

I live in the Northwest where we’re surrounded by an almost infinite variety of types of trees. Out my kitchen window is a layered backdrop of distant pines and cedars. Not far from my house is a bustling downtown with city blocks lined with heritage trees and just a bit farther afield one can walk amongst old growth forests filled with majestic pines and redwoods.

As I worked on this class I gained a greater appreciation for the region that I live in! Everywhere I go, I’m surrounded, supported and in awe of the beauty and power of trees! Without trees our landscape is not just uninviting, we wouldn’t have oxygen, shelter or shade naming just of few of the things trees provide for us. Trees are imbued with personality and gesture. They are enigmatic, elusive, yet rooted as individual living beings.

Artists have a special appreciation of their dignity, scale and role in the environment and in landscape painting. They are the most personal objects in the landscape and most related to us as we live amongst them and they us, different from the vast sky or distant mountains. They are right here!

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Testimonials

What People Say

Marla has hundreds of satisfied students

“I have had people telling me that they can see a huge improvement in my art in the past year and I have you to thank for that. When I signed up for the pastel lessons I told you that I needed someone to help me to the next level. Thanks for helping me.”
Doug
California
"[Marla is] very attentive, to subject at hand with lots of great examples. I find Marla’s teaching approach relaxing direct and pragmatic. I like the fact, that resources are also provided in terms of books. Also, I like having a syllabus with materials and learning objectives, that were provided with my online course."
Denise
Chicago, Illinois
“Making marks, shadows, how to use the pastels to blend. Oh my gosh I could go on. Marla is thorough in explaining. In a live or online class and the critique , she understands that each person is at a different place and makes you feel comfortable where you are so she can really help you move forward on your journey.”
Valerie
Michigan
"I learned to be loose and expressive with my mark making. Marla's structured classes with handouts, video instruction and examples, various exercises as building blocks for the following projects, place to submit works in a student gallery and classmate critiquing all contribute to a wonderful and enjoyable way of learning."
Berdine
Boise, Idaho

As featured in many art books and journals

Marla’s talent, passion and educational focus has not gone unnoticed by the art community at large. She is also a sought after speaker and educator whose number one goal is to pass on her own knowledge and practice of beauty and joy to as many people as possible, including YOU!

Meet Your Teacher

Who is Marla Baggetta?

Marla is an incredibly talented fine artist who works with galleries throughout the US. Every year she travels the globe teaching workshops, speaking at art events to inspire other painters.

Recently she launched a new website to the public with the purpose of helping thousands of struggling artists to succeed.

FAQ

Any Questions?

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