Pastel Painting - Figures in the Landscape

Workshop: Pastel Painting – Figures in the Landscape
Instructor: Jody Martin
Workshop Dates: Oct 14 – 15, 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 4 pm, daily

VAL Member: $275.00
Non-Member: $300 

Location: 

Lewisville Grand Theater

100 N. Charles St.

Lewisville, TX 75057

Use pastels to paint figures in a landscape!

In this workshop, students will be painting from their own reference photographs. 

Please bring two or three photographs you have taken. The photographs need a figure in an outdoor setting. Be sure the photographs are well-focused, and for the time consideration, keep your photographs simple.

If you don’t have any quality photographs, some will also be available in class. 

We will be focusing on the following:

• Toning your board for future paintings (In this workshop you’ll bring a commercially toned board)
• Planning your design for balance and center of interest
• Anatomy and proportions
• The element of space
• Color harmony 
• Use of darks and lights
• Simplifying your subject
• Edges
• Pastel techniques

Jody will do a demonstration at the beginning of the first day. The rest of the time students will be painting with Jody’s assistance. If time allows, there will be a critique at the end of day 2.

ADDITIONAL WORKSHOP DETAILS:

• 1 hour lunch. Sack lunches encouraged (or eat at nearby restaurant)

Refund & Cancellation Policy:

• If VAL must cancel for any reason, payment will be refunded.
• Full refunds granted 30+ days before the Workshop Start Date.
• No refunds granted less than 30 days before the Workshop Start Date.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Jody Martin is the daughter of the late Conny Martin, who had over thirty solo exhibits, taught painting across the state, served as president of the Lubbock Art Association three times, and was instrumental in the creation of the Louise Hopkins Center for the Arts. Jody’s father was C.B. Martin of Claude Martin and Sons, who built residential and commercial buildings throughout Lubbock and surrounding towns.

Jody is a graduate of Abilene Christian University, and went on to study painting under Hall of Fame artists, Daniel Greene and Emily Guthrie Smith. She values most the education she received from her mother, under whose tutelage she learned classical drawing and contemporary design. 

Jody is an IAPS Master Circle Artist (International Association of Pastel Societies) and a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, where she has exhibited in New York. Jody has won awards in national and international shows, including the Bronze Award in Pastel 100, Outstanding Pastel in the international Bold Brush Contest, Second Place in the Plein Air Salon Competition for Figure & Portrait, and Best of Show with the Austin Pastel Society.

Jody’s paintings have been published in Pastel Journal, Southwest Art, Plein Air, and Practique des Arts magazines,  Strokes of Genius, and multiple Richeson75 International books, as well as the Dallas Morning News.

She taught art at Rainwater Elementary in Carrollton, Texas for sixteen years where her 5th graders’ legacy mosaics are still on display. She’s passionate about teaching students of all ages to believe in themselves and to create from their hearts.  She now lives in Kyle, Texas with her husband, Jim, and is painting full time. She spends much of her time with her grandchildren who have been the inspiration for many of her paintings. For more information, visit https://www.jodymartinstudio.com/

SUPPLY LIST:

• Pastel Surfaces:
  I will provide two - 12x16 sheets.
  Bring cash to purchase your Pastel Premier Sanded Paper from me at my cost, $4.50/sheet. You will need 1 or 2, depending on how you work.
  If you already have 12x16 boards you want to use, that’s fine.
  They need to be medium-tone, medium grit. Please no dark colors. No pastel papers (too thin). There are other brands but I really like the way these hold the pastel.
  
   
• Pastels:
  We will use both hard and soft pastels. I recommend both if possible.
  Hard: I use Prismacolor NuPastel sticks.
  So: I use Schmncke, Sennelier, Grumbacher, Rembrandt, Great American Art Works, and lots of garage sale and hand-me-down pastels.
  * See my Pastel Supply List for Ideas 

• Extra Supplies:
  Flat bristle brush, approximately 1” or fan brush
  Apron or paint clothes
  paper towels
  Support Board: A smooth stiff board for taping/clipping your pastel surface to (like Masonite) 1 or 2 TV trays for pastels & supplies
  Portable Floor Easel (If you don’t have one, contact Marlene Outlaw to see if you can borrow one)

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:

• Gloves (I usually use powder-lined) Cushioned Mat for standing on concrete floor
• Wet wipes
• Clamps 
• Hand mirror
• paint brush for “erasing”
• Masking tape 
• Rubbing alcohol
• Plastic container with lid (cream cheese size works great - any wide-mouth container for your rubbing alcohol) 
• Cell phone for taking pictures of the model & your painting
• Mahl Stick - for steadying your hand while painting details
  (You can make one with a 3’ dowel rod, cotton padding, a very small cloth, and a piece of string.) 

To purchase a mahl stick, a good source is:

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-paints/painting-supplies/mahl-sticks/professional-mahl-stick
 

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/aluminum-mahl-stick