Paramount Center for the Arts

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday November 14, 9am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Drawing Pet Portraits in Pastel Pencil Drawing your pet is easier than you think! Create a “head and shoulders” portrait of your pet from one of your own photos with the forgiving medium of pastel pencils—they’re easy to control and easy to layer.

The workshop will feature best practices and a demonstration in the morning session with hands-on student work in the afternoon. Students will learn how to transfer an initial drawing to pastel paper and how to build pet fur effects in a step-by-step process. Attention will be paid to drawing accuracy and rendering light effect.

Reference Photo: Please plan to bring a high-quality reference photo. Make sure it’s a full-size, full-color hard copy photo of your pet that shows the head and neck as we’ll be doing a one-to-one transfer. Be sure the photo has a head size of 4 to 5 inches to give you plenty of room to work. Look for a photo that shows good light and shadow on the fur. from. Look for a photo that is sharp and clear and shows light and shadow on your animal well.

Materials List, please also bring the following:
• Notebook and pen/pencil for taking notes.

• Soft Vine Charcoal and a small brush with fairly stiff bristles.

• A kneaded eraser and a hard white eraser.

• The easiest papers to use for this technique are smooth-finish pastel/charcoal papers or fine-grit sanded papers like Clairefontaine Pastelmat, Sennelier La CartePastel Card, or Ampersand Pastel-bord (choose 800 grit or higher).

Tinted papers work best such as light gray or tan to medium gray.

Make sure the surface of the paper is smooth and not too bumpy—AVOID felted papers that have chicken-wire like dents, or laid finishes that have line-like texture.

• A large piece of tracing paper roughly 4 inches larger than the size you want your final drawing to be.

• A few sheets of economical sketching paper, 14” x 18” or so, (to protect your drawing)

• Masking tape or clips to secure your paper.

• A large drawing board, if possible.

• A very sharp hand pencil sharpener (these dull very quickly so a new one for this class is must). Pastel leads are very soft and fragile.

• A small drawing board and tabletop easel, and a dust tray made of stiff paper or split paper towel cores to put under drawing board.

• Please bring an assortment of Pastel pencils in the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel brand

Please bring light, medium, and dark values in the following colors:

Black/Grays/White are a must!

Browns/Tans/Golds

Rose/Mauve/Pinks/Purples

Red/Oranges/Peach

Blue: Deep/Medium/Light

Deep Magenta

Dark and Med Green

Studio Practices- What to Expect While You Are Creating with Us!

The Paramount Center for the Arts welcomes all people to the Studios with the expectation of inclusion and respect towards all, including yourself, fellow students, instructors, staff and volunteers.

Instructor Prep Time: Please allow your instructor time to prepare your classroom; if you arrive more than 15 minutes earlier than the class start time, please explore one of our onsite exhibition spaces or wait in the Lobby in the Visual Arts Department.

Cleaning: Please help keep the Studios a welcoming space by cleaning up your area before departing the building.

Food and Beverage: The Visual Arts Department offers a Lobby Area for students and instructors to enjoy food and beverages. There is an onsite microwave and refrigerator, along with vending machines. For your safety, we ask that you please do not eat in any of the Studios.

Ceramics Studios: To ensure the appropriate firing temperatures and to protect the kilns, all clay must be purchased through the Paramount Center for the Arts, no outside clay bodies or glazes should be introduced to the Studios. If you have any questions about clay and glazes, please connect with our Ceramics Technician.

Supplies and Materials: For the safety and wellbeing of all visitors to the Paramount, we ask that materials that are used in the studios are the recommended brands and grade, as described in the materials list, or are approved by Paramount Staff.

Open Studio Access: Ceramic Artists are welcome and encouraged to utilize the Studio outside of class. September to May Studio availability is Monday through Wednesday 10am-9pm and Thursday through Saturday 10am-4pm, when classes are not in session. Please check the calendars posted outside the Pottery and Handbuilding Studios to see when studios are open and available for use!  

Weather Closures:  In the event of severe weather, the Visual Arts Department will update the phone messages on the Information Desk (320) 257-3125, announce closures on the Paramount website homepage, and will communicate via email to any students whose class meeting time is impacted by the closure.

Accessibility Statement: The Paramount Center for the Arts welcomes all guests, artists and patrons alike, and affirms our commitment to offering programming and services that are accessible to all. 

The Paramount welcomes comments and suggestions about how we might continue to improve our programs and services for visitors with disabilities and is committed to improve experiences for every patron.

Please contact our Box Office, to offer feedback or make requests: BKing@paramountarts.org  or call  320-257-3127.