Basic Soft Pastel Techniques and Materials, with Caroline Reid (NEW)

This course is an introduction to painting in the medium of soft pastels – oil paints without the oils. Learn all about the surfaces, techniques, mark-making methods and the many types of luscious pastels to begin your journey making nature-inspired artworks with soft pastel.

• Dates: 4 - 25 February 2026
• Day/Time: Wednesdays, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
• Location: NatureArt Lab, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, ACT
  
  If this course books out, please contact us if you would like to be added to a wait list for this or future classes. 

Course Description:

This course will cover the basics of starting your journey with soft pastels, including getting familiar with surface types, pastel types, using pastel with other media including watercolour, mark-making, basic studio practices to avoid dust and mud. You will try out various materials and techniques to build familiarity and confidence with the soft pastel medium. At the end of the class you can expect to produce a lovely landscape in soft pastel. 

Suitable for students who are total beginners and who wish to develop their start their soft pastel journey.

Materials List: A materials list will be provided well before the start of the first class.

Mandatory: Sennelier 40 Half sticks A L’ Ecu set (approx. $140). If you don’t arrive with this set you will not be able to do the exercises in this 4 week course.

NB: This course is for soft pastels NOT oil pastels

Learning Outcomes

• How to paint and draw with soft pastels.
• The history of soft pastels and pigments, including the famous artists who used them
• Knowledge of the range of soft pastels, surfaces and studio equipment used with soft pastels
• Ability to make a wide variety of marks with different soft pastels
• Knowledge of soft pastel surface media and what each can be used for
• How to plan a soft pastel painting project
• Finish a class landscape project using the techniques and materials we have learned about.

About the tutor:

“Love Where You Live”

Caroline Reid is a contemporary landscape artist based in Canberra. She draws deep inspiration from the rugged, semi-alpine terrain that surrounds her—flanked by mountain ranges to the east and west, and the Snowy Mountains to the south.

Though art has always been part of her life, Caroline spent many years working in science and industry policy, leaving little time to pursue a professional art career. It was through plein air painting that she reconnected with her creative practice, using it as a path to physical and emotional recovery, grounded in her profound care for the natural world.

For Caroline, the life force in nature is endlessly restorative. She is especially drawn to the wild beauty of Kosciuszko National Park and the remote areas of Namadgi National Park. There, the movement of water and the warmth of sunlight are more than just elements—they’re the vital energies that breathe life into the landscapes she paints.

Her work spans a variety of styles, from realism to impressionism, with a particular love for soft pastel and watercolour as her mediums of choice.

NatureArt Lab Awards:

• 2022, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Promoting Sustainability, ACT
• 2024, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Building Communities, ACT

Image credits: Caroline Reid