Wildlife in Pastel with Angela Parr

Eyes, shiny beaks, feathers and fur – Learn how to achieve all those tricky bits in this Pastel course with Angela Parr.

About the course:

Learn how to create interesting compositions which also depict the structural accuracy and character of the creature you are painting.

Utilising all three forms of pastels (pans, sticks and pencils), you will learn how to prepare your paper to best ensure strong contrasts of light and dark, practise working “clean” to preserve your hard sharp edges, whilst also creating a 3-D effect with muted backgrounds. Feather shapes, fur clumps, eye reflections and beak shine will all be tackled, giving realistic form and fullness to your animal/ bird.

• Date: 30 – 31 May 2026
• Time: Saturday & Sunday 9.30am–4.30pm
• Location: NatureArt Lab, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, ACT

Learn Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
– Identify compositional ideas that make for an interesting artwork
– Competently prepare their paper/ board before pastel application
– Choose which methodology best suits a particular subject (i.e; overall attack,
fan-shaped attack or subject- first attack)
– Understand the natural direction and shapes of feathers and fur and paint
them accordingly
– Engage the viewer with the eye of the subject, through correct shape and
reflection techniques
– Anchor the subject in a pleasing and natural background.

Pre-requisites: This course is suitable for 16+ beginners with little to no painting experience.

Materials: $18.00 per student for Pastelmat sheets in A4 and A3 (light Grey) – Payable to the tutor.

A list of other materials will be sent upon enrolment.  Please check your JUNK and SPAM folders if you haven't seen this email within 2 days of enrolling. Any questions can be directed to info@natureartlab.com.au

About the tutor:

Angela Parr is an award-winning artist, who has been drawing and painting for as
long as she can remember. Since 2017, she has focused almost solely on Pastels,
utilising all forms, the Pan Pastel, the Pastel Stick and Pastel Pencils, owning literally
hundreds of each, to get “just the right shade” for her highly detailed, realistic
artworks.

Her achievements are impressive – a four-time finalist in the Holmes Prize for Realistic
Bird Art, a twice-finalist in both The WAMA (Where Art Meets Nature), and The
Waterhouse Natural Science and Art Prize, a three-time Honourable Mention and a 4 th
place in the coveted International Annual Pastel 100 Award, a twice finalist in the
Richeson 75 Animal Competition, three times People’s Choice winner in The Pastel
Society of Australia, twice Honourable Mention in The Pastel Guild of Europe, as well
as numerous other Honourable Mentions, Highly Commendeds, Distinctions and
People’s Choice awards, both nationally and internationally. She was also one of the
selected artists for Sir Quentin Blake’s 90 th  Birthday Bird Art Book.

After a solid career in secondary teaching, Angela went on to study Graphic Design as
well as Veterinary Nursing. As passionate about animals as she is her art, Angela’s
artworks reflect her life. African and Australian native animals and birds feature
strongly in her work. Her subjects tend to be both the “popular” ones as well as those
less well-known but in desperate need of recognition and often conservation. All
animals have dominated her work over the years, including precious pet portraits,
and she has also been known to delve into human portraits and landscapes from
time to time.

Angela’s artworks assist in the preservation of our native species, through public
awareness and by her donations to local wildlife charities, namely the Byron Bay
Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary, and the Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue.
She is a committee member of The Pastel Society of Australia (PSA), Society of Animal
Artists and a member of The Queensland Wildlife Art Society (QWASI).

NatureArt Lab Awards

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

Image by Angela Par