Beginners Soft Pastel Workshop
Original price was: £59.00.£49.50Current price is: £49.50.
13 in stock
Saturday 19th September 2026 – In person workshop – Marchwood, Southampton UK – more details below
Beginners Workshops Saturday 19th September 9.50am - 4pm
This one-day workshop is designed especially for beginners.
- No experience needed.
- No drawing skills required.
- No awkward “everyone else is better than me” feeling.
Just a calm, friendly day where I guide you step by step.
During the day you’ll learn:
- How to use both pastel sticks and pastel pencils
- How to blend colours beautifully
- How to layer pastel properly (without mud!)
- How to add simple details that create realism
In the morning:
We’ll create four mini seascapes together - warm sunsets, cool sunrises, learning colour blending and atmosphere in a really manageable way. These are small pieces, so you build confidence quickly.
In the afternoon:
We’ll pastel a detailed tiger’s eye together (and no, you don’t need drawing skills). You’ll be surprised how much you can achieve in just one day.
What’s included:
❤️ Learn soft pastel, step-by-step → You’ll always know what to do next, even if you’ve never done art before.
❤️ Specifically designed for beginners → No pressure, no embarrassment, just a clear, friendly process.
❤️ No drawing skills required → Reference photos plus an outline for tracing the tiger’s eye are included.
❤️ Gentle pace with a clear plan → Nobody gets left behind halfway through.
❤️ Finish 4 mini seascapes and a tiger’s eye in one day (10am–4pm) → You’ll go home genuinely surprised at what you’ve created.
❤️ Small group (max 12 people) → Real 1:1 help and support when you need it.
❤️ All supplies included → Just turn up and enjoy it, no shopping list, no guesswork.
❤️ Tea, coffee and biscuits → It feels warm and social, not formal and scary.
❤️ Free parking nearby → No stress before you even walk through the door.
❤️ Learn how to fix mistakes as you go → Pastel is wonderfully forgiving, and you’ll leave feeling more confident.
📍 Marchwood Church Hall, Marchwood, Southampton, Hampshire
Next to St John’s the Apostle Church
Postcode: SO40 4AZ
⏰ 9:50am–4pm
Bring:
- Lunch (shops nearby if you prefer to buy)
- Something to take your work home in - even a plastic bag will do if it’s raining
Terms:
No refunds but you can transfer your fee once. The whole fee if you cancel 10 days before the workshop or half your fee if you cancel at least 48 hours before the workshop.
Debbie Price (verified owner) –
A very interesting and informative workshop. Sue gives an excellent demonstration and provides help as required. She is also very patient and encouraging. I am a complete beginner to art, having no knowledge of soft pastels before this workshop and was amazed at what can be achieved at a fairly basic level. I am keen to now try a tutorial where I can go at my own pace as I am a bit on the slow side! I would also like to try another workshop in the future with perhaps just one project.
Katherine B (verified owner) –
A lovely day being creative!
I haven’t used pastels for many years, but having seen Sue’s wonderful work I wanted to have a try.
The atmosphere in the group was relaxed and friendly, as Sue lead everyone through the different mini-projects at a pace to suit all.
Learning the different techniques, and being able to explore a range of media was a bonus.
My confidence grew as we progressed and I was really happy with all of the finished pictures.
Thank You Sue for your patience and encouragement… now I need to have a go by myself!
Allison –
The Beginners Workshop is excellent. Sue paces the day so well with short, clear demonstrations to take us, step-by-step, learning and practicing techniques to build skills and confidence. I found the workshop really absorbing and was amazed at what I achieved under Sue’s expert guidance and encouragement.
Kate (verified owner) –
Had the most wonderful day learning a new skill. I have only ever really drawn in graphite as I studied design rather than art. I love drawing animals but again only ever in black and white. I saw Sue’s work on an advert and thought I wish I could make my work come to life not really knowing how to introduce colour. The day was spent with Sue explaining types of paper , the reasons behind using better quality paper. We used three different types of paper before moving onto pastelmat paper so we could understand the complexities of the art. We also learnt how to copy an image onto this type of paper in order to replicate an image we wish to draw, alongside of the technical info of how to start from the white of the tiger eye to the colours and water line, to adding the depth of black then fur and how to make hair and fur look real. I had the most informative and enjoyable day. If you love art and like me have never used this media I totally recommend this class. Really relaxing and rewarding. Looking forward to another.
Ann Clayton –
I signed up for this workshop having never used pastels. Thanks to Sue’s step by step instructions and encouragement,I managed to produce a number of seascapes and a tigers eye which I was really pleased with. The workshop was very relaxed,you don’t even have to be able to draw. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.
Andy Turnpenny –
You can read all about the different types of paper and qualities of pastels but there is nothing like being led through them by an expert and having the opportunity to try them all out and feel and see the difference. Probably saved me a fortune in wasted purchases! Sue is a great instructor and this was a well thought-out and very enjoyable day’s introduction. I never expected to achieve the results I did with the tiger’s eye project. Just downloading my next project from Sue’s excellent website!
Catherine Wood –
I found Sue’s Beginners Workshop super value not only in monetary terms, but the high level of tuition provided to all participants. This enabled everyone to achieve a number of seascapes and a tiger’s eye portrait to take away with them.
I gained much pleasure from the course and each stage was fully explained. I feel invigorated to retry the tiger’s eye again and certainly have no hesitation in recommending Sue’s courses which are run in a friendly, fun and professional manner.
Vie Portland (verified owner) –
I have always told myself that I’m not an artist, but I’ve always enjoyed doodling and having a go. I did Sue’s beginners workshop; I was really looking forward to it but happily told friends that I wasn’t expecting to be able to do the intended final piece.
Well, Sue makes magic happen! Not only did I create a tiger’s eye, I love it! It’s beautiful! I made art!
The class was relaxed, calming, and ever so enjoyable, and I highly recommend it!
Karen James –
Excellent! Never used pastels before. Total beginner but Sue showed me how I could achieve a really good picture and I am not an artist. I now love it and will definitely do more. Sue follows up with lots of help and advice with a fantastic guide and other free tutorials. Fabulous day. I had a real sense of achievement and was proud to show off my work when I got home.