Understanding Colour Temperature
Friday, 8 September 2023
Painting Workshops & Retreats
with Gail Sibley
Upcoming Schedule
2024
Tuscany
28 October - 5 November 2024
8-day workshop in November at the Villa Nobile in Tuscany! The workshop will be a combo of sketching on location, pastel technique in the studio, and how to take your sketches and photos to create successful studio paintings. This makes it different from a full-blown painting en plein air workshop.
2025
Costa Rica
2025 - To be determined
There’s a possibility of another trip in 2025 with Martine, the fab organizer of our Costa Rica Art Retreat. Let me know if you’re at all interested!!
Santa Fe, New Mexico
2025 - To be determined
We’re working on setting this up with Bluebird Studios!! If you’re interested, do drop Beth an email to let her know! And let me know too please!
Past Events
Australia (Melbourne & Gold Coast)
Gold Coast 4-8 March 2024
Melbourne 10-14 March 2024
I will be teaching TWO five-day workshops on mainland Australia (Gold Coast and Melbourne) with Artable
New Zealand
23-27 February 2024
This workshop in New Zealand is now SOLD OUT
Cornwall School of Art - 3-day workshop
3-5 July 2023
Introduction to painting en plein air painting with soft pastels. We will explore the process of painting on location, from how to choose what to paint, to simplifying the scene, to working up a thumbnail. From there you will block in the big shapes, and move towards a completed painting. Along with plein air work, there will be some in-studio practice which will include looking at pastel application and layering, making colour studies, and reviewing linear perspective. There will be plenty of one-on-one attention throughout the workshop.
Yorkshire Dales
14-22 June 2023
Painting en plein air is all about being in the moment, documenting the view, yes, but also capturing the feeling of being where you are. And this means letting go of perfection! This location is new to me so we will be discovering it together. I’ll be with you to guide you, one-on-one, through the ups and downs of painting on location. Sooo exciting!
ICAN (Pastel Artists Canada Bi-Annual Conference)
31 May - 4 June 2023
- a one-day workshop all about layering for luminous paintings
- a three-hour workshop on how to critique your own paintings
- a two-hour demo on colour studies
Pastel Live Online
18 - 20 August 2022
This online event was wonderful 4 day event that had many great pastel artists share thier knowledge. One of my sessions was on materials for pastel painting and the second session was a fantastic look at painting still life. It was a blast!
IAPS Convention - Albuquerque, New Mexico
June 2022
Gail balances her art practice with creating content for her well-respected blog ‘HowToPastel’ and her online art membership IGNITE! She loves to travel and combines that with her love of teaching, offering workshops worldwide. Her pastels and accompanying instruction are featured in the book ‘Artist’s Drawing Techniques.’
TUSCANY
May 2022
During this 10-day workshop, our focus will be working from life. Much of our time together will be spent painting outdoors on location but since we are lucky enough to have a studio on site, we’ll also spend some time there too.
We’ll go through the process of creating a painting en plein air step-by-step, from choosing what you’re going to paint, to simplifying the scene, to drawing up a thumbnail (a getting-to-know-you tool which also shapes a value pattern for your painting as well as a good composition), to blocking in the big shapes as an
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Favorite Tutorials
Working in a Series – Unlocking Creative Potential for Artistic Growth
Friday, 1 September 2023
Adding Figures To Your Landscape
Saturday, 10 June 2023
A Painting of Mother and Son with Miró (Gallery Goers Series)
Thursday, 11 May 2023
Playing With Colour To Create Unique and Bold Paintings
Friday, 7 April 2023
The Making Of “Black Hats” – From Concept To IAPS Exhibition
Friday, 31 March 2023
Find Something To Paint En Plein Air Every Time!
Friday, 24 March 2023
My Painting Is Finished! Or Is It?
Friday, 7 October 2022
Latest Edition
How To Choose Different Value Options For Thumbnails
Friday, 31 May 2024
We’re often told to try different value options when creating thumbnails of a subject. But how do we do that? Gail spills the beans!
Guest Artists
Alan Flattmann – A Sense of Place
Friday, 26 June 2020
Alan Flattmann is one of those pastel artists whose work I’ve known since the days I really started to get into soft pastels. I included one of his evocative New Orleans paintings in one of
Vianna Szabo On Making Your Pastel Palette Work for You
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
I first met Vianna Szabo at the 2013 International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) Convention. I was doing short interviews and I asked her what got her into her studio everyday. (You can see her
Lyn Diefenbach – Revealing The Complexity Of The Natural World
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
I met Lyn Diefenbach at this year’s IAPS convention. I had featured her self-portrait in one of my monthly roundups and admired the detailed complexity of her work for some time so I looked forward to
Arlene Richman – Abstract Painter At Heart
Monday, 20 April 2015
I’ve been following the work of Arlene Richman for sometime now. I remember when I first came across her work – it was a pastel of abstracted chair patterns. Recently she’s been doing abstracts full
Susan Story – Painting the Spirit of Trees
Friday, 29 January 2021
I’ve always loved trees and that love has grown over the years. So it makes sense that I’m drawn to and fascinated by artwork of trees. Susan Story is an artist who focuses on these
Mark Price – Imagination Is Your Most Important Tool!
Friday, 22 July 2022
I remember the day I was going through Instagram (it may have been Facebook?) and I was stopped mid-scroll by an unusual and colourful painting. The painting happened to be by Mark Price. It was
Michele Poirier Mozzone – From Below The Surface
Friday, 19 July 2019
I love swimming. I love the feel of my body sliding through the water. I love the world below the water and the distortions in line, shape, and colour it creates. When I first saw
Judith Leeds – Capturing The Person Behind The Pose
Friday, 11 August 2023
Judith Kazdym Leeds’s journey from creating over 3,000 book covers to painting in pastels and oils.
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Gail Sibley
Artist. Blogger. Teacher.
My love of pastel and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about pastel inspired the creation of this blog. It has tips, reviews, some opinions:), and all manner of information regarding their use through the years – old and new. Please enjoy!
15 thoughts on “Workshops and Retreats”
Hi Gail,
I am interested in updates/info. Concerning your 2018 plein air France workshop. I am a relatively new follower of yours and just love what I’ve seen and learned thus far. Thank you for your willingness to share your abundant knowledge.
Fondly,
Elliott West
Hi Elliott,
Thanks for your kind words.
As to the 2018 workshop, it may be in Spain as I just love the look of the accommodation and the setting (which is new to me). Will that make a difference? http://frenchescapade.com/painting-tours-teacher-gail/
Nothing is confirmed yet and I do LOVE the Provence region of France so… Let me know!
Gail
Hi Gail,
Thanks for the reply. I would be happy in France or Spain. I’ll trust your judgement on which is best. Please keep me updated.
Elliott West
Wonderful Elliot – I will!
Hi Gail,
I enjoy your work and website. As an old Guy I don’t do international travel any longer but
I live in Comox on Vancouver island . Are you planning any workshops here on the Coast ?
Chris Carter
Hi Chris,
Good to hear from you and know you are enjoying my stuff 🙂
I did just offer a workshop at Peninsula Gallery. The answer to your question is yes, I’d like to. Is there anyone else up your way who would be interested in a workshop? It would be great to offer a workshop in Nanaimo/Comox Valley region!
I live in Calgary so i would LOVE a workshop in the West Coast!
Or why not Calgary itself? Banff is very close and we have some amazing parks / downtown area / rivers (2), historic village and fort to paint in town. I can help organize it if you need assistance with that…
Patricia, let’s do it!! Your help to organize something either in Calgary or Banff will make it happen. Please email me!
I do have the occasional workshop out here on the west coast – sometimes on Salt Spring Island.
I don’t live in Canada but would love to take from you somewhere, I subscribed to how to paint pastels.com earlier and have watched you on you tube. I love your work.
Thanks so much Hannah!! You don’t say where you live but my hope is to do workshops all over the world. As a subscriber, you’ll be the first to know where I’ll be teaching next. A number of possibilities in the cards!
I’m looking forward to more information regarding the way the art holiday in Tuscany will be organized by Raffaele. I spent 10 days with Raffaele when he was the tour director for an Art Safari holiday I took in Malta. He is very conscientious and concerned about his clients and is also lots of fun to be around. Tuscany, pastels and Gail …..great combo
Many thanks Joyce for sharing your own positive experience on an art tour with Raffaele. I am excited to be doing this painting holiday workshop with his company! Hoping from what you’ve said that I’ll see you there! Whoo hoo!
At this point we don’t have a clear itinerary for the 10-days but Raffaele emailed me a generic 7-day one which will give you an idea. So email me and I’ll send it on.
Thanks Gail
I’d like to see the generic 7 day itinerary that Raffaele sent you.
I am interested to know about the travel arrangements within the holiday as
I sometimes find getting around in mini buses can be difficult for me. Perhaps all such considerations will be ironed out nearer to the time. Sure sounds tempting!
Joyce, I’ll send you the itinerary. I’ll also let you know more in November when Raffaele will have time to focus on getting the info up on his website. Thanks for your interest and patience. Hope to see you in Tuscany!