The “M.A.P Approach” helps you gain confidence with your pastel paintings, overcome the fear of messing up, and add LIFE, EXPRESSION & BOLDNESS to your artwork without simply copying what you see!
Few pastel artists understand the reasons why they’re still struggling to create successful pastel paintings.
But don’t worry…
Here you’ll discover insights that could solve your frustrations for good…
…including a simple-to-follow method to help you produce attention-grabbing pastel paintings consistently.
You see, most pastel artists:
- Rely too heavily on the reference photo and don’t know how to make the RIGHT decisions that would lead to a far stronger painting…
- Jump into the painting too quickly and don’t make time to plan for the outcome they want…
- “Decorate” their paintings too soon without building a solid foundation before adding details…
Those are the causes that lead to a bad pastel painting.
Other challenges you’ve probably encountered include, but may not be limited to:
- Copying the reference photo instead of interpreting it like an artist…
- Getting “lost” and not knowing how to move forward, leading to a bad painting…
- Colors look chaotic or dull and muddy, with nothing to excite the viewer…
- Overworking the painting and not knowing when to finish…
If you can relate to the above, I have good news for you.
There’s an extremely simple way that anyone can follow to consistently create successful pastel paintings like clockwork…
It’s called the “M.A.P. Approach.”
Why the “M.A.P Approach” works so well is because it effectively removes all the problems mentioned above.
It’s also designed to help you:
- Gain the CONFIDENCE to create successful pastel art almost every time…
- OVERCOME the fear of failing in your painting because you now have a simple step-by-step approach to follow…
- Add LIFE, EXPRESSION & BOLDNESS to your pastel painting and not feel you’re compelled to copy everything you see…
The “M.A.P. Approach is designed by Karen Margulis, a terrific instructor and pastel artist.
Inside this instructional video, Karen will showcase the versatility and vibrancy of the pastel medium and prove to you that YOU can easily create artwork like her.
She’s going to share mind-blowing insights that will allow you to paint with MORE EXPRESSION and confidence.
You’re going to discover tips and techniques that will help you interpret your reference material rather than simply copying it.
Karen will break down complicated concepts into simpler, easy-to-grasp info nuggets…
…and make the entire painting process approachable with step-by-step instruction.
This video is PERFECT for you if:
- You want to LOOSEN UP and be more free with your references…
- You want to have more interesting colors and move away from using only local colors…
- You have a “fear of the blank canvas” and aren’t sure where to start…
- You aren’t sure when to stop and finish a painting…
- You want to explore the pastel medium and want to try UNUSUAL underpaintings
Even if you’re NOT into pastel…
…the lessons Karen shares can definitely improve your skills and expand your creative mind!
A Challenge for Pastel Artists … Are You Ready?
Karen is going to challenge you and push you to try NEW approaches with pastel.
You’re going to paint wildflowers … a meadow filled with a tangle of weeds … grasses … trees … all under the light of the setting sun.
You’ll learn how to capture the glowing light … how to ADD TEXTURE the right way with pastel…
…and most importantly, how to interpret reference material and tell a better story.
You’ll also discover tips and tricks to INVITE the viewer in and have them participate in your artwork… this is one skill you do NOT want to miss.
You’ll learn how to give viewers just enough interest so they’ll have something to play with by balancing the MYSTERY and DETAIL in your paintings.
What Does “M.A.P.” Stand For?
“M.A.P.” stands for Motivation, Action Plan, and Pre-Selection.
You’ll discover what MOTIVATES you to paint, and how to decide on the story you want to tell…
You’ll learn how to have an ACTION PLAN (like value thumbnails, paper size, orientation, underpainting strategies, etc.)
And finally, you’ll learn how to PRE-SELECT your pastel palette, and how to avoid “color chaos.”
Using that approach, you will have confidence that your pastel painting will turn out successful.
The “M.A.P. Approach” gives you MORE freedom, allowing you to play with color and mark-making and be more expressive.
It also helps you use your artistic license to tell a better story, almost guaranteeing you’ll create successful pastel paintings every time!
Pastel Techniques From an Award-Winning Artist!
Karen will share techniques and tips like:
- How to build texture with pastel painting (including tricks to punch up the texture and add depth to your painting)…
- How to work on a thickly textured surface..
- The “Light-Touch” layering technique…
- The “Whisper Vs. Shout” technique…
- How to use a punch list for making the important finishing marks…
- How to CONTROL & ORCHESTRATE the visual journey for the viewer…
- How to get MORE expression with pastel by taking advantage of its immediacy and versatility…
- Alcohol wash underpainting technique (and the addition of texture with clear gesso and pastel ground)...
- How to create depth and texture and the feeling of light in the painting…
- …and so many more career-making painting secrets!
Here’s a small taste of what’s insideExpressive Pastel Painting: Loosen Up and Be More Bold:
- Karen Margulis’s COMPLETE pastel painting process, plus the full walkthrough of her genius "M.A.P. Approach"...
- How to STOP blindly copying the reference photo and start interpreting it like an artist...
- Secrets to adding TEXTURE with pastels (even experienced artists struggle with this; you’ll get the shortcut inside)
- How to AVOID making your colors look dull and muddy, and simple methods to add EXCITEMENT for the viewer…Techniques to help you be LOOSER with your approach...
- Tips on mark-making that will improve your painting almost instantly…How to take FULL advantage of the pastel medium so you can be more creative and exploratory (painting will be extremely fun after this!)
- How to have MORE interesting colors in your painting (time to move away from using only local colors!)
- How to overcome the fear of the blank canvas, and the surprisingly simple strategy to know exactly where to start…
- How to know your painting is complete (you'll LOVE Karen's thoughts on this)
- How to tap into your inner creativity with the pastel medium and explore UNUSUAL underpaintings...
- How to capture “glowing light,” how to work on thickly textured surfaces, and how to do underpainting correctly...
- Karen’s award-winning techniques on how to balance the MYSTERY and detail in your paintings to grab and hold the viewer’s attention...
- How to use your ARTISTIC LICENSE to tell a captivating story (collectors and dealers WANT to see this) ...
- Simple ways to punch up the texture and add DEPTH to your pastel paintings…
- Pro-level insights on how to CONTROL & ORCHESTRATE the visual journey for the viewer...
- PLUS: Karen’s unique techniques like the “Light Touch” layering technique and “Whisper Vs. Shout” technique (more inside!)
- …and so many more insights and painting wisdom that will speed up your progress!
EXPRESSIVE PASTELS UNIQUE TEACHINGS FROM KAREN:
- How to paint a landscape in glowing, evening light
- Alcohol wash underpainting technique
- Adding texture to your surface with clear gesso and pastel ground)...
- How to take advantage of a limited color palette
- How to experiment with colors that go beyond the local color
Chapters
- Introduction
- Setting the Stage
- Materials and Tools
- The Planning Stage
- Underpainting Part 1: The Wash
- Underpainting Part 2: Texture
- Pastel Layering Part 1: The Darks
- Pastel Layering Part 2: Adding the Sky & Creating Depth
- Pastel Layering Part 3: Putting Down the Dirt
- Evaluating the Painting
- Resolving the Painting
- Interview with the Artist
