Drawing with Oil Pastels: DIY Christmas Tree w/Meadows & Skies

Celebrate the magic of Christmas by drawing a keepsake of your Christmas tree, so it can stay with you all year long! Whether you want to capture the beauty of your own tree or choose your favorite type of tree, this workshop is all about creating a wonderful Christmas memory through art.
What You’ll Experience:
Explore Oil Pastels: Dive into the world of oil pastels—an ideal medium for artists of all skill levels. Oil pastels are fun, easy to learn, and incredibly versatile, making them perfect for a short, festive workshop.
Learn the Basics: I'll guide you through the essentials—understand different types of oil pastels, and master techniques like heavy and light pressure blending, layering, color mixing, gradient, and stippling.
Refresh Color Theory: Enhance your artwork by refreshing simple color theory approaches that will bring your Christmas tree to life with vibrant colors.
Create Your Own Keepsake: After learning the techniques, you’ll create a drawing of your Christmas tree (or any tree you love), using easy-to-intermediate reference pictures available in the classroom. If you want to draw your own tree, please remember to bring a reference picture.
Collaborative Environment: Participants will sit in small, cozy groups of 2-4, sharing sets of oil pastels for a collaborative and enriching experience.
No previous experience is required—just bring your enthusiasm and holiday spirit! Whether you're new to oil pastels or looking to refine your skills, this workshop offers a warm, supportive environment to create a piece of art that captures the joy of the season.
Come celebrate Christmas with me and leave with a beautiful keepsake that will remind you of this special time all year long. I can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

Ilgi Toprak is a native of Istanbul living in Washington, DC. She is trained as an architect, with intensive art and sketching coursework. She views being creative as more than a pursuit but a way of life. That is why, in 2020, she created a piece of art every day and started the Instagram account Meadows & Skies. She finds joy in translating the everyday beauty of nature using oil pastels. Through her artwork on Meadows & Skies, she focuses on capturing fleeting moments like sunsets and sunrises. One of her sunrise drawings is featured in SHE:DC in 2024. She teaches oil pastel classes at Shop Made in DC and in Shop Made in VA.
Ilgi is a design educator with ten years of university-level design teaching experience in Turkey and the Netherlands. She specializes in teaching architectural design studio and basic design courses that involve practical demonstrations of design techniques and concepts, hands-on experience and guidance in studio setting. She holds a Ph.D. in architecture and is currently a researcher in urban studies.

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