Drawing with Oil Pastels: Fall Landscapes

As the air turns crisp and the leaves burst into vibrant hues, let’s capture the beauty of fall together! Join me for a cozy workshop where we’ll draw stunning autumn landscapes inspired by the brilliant fall colors across the U.S. Imagine the golden aspens of Colorado, the fiery reds and oranges of Vermont’s Green Mountains, or the rich, warm tones of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
What You'll Experience:
Explore Oil Pastels: Discover why oil pastels are the perfect medium for artists of all skill levels. They’re fun, easy to learn, and incredibly versatile, making them ideal for a short, focused workshop.
Learn the Basics: Start with the essentials—I'll guide you through different types of oil pastels, materials, and foundational techniques such as heavy and light pressure blending, layering, color mixing, gradient, and stippling.
Refresh Color Theory: Brush up on simple color theory to enhance your understanding and application of color in your artwork.
Create Your Own Landscape: After learning the techniques, you’ll dive into drawing your own fall landscape, using easy-to-intermediate reference pictures available in the classroom to guide you.
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 a love for creative discovery. Whether you’re new to oil pastels or looking to refine your skills, this workshop offers a warm, supportive environment to explore your artistic side.
Come celebrate the beauty of fall and create a masterpiece that captures the essence of the season. 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.
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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