Oil Pastels 101: The Art of Holiday Cards w/Meadows and Skies

Nothing says the holidays like something handmade. In this festive workshop, you’ll learn the basics of oil pastels while creating your own one-of-a-kind holiday card—perfect for Christmas or any winter celebration.

Learn the Basics: We’ll cover simple oil pastel techniques—blending, layering, and adding fun textures—that work beautifully on smaller pieces like cards.

Festive Color Play: Explore rich reds, winter greens, snowy whites, and shimmering blues, plus tips on mixing and layering to get that holiday sparkle.

Design Your Own Card: Choose from seasonal themes like snowy landscapes, glowing ornaments, twinkling trees, or cozy winter scenes. You’ll have reference images for inspiration, but the design is all yours.

A Relaxed Holiday Vibe: Enjoy a warm, creative space with small groups, perfect for slowing down during the busy season.

No experience needed—just bring your holiday spirit! You’ll leave with a handmade card ready to share (or keep for yourself).

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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