Landscapes in Pastel

This event will be bookable on Monday 3 August 2026.

A five-week course exploring landscapes in pastels.

Beginning with an introduction to materials, colour confidence, and expressive mark-making, you will gradually build your understanding of layering, blending, texture and form using different types of pastels. Through guided exercises and demonstrations, you’ll learn how to capture different types of landscape.

As the course progresses, we will consider compositions, developing confidence in colour harmony, focal points and expressive backgrounds. You’ll learn:

• Handling and care of soft pastels
• Confident mark-making and expressive strokes
• Layering and blending techniques to create depth and luminosity
• Observing and simplifying shapes in the landscape
• Creating texture for flora, fauna and other elements
• Using colour contrast and harmony effectively
• Developing composition and focal points
• Adding highlights, shadows, and final refinements
• Presenting and preserving pastel artwork

In the final week we’ll complete a personal pastel artwork that reflects your individual style and growing technical ability.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a small body of work and a strong foundation in pastel techniques, along with the confidence to continue exploring this vibrant medium independently.

This is a relaxed and supportive group suitable for beginners and those with some experience seeking to enhance their technique using pastels.

About the tutor:

Tutor Nikki McCathie is an experienced arts practitioner who has been delivering creative workshops for over 10 years across the county. Nikki loves breaking down workshops into simple manageable steps to introduce beginners to new skills, materials and techniques.

Further information:

This five-week course will run on Monday mornings, 10am – 1pm, starting on 18 January, with the final session on 15 February 2027.

All materials and equipment will be provided. Please come in old clothes and/or bring an apron as pastels can get messy! We do have aprons to borrow if you prefer.

Participants must be aged 18+.

If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list – simply contact our box office team on 0116 252 2455 / arts-centre@le.ac.uk and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans!

Please ensure that you read and agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable if cancelled within 21 days of the start date for any reason.

We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you’d like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week.

We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.

Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road.

The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).