$250.00
Soft Pastel Exploration with Kay Brathol-Hostvet
American Legion
113 S. Park Pl., Cresco, Iowa 52136
United States
Laura Ostrem
[email protected]
641-295-2825
Registration is now open for this workshop
with instructor Kay Brathol-Hostvet
Soft Pastel Exploration: Intermediate to Advanced Levels
Friday-Saturday, October 9-10, 2026, 9-4 each day
Location: Cresco American Legion, 113 S. Park Pl, Cresco, IA
REGISTER HERE
Registration is limited to Iowa Pastel Society members only. You do not need to be an Iowa resident to join the IPS. Please check the membership list on this website to confirm you are a current member; if not, please join first, then come back to this registration page to register for the workshop.
Cancellation and refund policy: You may cancel for a full refund less Paypal fees by September 8 (30 days prior to the workshop). If you cancel on September 9 or later, we cannot provide a refund unless there is a waitlist and someone takes your place.
Challenge yourself to take the next step in pastel. This workshop is geared toward those who have already taken introductory pastel workshops, are fairly accomplished and comfortable with the medium, and have competent drawing skills. Several projects will increase technical skills; learn how various application techniques, paper, and color palette choices profoundly influence the final look and feel of your work. We will also focus on our creative skills—the consideration of composition and design to create meaningful content—in developing your images. Projects will be done from life, your imagination, and your photographic references. I do not simply teach students to paint as I do; I encourage you to develop your own style by showing you many options!
You are required to have an assortment of both hard and soft pastels (see recommended brands list). I am also asking you to bring specific papers. I will be giving you a very thorough handout and providing the papers/supports for several projects. Please bring $15 cash or a check made to Brathol-Hostvet Studio for those materials. I usually have extra papers and some individual sticks of Rembrandts and NupasteIs on hand to sell at cost, as well. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. I look forward to spending two colorful and creative days with you!
SUPPLY LIST
REQUIRED
1) Hard pastel sticks, 36 different colors minimum; bring more if you have them
2) Soft pastels, 36 different colors minimum; bring more if you have them (do not bring oil pastels, Craypas, or cheap and dusty student-grade pastels)
3) Workable Fixative Spray (Krylon, Lascaux, or Blair) Note: not a finish fixative!
4) Masking tape, ordinary beige
5) Small tray to hold your chosen palette of colors while working (old cake pan, pastel box lid, etc)
6) Clean rags or washcloths in a zip-lock bag for finger clean-up
7) Pencil and small sketchbook or a few sheets of plain paper
8) 3-5 sheets sanded or microcrystalline paper or panels of your choice, in light, neutral colors (buff, cream, white, light gray), 9 x 12 or 11 x 14. If you use Sennelier LaCarte, please also bring a few sheets of other brands that can tolerate wet underpaintings. See list below of recommended brands.
9) Glassine or several sheets of clean newsprint for transporting your works home.
10) Your own photographic references and sketches in a variety of subjects—landscapes, florals, still life, etc. I will also bring an assortment of my own non-copyrighted photos in case you have trouble with this. Please do not bring copyrighted materials (note cards, calendars, magazine images). The best photos have a variety of color and a good ranges of values. Unless you are proficient at drawing the human figure, skip those images for this workshop.
RECOMMENDED
1) Table or floor easel that will hold your board upright (vertical) that you can easily transport. I will bring some tripod table easels if you don’t have your own
2) Small-medium drawing board (13 x 17, 15 x 16, 16 x 20, etc). There will be some extras in the studio.
3) Odorless turpentine or 70% isopropyl alcohol and a cheap ½” to 1” natural bristle paint brush. I use Weber Odorless Turpenoid—do not buy “Natural Turpenoid” as it isn’t compatible with soft pastels
4) Additional pastels of different densities, pastel pencils, etc
5) Sharp utility knife or x-acto knife (and a metal ruler if you bring large sheets of paper)
6) Artist’s color wheel
7) A soft rug or mat if you use a standing easel to work
8) Smart phone or digital camera
9) Additional papers of any type and in any colors
Recommended Brands:
Soft Pastels - Hard to Medium-Hard density: Nupastels by Prismacolor (NOT Neopastels), Van Gogh, Cretacolor, Gallery Hard, Richeson Semi-Hard.
Soft Pastels – Medium-Soft to Extra-Soft density: Rembrandt, Art Spectrum, Holbein, Pastels Girault, Gondola, Daler-Rowney, Unison, Schmincke, Sennelier, Blue Earth, BlockX Soft, J. Luda, Gallery Soft, Richeson hand-rolled, Dick Blick artist’s grade soft, Mount Vision, Diane Townsend, Great American Art Works, Terry Ludwig, Henri Roche
Pastel Pencils: Conte, Carb-Othello (Schwan-Stabilo), Van Gogh, Faber-Castell, Derwent, Cretacolor
Papers/Boards - Sanded and Microcrystalline: U-Art 400 or 500 grit, Richeson sanded, Ampersand Pastelboard, Art Spectrum Colourfix (sanded or smooth), Pastel Premier, LuxArchival, Claire Fontaine PastelMat, Canson Mi-Tientes Touch, Wallis (if you’re lucky enough to have some!)
About the Instructor:
Kay Brathol-Hostvet is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, with concentrations in drawing and painting. Her paintings and drawings are in corporate and private collections around the country. Her pastels have been featured in The Pastel Journal, the Dane Arts annual poster and calendar, numerous show catalogs and books, Volume One Magazine, and Green Lake Magazine. Kay has over three decades of experience as an exhibiting artist, and has been teaching workshops in drawing, design, pastel painting and acrylic painting, and professional development for many years. She works from her home studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and is represented by four fine Wisconsin galleries: Riverwood Art and Frame in Eau Claire, Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton, artZ Gallery in Amery, and Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek.
email: [email protected]
Lodging: The IPS has made arrangements with the Super 8 motel in Cresco {a mile from the workshop venue) for a block of rooms for the nights of October 8 and 9 at a special rate of $80 plus tax per night. The rooms will be released on September 8, 2026, so please make your reservations before that date. As of Sept. 9, our room block rate is no longer available. However, the hotel may still have rooms available at a slightly higher price -- call them at 563-547-9988
Hotel Name: Super 8 by Wyndham Cresco IA, 511 Second Ave Southeast, Cresco, IA 52136, 563-547-9988
Group Name: Iowa Pastel Workshop. Group Code: GS100826IPW
** The workshop coincides with the 29th Annual Northeast Iowa Studio Tour which runs Oct. 9, 10 & 11, 2026. The tour features 41 artists at 31 locations within a 40 mile radius of Decorah. Some are located in or near Cresco, our workshop city, so you'll have time to check them out after class ends. You might also want to stay an extra day to tour studios on Sunday, Oct. 11! **
