Corey Pitkin PSA

The Color of Light: Painting the Figure in Colored Light

October 16 to 17, 2027 (Saturday to Sunday)

9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Light is one of the most powerful forces in representational painting. It defines form, reveals color, and builds the atmosphere that gives a finished piece its emotional weight. In this two-day workshop, Corey Pitkin guides students through the process of working from a live model illuminated with colored side lighting, a setup that presents unique and rewarding challenges for the pastel painter.

Students will study how warm and cool shifts move across the figure under this kind of light, and how reflected light and subtle value changes shape the way a viewer perceives the subject. Rather than relying on assumptions about local color, participants will learn to observe these shifts directly and translate them into confident pastel marks.

Each day combines demonstration with individual instruction, giving students the chance to see Corey’s process firsthand and then apply it to their own work with guided feedback. This balance allows for both technical explanation and hands-on problem-solving at the easel.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a stronger grasp of color relationships in relation to light, along with a more intentional approach to using pastel as a medium specifically for capturing atmosphere and illumination.

What You Will Learn

• How colored side lighting transforms perceived color and value on the figure
• Techniques for capturing warm and cool color shifts across the form
• How to observe and render reflected light convincingly in soft pastel
• Approaches to subtle value changes that shape atmosphere and mood
• A more intentional, structured approach to using pastel as a medium for light
• How to strengthen color relationships and mixing decisions through direct observation

Who This Workshop is For

This workshop is best suited for intermediate to advanced pastelists who are comfortable working from a live model and want to deepen their understanding of color and light, particularly those looking to move beyond local color toward a more observational, light-driven approach.

Instructor Bio

A predominantly self-taught artist, Pitkin’s award-winning work has been exhibited across the globe and featured in publications in over five languages, including The Pastel Journal, Art Renewal Center, Portrait Society of America, Pratique des Arts Magazine, International Artist Magazine, and Pastel World Magazine. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, where he also serves on the Board of Governors and has achieved Eminent Pastelist status with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Pitkin is a highly in-demand workshop instructor and regularly travels across the US and abroad to share his techniques with students. He currently resides in New York’s Capital District with his wife, Esther, and children, Anastasia and Xavier.

In His Own Words

“I’ve made the color itself a character in the painting.” — Corey Pitkin

In his own writing on color and pastel, Corey has described starting each piece by choosing a dominant color and a couple of supporting colors that harmonize with it, rather than defaulting to the local color of the subject. For him, an unexpected color choice, like painting a figure in a narrow blue palette instead of natural skin tones, becomes part of the painting’s meaning rather than just a stylistic flourish.

Supply List

Soft pastels in the Earth Tone range. Full sets are not required, and other professional-grade brands are fine. This list gives an idea of the required color and value range.

• Unison Natural Earth (NE)

• Unison Brown Earth (BE) 1 to 18 or 19 to 36

• Terry Ludwig Umber Shadows and Shades

• Terry Ludwig Essential Grays

• Richeson Handrolled Soft Pastels Earth Browns

Several dark warm pastels, individual sticks or full sets from

• Unison’s Dark Colors set of 8

• Diane Townsend Soft Form Dark set of 12

• Sennelier Dark Tones set of 24

Willow charcoal (Coates recommended)

Assorted pastel pencils or hard pastels in earth tones, only a few needed

• Caran d’Ache or Faber Castell for pencils, with a sharpener or razor blade if bringing pencils

• Holbein for sticks

General’s Charcoal pencils or Wolff’s Carbon Pencils, both hard and soft varieties

One to two pieces of sanded pastel paper, student’s preference, preferably a dark color, favorites in order of texture from soft to hard

• Pastelmat: Charcoal Grey, Dark Blue, Wine, or Sanguine

• Uart 400 Dark

• Canson Touch: Tobacco, Twilight, Steel Grey

A drawing board and clips or tape

A kneaded eraser