Aarwun Gallery is pleased to present a two-day pastel masterclass with established Australian artist Judy Drew.
Date: Sat 11 July –Sun 12 July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm daily
Location: Aarwun Gallery, Canberra
Judy Drew is an established Australian pastel artist and educator with a long-standing professional practice.
Her work is recognised for its refined handling of light, colour harmony, and layered pastel techniques, creating works that balance atmospheric sensitivity with strong compositional structure.
Working primarily in observational drawing and pastel, Drew has developed a distinctive visual language informed by classical training and a contemporary approach to seeing and interpreting subjects.
She has exhibited widely across Australia and internationally and has maintained an active teaching practice for many years, mentoring artists across all levels through both group workshops and individual instruction.
Her teaching is grounded in classical observational principles, with a strong emphasis on tonal accuracy, composition, and the development of each artist’s personal visual language.
This two-day masterclass offers participants the opportunity to work closely with Judy Drew in an immersive studio environment at Aarwun Gallery.
The program is designed to support both technical refinement and individual artistic development through a balance of demonstration, guided studio practice, and personalised feedback.
Participants will engage with observational drawing, tonal structure, and compositional development across both still life and life drawing studies in pastel.
The first day focuses on observational still life practice.
Judy will begin with a demonstration exploring composition, refinement of shapes and layered colour pastel application.
Participants will then develop their own work under guided instruction, with emphasis placed on building depth, clarity of light, and atmospheric presence within the composition.
The second day is dedicated to working from a live model.
This session focuses on proportion, gesture and colour choices with particular attention to capturing structure, movement and form in a confident and expressive manner.
Participants will be encouraged to refine their observational accuracy while developing a more personal and responsive approach to the figure.
This masterclass is open to artists of all levels, including beginners.
No prior pastel experience is required.
More experienced artists will benefit from advanced technical refinement and individual feedback, while emerging artists will be supported in developing foundational observational skills.
Throughout the masterclass, Judy Drew provides individual feedback tailored to each participant’s experience and artistic goals.
The emphasis is on developing confidence, clarity of observation, and a stronger personal visual language rather than uniform outcomes.
Day 1: STILL LIFE
1(or 2) sheets Black Mei Tiente or Art Spectrum (sandpaper type) paper
A range of soft coloured pastels ( Schmincke Soft Pastels Judy’s preference however any good soft pastels will do)
White Conte (Hard Pastel) or pastel pencil for foundation drawing
A small hand held mirror
A paper stump or Tortillon
Bulldog clips
A soft rag
Fixative
Day 2: COLOURED PASTEL PORTRAIT/FIGURATIVE
1 (or 2) Large Textured sheets of Black Mei Tiente or Art Spectrum (sandpaper type)
Conte flesh coloured hard pastels
A range of soft coloured pastels (Schmincke Judy’s preference)
Paper stump for blending
Small hand held mirror
Soft rag
Bulldog clips
Fixative
Aarwun Gallery is pleased to present a two-day pastel masterclass with established Australian artist Judy Drew.
Date: Sat 11 July –Sun 12 July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm daily
Location: Aarwun Gallery, Canberra
Judy Drew is an established Australian pastel artist and educator with a long-standing professional practice.
Her work is recognised for its refined handling of light, colour harmony, and layered pastel techniques, creating works that balance atmospheric sensitivity with strong compositional structure.
Working primarily in observational drawing and pastel, Drew has developed a distinctive visual language informed by classical training and a contemporary approach to seeing and interpreting subjects.
She has exhibited widely across Australia and internationally and has maintained an active teaching practice for many years, mentoring artists across all levels through both group workshops and individual instruction.
Her teaching is grounded in classical observational principles, with a strong emphasis on tonal accuracy, composition, and the development of each artist’s personal visual language.
This two-day masterclass offers participants the opportunity to work closely with Judy Drew in an immersive studio environment at Aarwun Gallery.
The program is designed to support both technical refinement and individual artistic development through a balance of demonstration, guided studio practice, and personalised feedback.
Participants will engage with observational drawing, tonal structure, and compositional development across both still life and life drawing studies in pastel.
The first day focuses on observational still life practice.
Judy will begin with a demonstration exploring composition, refinement of shapes and layered colour pastel application.
Participants will then develop their own work under guided instruction, with emphasis placed on building depth, clarity of light, and atmospheric presence within the composition.
The second day is dedicated to working from a live model.
This session focuses on proportion, gesture and colour choices with particular attention to capturing structure, movement and form in a confident and expressive manner.
Participants will be encouraged to refine their observational accuracy while developing a more personal and responsive approach to the figure.
This masterclass is open to artists of all levels, including beginners.
No prior pastel experience is required.
More experienced artists will benefit from advanced technical refinement and individual feedback, while emerging artists will be supported in developing foundational observational skills.
Throughout the masterclass, Judy Drew provides individual feedback tailored to each participant’s experience and artistic goals.
The emphasis is on developing confidence, clarity of observation, and a stronger personal visual language rather than uniform outcomes.
Day 1: STILL LIFE
1(or 2) sheets Black Mei Tiente or Art Spectrum (sandpaper type) paper
A range of soft coloured pastels ( Schmincke Soft Pastels Judy’s preference however any good soft pastels will do)
White Conte (Hard Pastel) or pastel pencil for foundation drawing
A small hand held mirror
A paper stump or Tortillon
Bulldog clips
A soft rag
Fixative
Day 2: COLOURED PASTEL PORTRAIT/FIGURATIVE
1 (or 2) Large Textured sheets of Black Mei Tiente or Art Spectrum (sandpaper type)
Conte flesh coloured hard pastels
A range of soft coloured pastels (Schmincke Judy’s preference)
Paper stump for blending
Small hand held mirror
Soft rag
Bulldog clips
Fixative
