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November 13, 2026
The dates for this workshop are November 13 & 14. You may register for one or both days.
November 13: Day 1 involves painting a still life from life. You will receive information prior to day one on how to set up a still life.
November 14: Day 2 involves painting a portrait by a master. You will recieve references of a masterwork and a link to Bill's E-book Mastering Proportions of the Face.
More Details!
One or Two-day Zoom Workshop
For the Serious Pastelist*
William A. Schneider AISM, IAPS-EP, NOAPS-M, OPAM, PSA-MP
Attend either or both days November 13 and 14, 2026
*Upon registration you will receive supply list from Bill Schneider.
Day One – Painting the Still Life …From Life
Prior to the workshop you will receive instruction on how to set up and light the still life.
Why paint from life? Because if we work predominantly from photos, it will destroy our growth as artists. There are only 4 elements to all representational art:
· Shape – (The drawing) Basically proportion
· Value – the lightness or darkness of shapes
· Color – The hue and temperature relationships that exist within our subject
· Edges – It is the hierarchy of hard, soft, and lost edges that is the key to believable, masterful work.
In a photo 3 of the 4 elements are always wrong! In a photo the values are always off (the shadows turn into inky black pools and the lights are “blown out” to white, with no color information. Secondly, a camera sees all edges as equally sharp (this is not how humans perceive the world). In addition, the colors are always off (they are limited by the phosphors in our computer monitors or, worse yet, the pigments in our printers’ inks. If we work mostly from photos, we become very accomplished … at making paintings that don’t look quite right. And we don’t even realize it!
In this segment you should learn:
· How to design with a dominant value
· Andrew Loomis’ four basic value structures
· How to use Notan (the Japanese principle of simplifying light and dark masses) to create a powerful composition that will stop viewers in their tracks.
· How to design with a dominant hue (the Munsell color system) to create an effective color harmony
· Placement of key elements on the picture plane
· To create drama in the finished piece
· How to create a visual concept
Day two – Master Copy, Portrait
All the famous artists you know and love, made master copies of the greats who came before them. Upon completion of their rigorous training at the Ecole Des Beaux Artes in Paris in the late nineteenth century, students were expected to go to the Louvre or The Prado museums to copy the “old masters”. They were to learn not only the masters’ techniques but also their aesthetic sense. The master had already solved the visual problems; the student merely had to “reverse-engineer” the solutions! Sargent carried his copies of Valesquez with him his entire life!
Prior to the workshop I will supply references of a masterwork for this paint along. I will also provide a link to my E-book Mastering Proportions of the Face.
In Day 2 you should learn:
· A systematic method to achieve accurate proportions
· How to create sparkling color
· How to simplify
· Masterful edge control
· The power of suggestion
· How to turn the form with temperature rather than value
Biography
William A. Schneider’s work has evolved since he finished his studies at the AmericanAcademy of Art. He pursued the Academy’s Saturday Program for eight years, studying with the legendary Bill Parks. Workshops with Carolyn Anderson, Dan Gerhartz, Harley Brown, and Richard Schmid, among others, solidified his understanding of the basics. He credits the many hours he spent studying and copying masterworks by Nicolai Fechin with loosening up his brushwork and approach to edges.
He also describes four days of intense study and analysis of the works of J.W. Waterhouse at the Musee des Beaux-arts in Montreal as an epiphany in his understanding of composition. William commented, “The wonderful thing about art is that you can always get better. I view myself as a perpetual student!”
William has been named “Master Signature Member” by Oil Painters of America (OPA), Pastel Society of America, The American Impressionist Society (AIS), National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), and The Chicago Pastel Painters. He has also been named to the Masters’ Circle and designated an Eminent Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).
His work has been featured in more than 25 articles in magazines such as: American Artist, The Artists Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and The Pastel Journal. (His paintings were chosen to be the cover art for several of those publications.) William’s work has won awards in over 50 national juried exhibitions including those of The American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, The Portrait Society of America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), IAPS, and the Pastel Society of America. These include over 20 “Best of Show” and “First Place” awards! His nine instructional videos are distributed by Paint Tube TV (https://painttube.tv/).
Gallery Representation
Reinert Fine Art
179 King St., Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 694-2445
Illume Gallery West
130 E. Broadway St., Philipsburg, MT 59858
(435) 313-5008
McBride Gallery
http://www.mcbridegallery.com/
215 Main St.
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 267-7077
New Masters Gallery
Delores St. & 7th Ave, Carmel by the Sea, CA 93921
(831) 625-1411