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For Pastel Artists Who Want to Master the Medium, Create a Lifelike Glow on Flowers, and Render Realistic Textures
What if I told you that pastels can make your flowers glow much brighter and more vibrant than any other medium?
What if I told you there’s an approach to render textures with pastel that look so realistic you can almost feel them?
And what if I told you pastel painting can be easy and fun?
Well, all that can be possible with master pastelist Lyn Diefenbach’s “BUILDUP” approach.
So if you’ve ever struggled with which colors to choose, how to mix them…
And if you want to avoid creating art that’s flat and muddy…
Then what you’re about to learn are the discoveries Lyn has made throughout her colorful journey.
You’ll learn her unique “BUILDUP” approach that’s been proven to help students create visually breathtaking art.
As you watch Lyn recreate her masterpiece All Aglow, you’ll see her expertly apply techniques and learn how she renders textures so well you can almost feel them…
…the softness of petals, the sponginess of cacti, and the sharpness of needles.
How did she capture both the sunlight and the glow from within the flowers — a glow so inviting and warm that it seems like it could attract the bees?
How did she make the flowers so realistic you can almost smell them?
You don’t have to wonder any longer…
…because today, you’re going to learn to paint flowers so well you’ll make viewers go “WOW!”
They’re going to wonder how you created that magical, almost heavenly, glow on your flowers…
…how you rendered textures so well…
…and how you crafted such a beautiful composition.
More importantly…
You’re going to learn how to create art that stirs the soul and the imagination.
But this isn’t just about painting flowers — it’s about turning you into an artist who creates stunning art that grabs attention and moves people emotionally!
Your Lesson Plan!
1. Introduction (2 min.)
In this chapter, Lyn gives an overview of what you'll learn in the video. She covers how to create the stunning contrast of light against dark, making your paintings glow with life. You'll discover how to interpret your subject in terms of value to achieve dimensionality, explore the vibrant world of color, and master the individual characteristics of flowers. The focus will be on Line/Drawing, Value, Color, and Edges, providing a comprehensive foundation for painting lifelike flowers.
2. Materials & Preparation (10 min.)
Lyn introduces the materials needed and emphasizes how using pastels can improve your drawing skills. She demonstrates how to hold and use pastels, likening it to sculpting. You'll learn about selecting colors and values, preparing your subject, and using a grid system to transfer your photo reference to the painting surface. Lyn shares tips on finding stunning floral reference photos and adding effects like water droplets to enhance your work.
3. Underpaint the Background (25 min.)
Lyn explains the benefits of underpainting dark areas to create a solid base for your artwork. This technique prevents light paper from showing through and helps avoid muddy colors. You’ll learn Lyn’s “Simple Color Theory” to make beautiful colors every time. By underpainting, you'll provide a strong foundation for your flowers, allowing the light paper to shine through and enhance the luminosity of your artwork.
4. Develop the Background (53 min.)
In this chapter, Lyn teaches how to develop a supportive background for your flowers, focusing on line, value, color, and edge relationships. You'll learn various application techniques to achieve different marks with pastels and how to glaze one color over another. Lyn emphasizes the importance of letting the background remain in the background, allowing your flowers to be the stars. This chapter equips you with problem-solving tips using Line, Value, Color, and Edge.
5. The Brightest Flowers (89 min.)
Lyn guides you through painting the flowers, starting from the back and working forward to establish their glow. You'll learn to capture the translucency of delicate petals, create form, and use glazing techniques. Lyn shows when to blend and how to use different types of pastels for various effects. You'll discover how to avoid flat shapes, create interesting negative space, and understand the difference between brights and lights to enhance your painting's depth.
6. The Buds (146 min.)
This chapter focuses on painting closed buds in vibrant pinks and reds, capturing intricate textures with careful observation. You'll learn to paint slightly opened buds, revealing the flower's "eye" and its glow. Lyn covers glazing techniques, pastel application methods, and how to get the form right before adding light and dark accents. This chapter enhances your ability to create realistic, detailed floral buds.
7. Set Up the Show Stopper (67 min.)
Lyn teaches how to pay attention to temperature shifts within petals for added interest and how to capture their translucency. You'll set the scene by adding initial local colors, darks, and midtones before blending and layering lights. Lyn emphasizes avoiding stylization to capture the flower's true nature. Learn to turn and curl petals, creating depth with changes in value.
8. The Grand Finale (52 min.)
In the final chapter, Lyn discusses the importance of adding darkness to portray light and ensuring the stamen are painted large enough. She shares tips on preparing pastel paintings for framing, especially in humid environments. This chapter wraps up the video, ensuring your flowers have the final touches to make them look lifelike and luminous.
Meet Your New Instructor, Lyn Diefenbach!
This is your chance to learn from a master pastellist!
With a vibrant career that spans over three decades, Lyn Diefenbach has etched her name in the art world as a master of pastel and oil painting. Her journey is marked by sold-out solo exhibitions and prestigious features in international and national showcases.
Lyn’s global acclaim is highlighted by her invitation to demonstrate at the “100 Years of Pastel” event in China, a rare honor extended to only six international artists.
Lyn’s canvas is a playground of diverse subjects — from captivating portraits and serene seascapes to dynamic still lifes and florals. Each piece is a testament to her dedication to mastery, technique, and the celebration of life, and she consistently earns accolades and awards worldwide.
Her exceptional skill set and reputation have made her a popular judge for prestigious competitions, including the floral and still life segment of The Pastel Journal’s 2022 Pastel 100 competition. Lyn’s commitment to artistic excellence is not just seen but felt, through works that mirror her faith and the beauty of existence.
As a tutor, Lyn stands unparalleled. Her clarity in communication and insightful teachings have made her a sought-after educator, with students spanning the globe.
“In understanding there is great liberation.” — Lyn Diefenbach
As an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies, Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of Australia, and a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, Lyn’s accolades are as inspiring as her art.
For artists eager to delve into the nuances of pastel, learn from Lyn Diefenbach — an artist who paints not just what she sees, but what she feels!
Having been a friend of Lyn Diefenbach for over 20 years, I decided to by a copy of her Floral Secrets DVD. The first thing that impressed me was that the total absence of music, which can be very distracting. The quality of the production is superb. The presentation is excellent, it is as though the viewer is actually in the studio, getting private tuition. Lyn describes every stroke she makes, describing the colour of the pastel she is using and why she has chosen it, she does this all the way through the painting process making it easy to understand.
Watching, as she builds up the tones and shapes in the background is something every pastel artist should see. The prickly pears behind the roses actually come to life as one watches. Working from the top left down, is what I was taught by my first pastel tutor, 37 years ago. So I was pleased to see that Lyn did that too.
When Lyn started to construct the roses she put in the darker tones first, petal by petal, it was so easy to follow as she added lighter tones, gently blending then with a finger. The final result was absolutely magical. The colour quality of the disc is perfect, making it easy to see the nuances of colour at all stages of the work.
This wonderful DVD should be in every pastel artists collection, not just for floral painters but for all who would like to further their skills.
I would thoroughly recommend this DVD to any pastel artist seriously wishing to further their skills.
Bill Truslove
I love how
I urge you not to miss this exceptional opportunity to learn from master pastel artist, colorist and teacher Lyn Diefenbach. This video is a rare opportunity to take a breathtaking, no holds barred rocket ship ride through Lyn Diefenbach’s mind for a priceless education in pastel techniques gained from her more than 40 years of professional experience.
In this video tutorial, Lyn guides you step by step through the process of tackling what she describes as even an incredibly challenging subject for her. It is dazzling watching Lyns hands as she applies various pastel colours and the cactus and their flowers literally come to life as they bloom, like magic, upon the paper. Of course none of this is magic. It is Lyns incredible skill acquired over a lifetime of experience and her ability to teach it. And now thanks to this video you can learn it too!
Lyn is an incredibly generous, experienced and gifted teacher. Lyn speaks in precise instructions as she demonstrates her many pastel techniques. In this video you have the rare opportunity to join in a “mind meld” with her as she shares both how she thinks before putting pastel to paper, and how she uses various techniques solves form, colour and perspective challenges exactly as they present themselves along the way in this project. Lyns rigourous approach is very instructive, especially as she suddenly changes course to try a new idea or add a different colour to solve a challenge at the moment it occurs to her. Watching Lyn work is the experience of being in the presence of a true artistic genius sharing her creative stream of consciousness out loud as she brings her ideas to life in form.
I also found myself really appreciating the extremely professional camera work on this video. The camera crew and director of photography have always kept the student first and foremost in their minds, focusing the camera on what the student really needs to be able to see in order to be able to learn. The camera uses two points of view very effectively: a tight close up alternating with a shot father away from the easel. This video approach serves two very important purposes.
In the close up shots, you are able to clearly see the position of Lyns fingers holding and moving the pastel with each stroke, at the same time as she describes her various pastel techniques. Whether it is underpainting, glazing, “point, roll, and soften,” how to express the various values of color as you "sneak up on your lights," how to hit specific areas of the highlights, the “roundy roundy” stroke and my personal favourite, “mush it all together.” The camera viewpoint then alternates seamlessly in a graceful dance between the close up shot and the view of the whole piece of art from standing farther away. These two camera points of view offer the student an extremely helpful two fold perspective: you see both what and how specific marks are made by the artist up close on the paper and then also learn that these same marks can often look quite different to the viewer as they take in the whole of the image, blending it together with their own eyes from standing further back.
Whether you choose to only watch Lyns fascinating artistic process start to finish, learn her theories about colour, form and perspective as both a pastel artist and a painter, tackle a tiny piece of this project or perhaps even rise to this juicy audacious challenge and give it a total go yourself, this gem of a video offers a lifetime of creative opportunity. I simply cannot recommend this video by Lyn Diefenbach and Streamline to you highly enough. So just buy it already! You won’t be sorry that you did!
Mary Anne Dorward
Lyn is a knowledgeable instructor of pastel. I learned a lot from her video and it reawakened the medium for me. I used pastel to learn colour as a transition from pencil and charcoal.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. So many great insights into pastel painting. The demo was outstanding. Onebig question for me remained. What is the brand and color number of the purple brown. That color seemed to be essential for Lyn. Kaye Giller
