If you are anything like me, you like to poll your friends before trying a new restaurant, buying a car, or purchasing a new gizmo. I want to get all the fun details before I take the plunge!
The same could be said for taking workshops. We want to know what to expect. What is the instructor like? What is the approach? How is the day scheduled? Am I prepared? And most importantly, will I learn anything and enjoy myself? Will I receive value for my investment? Each time I complete a workshop I send my students a short (blind) questionnaire asking them for feedback on the workshop. As a result, I receive a number of comments related to various classes and would like to share some of the recent responses with you (below). I have not done any editing except for the occasional spelling correction or to eliminate identifiable personal information (I always wonder when I visit websites). It is my hope that reading some of these reviews will help you make a decision as you consider investing in your artistic endeavors. I would love to have you join me for a workshop! We DO cover a lot of material but we also have a lot of fun! If you have any questions about taking a workshop, please don't hesitate to email or call me. Happy painting! Lisa |
I had a blast, and am moving forward with pastels...you'll see me at a future workshop! Thank you for all your tips, tricks, and boundless enthusiasm!
Great experience. The house and hospitality were perfect for the workshop. Learning to work with the pastels themselves was a bit frustrating but that's to be expected with a new art medium. I'm looking forward to continuing to gain experience with pastels. I learned a lot and now I am "hooked". I liked the immediacy of the pastels. Now I just need to order some of the softer pastels in the deeper shades, and #10 white. Thanks, it was fun - I thoroughly enjoyed the entire weekend!! Lisa, you were a wonderful teacher. She was very helpful, courteous, enthusiastic and funny. You made the seminar a joy to be in. I did feel like a duck out of water and you tried very hard to dispel that. Great workshop, I really enjoyed it. Lisa, this is my second workshop with you and will be taking more. Thank you! I enjoyed Lisa and the instruction. Her style of teaching is friendly and contagious. Timing was impeccable for allowing us to work just long enough between demos. If I could make any wish for myself it would be to get my drawing skills to a higher level. That would allow me to be more relaxed and take 110% advantage of Lisa's knowledge and experience. Lisa Ober simply defies gravity by continually lifting up her students with her excellent instructional demos, her words and interactions with the class. Her enthusiasm is contagious and encouraging to beginner or experienced artist. Loved being at two of her workshops and look forward to more in the future!! I so enjoyed the workshop in St. Louis. It was fun and helpful and for a first-time pastel portrait artist I was thrilled that I finished a whole painting in 2 days! I have done a half dozen others since and the mysteries of portraiture are now becoming second-nature. I see improvement with every one. That is encouraging and just goes to prove what Lisa said, it's a learned art! She made it so clear and easy to understand. I wish there was another workshop scheduled in St. Louis sometime soon. The venue was great too! Very conducive to the work we were doing. Wonderful teacher!!! Happy, inviting atmosphere. Very willing to share some of her pastels if needed by someone. Lovely, lovely teacher. One of the better workshops I have ever taken at Conferences. Lisa loves pastel and has a great style for instruction! She is knowledgeable about her craft and materials. She is personable and patient. I have already recommended her workshops to others. I would love to take a portrait workshop with her. I enjoyed this pastel class and learned much from Lisa's demos and her extensive knowledge of pastel supplies and manufacturers. Lisa's casual, cheerful manner made this workshop a relaxed and fun experience. I would enroll in another of Lisa's workshops. I'm also interested in painting pastel portraits. It was a great workshop and Lisa is a terrific teacher! I hope to take another workshop with her in the future, as I felt I learned a lot in a short amount of time . It was a great opportunity to work with an inspirational instructor and a great group of dedicated artists. Loved it! |
Question: Hey, wait! Why aren't there any names? Answer: These testimonials come from blind surveys after workshops. I don't know the names of the students who responded. Couldn't have been more passionate about the medium and techniques taught. It really unwrapped the mysteries of pastel portraits for me. Lisa is a great teacher. I love taking her classes. Lisa is a wonderful instructor who will inspire and encourage you throughout the workshop! Her pleasant and fun demeanor will take away the stress of learning something new! Great artists don't always make the best teachers but in this case Lisa was an exceptional teacher. I'm so glad I was able to take one of her two day workshops and feel I learned many techniques that will improve my own work. I highly recommend her workshops, a fun and relaxing atmosphere made it easy and comfortable to learn! I fully endorse Lisa Ober's methods for teaching portraiture. She is organized, knowledgeable. Lisa is so helpful at encouraging your art work, and yet pushing you to try new techniques (keeping my eye on the subject we are painting instead of the actual painting). She is warm and friendly. It was the best art class I have ever taken. The method makes perfect sense. Draw what you see...referencing the subject constantly makes a big difference. It was a wonderful learning experience. I came away with the world of pastels opened up for me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Lisa for the fun and well thought out workshop. I really enjoyed it and loved using and learning about different pastels and the Uart papers. I would love to do another of your pet pastel workshops . I learned so much just watching you work. Thank you for sharing your technique and ideas with us. I’ve never felt more comfortable in a workshop...Lisa, this was one of the best workshops I've attended. Lisa is an excellent instructor. She broke her process down into manageable steps and made sure we were all on track. Her energy, enthusiasm and light heartedness made the class great fun! She was also very generous in sharing her expertise once I was home and working on my own. I would take another class with her if I had the opportunity. Lisa was friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgable and enjoyed sharing her talent. Lisa's workshops are great fun but more importantly you can learn great technique from the master herself. If you are serious about pastel painting you need to study with Lisa Enjoyed the day so much, first class I have taken related to pastels, though I have been using them for a while. I am now using many of your suggestions for a pastel portrait that are adding quality to the work. Thanks again! Lisa did an excellent job! She made everyone feel we could succeed. Her demonstration was insightful. I really appreciated the step by step approach. She did a good job of getting us to recall each step and build on the process so we were clear by the end of the class on the over all process. Just thank you! You are an inspiration! |