🐣 Brand NEW Challenge Workshop: Foil Friends is Now OPEN for Enrollment!

Hello Reader,

I’m excited to announce a

brand-new Challenge Workshop!

I'm calling it "Foil Friends."

Foil Friends – a playful and practical still life challenge designed to help you confidently render shiny foil surfaces, reflective color shifts, and layered textures using colored pencil (with optional solvent).

Foil Friends

Exploring Metallic Reflections, Color Shifts, and Texture with Colored Pencil

In this workshop, we’ll take on the fascinating challenge of drawing foil-wrapped surfaces—those shiny textures where colors bounce, shift, and reflect in surprising ways.

You’ll notice subtle transitions moving from cooler greens into warmer yellows and oranges, along with pockets of reflected light that make foil look luminous and dimensional.

Working step-by-step together, you’ll learn how to observe and recreate these reflective transitions so the surface feels convincing and full of life.

And the best part is that these same techniques translate beautifully to other subjects like metal objects, reflective packaging, satin, glass, and other light-sensitive surfaces.

Workshop Details

🗓️ Dates: March 19 – April 9 (Thursdays)
⏰ Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET
📍 Where: Live on Zoom (recordings included)
✨ Price: $197

Enroll Now!

What You’ll Get

✨ Step-by-step real-time instruction in a supportive environment
✨ COLOR SHIFTS – Understanding the unexpected colors found in reflective foil surfaces
✨ TEXTURE – Building convincing shine through layered colored pencil techniques
✨ Structured Q&A time and personalized feedback on your work-in-progress
✨ A downloadable PDF workbook with your materials list, Zoom links, and technique notes
✨ Line drawing and photo references

Materials & Flexibility

The workbook includes the full materials list, plus optional brush suggestions if you’d like to experiment with solvent blending.

You’re welcome to substitute colors or brands—just reach out if you’d like help.

We’ll also go over supply options during the first couple of sessions. These workshops are relaxed, collaborative, and designed to help you stretch your skills in a fun and creative way.

❤️ What Others Are Saying About the Challenge Workshops:

“The workshop was amazing. I finally learned the beauty of combining PanPastels with Derwent Drawing Pencils. I always wanted to do landscapes in colored pencil—now I can. John's teaching is a great experience for anyone wanting to learn colored pencils as a fine art medium.”
— Dee

“This workshop was my first landscape and my first time using PanPastels. John takes his participants’ success to heart. It was well-structured and friendly—and the workbook had everything I needed. Thank you for a fun experience!”
— Judith

“Whispering Fog has been fun! New techniques, very enjoyable. John is a great teacher—he explains everything so clearly.”
— Maria

“Like all of John’s workshops, this was both instructional and just a lot of fun. I had never used PanPastels before, but John’s step-by-step instruction made it approachable. There’s a wonderful energy and community spirit, even on Zoom. Always top-notch.”
— Connie

Enroll Now!

Looking forward to seeing you in Foil Friends! ✨

Stay sharp,

John Middick

SharpenedArtist.com

SharpenedArtistAcademy.com

P.S. Want to get this workshop, and every monthly Challenge Workshop, absolutely FREE?

👉 Join Members Circle with the annual plan ($200/year) and enjoy full access all year long to each new Challenge Workshop PLUS the all the other benefits that come from being a Member.

Have questions? Hit reply to this email and we'll help out!

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John Middick