Tara Pople teaches glazing and plant portraiture at Eastside Arts Festival
The artist and prop builder holds two workshops this weekend on watercolour and observational drawing techniques honed through hummingbird and flower portraits.
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Tara Pople, an East Vancouver artist known for her hummingbird and plant portraits, is teaching two workshops at the Eastside Arts Festival this weekend at Strathcona's Luppolo Brewing Co.
Pople's first workshop on July 20 covers glazing technique—the layered effect that gives her hummingbirds depth and luminosity. "They look simple," she says, "but the shading and the layering—I'm often waiting for the paint to dry to create other layers." Her hummingbird portraits have proven so popular at Vancouver craft fairs and markets that they often sell out. She's now partnered with a couple of Vancouver photographers who capture images of birds for her to paint.
On July 21, Pople teaches plant portraiture using watercolour techniques and observational drawing skills for still life. "It's teaching scaling and how you map out your page and everything that goes into doing little illustrations," she says.
Pople's path to teaching came naturally. Growing up in Singapore, her mother encouraged her to paint freely. Later in the U.K., she was "addicted to painting" and spent lunchtimes in the art room despite studying geography and archaeology at university. A trip to Harry Potter World sparked her love of props; she now works at IRL Creative, an East Van company that has crafted props for films like Deadpool and Tron: Legacy. Over a decade ago, she started a side business painting pet portraits, which led to broader commission work. Last year at the Eastside Arts Festival, she assisted fellow artist Megan Majewski and fell in love with teaching. Since then, she's been leading art classes in Tsawwassen.
The Eastside Arts Festival runs July 17 to 26 across the Eastside Arts District.
Before you go
When are Tara Pople's workshops at the Eastside Arts Festival?
Tara Pople teaches a glazing technique workshop on July 20, 2026, and a plant portraiture workshop on July 21, 2026, at Luppolo Brewing Co. in Vancouver.
What will I learn in each workshop?
The July 20 workshop covers glazing technique—the layered watercolour effect that creates depth and luminosity in paintings. The July 21 workshop teaches plant portraiture using watercolour and observational drawing skills, including scaling and page mapping for still-life illustrations.
