ALL CLASSES WEEK BEGINNING 18TH MARCH 2013

My drawing class were challenged to compare lights and darks in relation to the whole again this week but with a different subject.

This week we had to represent the stones under the water at the bottom end of the tonal scale, Ie all dark, and making sure there was sufficient contrast between them and the stones out of water.

My watercolour class were challenged to paint wet on dry with a large chisel head brush,  which forced us to simplify our colour shapes, and establish value mass before launching into any detail.
All seemed to enjoy this approach as it was a more relaxed and slower pace, however each brush mark had to count, and therefore carefully considered before  economical marks were made

Below are the 1st marks we made, keeping them separate until dry.

The summer term starts back on the week beginning 22nd of april, and we will be continuing this block technique approach, and work towards doing landscapes outdoors, weather permitting.

2 DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO PORTRAITS

This week we worked up the portrait we started last week by adding more layers wet in wet of a more warm ochery and sienna type. we were still adding purples and blues but predominantly browns, by adding a clear wash first to get a smooth finish.

We alternated this portrait with another one which we worked up with small blocks of colour wet on dry, after we had created a wet in wet foundation colour.
Our blocks of colour had to be translucent to show the previous colours beneath to form an interesting hemogenous mass of colour

Here is a sample sheet of glazes built up.
Some of us did a quick exercise in wet in wet in preparation for washes on the smooth portrait.

One learner chose to do a landscape with the same technique as the black man portrait

DRAWING CLASS

Last weeks drawing class was to scale up sheep, identify texture and create tonal contrast relative to the whole picture plane

STILL LIFE WITH STRIPES

I decided to hunt for objects in charity shops that had a relationship with each other in terms of form, tone, colour and subject, rather than trying to cobble things together with the objects I have at home.
I'm also trying to apply some reserve and discipline when it comes to colour!
So I tried 2 secondary complementaries all mixed with cadmium red, cad yellow, and ultramarine, no other colours at all.

The object of all this was to paint a picture I would like to have on my wall at home, rather than have a self indulgent festival of colour.