Today some students continued with the observational drawing project, working in either charcoal or coloured pencil, taking on various subject matter and using different techniques producing a range of results.
Some also experimented with mark making with the charcoal, applying it on its sides in sweeping, swirling movements, as well as on its end creating dark and bold lines.
A lovely session, thank you everyone.
We had a catch up session today, so we have all sorts of fabulous artwork on the blog, although still lots of coloured pencil; it can take a while to explore its potential. Do enjoy these artworks as it is not often that coloured pencil gets used. We also have some water soluble pencil, and watercolour. And, we have gouache on black watercolour paper! I will definitely get some for the class.
Thank you everyone for a wonderful afternoon.
Today we drew from small objects using coloured pencils (not water soluble). We experimented with building up colour using layers, we experimented with blending using a ‘Caran D’Ache’ blender (which did blend colours, but also changed the colour, in some cases making it very bright), the blending also created a shine to some pencils. We explored using vaseline over the top of the pencil marks and it which did blend well with some pencils. Generally, we found that different pencils responded in various ways to the techniques tried. (Work done at home that students have brought in also at the end of the photos.)
A really fun session, thank you everyone!
Today we created mid toned grounds on our paper from which to draw into with both plastic and putty erasers. We ascertained the light areas in the still life, and created those with our erasers, making some really interesting marks. We then worked back into the drawings with the charcoal, creating both depth and texture.
The resulting images are very atmospheric: some have a wistful, dreamy or ethereal look, whereas others have a dramatic and bold look. Fantastic work today, really well done everyone!
We kicked off 2024 with a still life on the theme of ‘Baking’. We warmed up with continuous line drawing, with our non-dominant hand (where possible), and not looking at the paper. This loosens our drawing muscles up, and trains our eyes and mind to see more correctly; we’re not focused on what our drawing looks like, we are more focused on the subject matter. Some of us stayed with continuous line for the rest of the session, and some moved on to regular drawing. We used pencil, pen, watercolour, watercolour pencil, collage, and water soluble ink.
We did have some flowers in the studio today also, although I only got one photo of the flower pictures, but it is a fabulous one, a lavender pink cyclamen with beautifully textured leaves. Some of us brought in our new - happiness inducing - art materials (some got watercolour paints, some got artist’s pens) and tried them out, creating amazing atmospheric skies, and yet again, more continuous line, but of characterful hands this time.
Also included at the end are images that some of you have done at home and have brought in. Thank you for bringing them in, I love to see them and it’s good to share with others what we get up to at home. I will post on the end of the blog each week any images form artwork that you bring in.
Thank you everyone, for a really fabulous session, that brightened up my day, and it really was quite dark and misty today!
Today was our very last session of 2023, and it was a really, really lovely afternoon. And, it has been a really, really fantastic year!! Thanks to all of you, for your passion, energy and dedication to your art.
Thank you everyone for your marvelous company today, it was such a fabulously festive class, lots of great Christmas artwork, and yumpshus snacks and nibbles. Lots of watercolour and gouache artwork was made, and, some winter pencil sheep.
Have a marvellous Christmas break, everyone, and I’ll see you on 10 January, 2024!
Lots of varied, unique and exciting artwork from today. Media used included: charcoal, watercolour, pen liner, collage, lino printmaking and ‘Gelli’ printmaking, mixed media, water based oil paint, artwork for children, seasonal card making, and tissue paper texture on canvas.
Subject matter included observational drawing and painting as well as working from, photographs, memory, and the imagination.
A fantastic class today, thank you everyone. And the sun shone!
There were lots of different projects going on today. We had intricately detailed foliage drawn in black ink over watercolour textures and shapes on beautiful Khadi paper (made from fabric rag, usually made in india); we had radiant gouache on black paper with careful text, writing and calligraphy.
We had luminous watercolour on canvas; berry eating birds on ink, bleach and a gesso textured background; seascapes created with marks made with bits of plastic bank card, and loose granulated washes of watercolour (using granulating medium) on texture created from tissue paper; dry brush dragged watercolour silver birch trees on heavy textured khadi paper.
Also green and red colour opposites used in tiny thumbnail images in gouache; wet in wet, as well as dry on dry red flowers and green foliage in watercolour; sycamore and maple leaves printed onto paper using water based printing ink, with and without watercolour washes and splatters; evocative and enchanting watercolour face and eye, experimenting with mixing flesh colours; exciting lino blocks, patiently waiting for their coat of ink; and an expressive pencil house in a landscape.
A very exciting session, with everyone doing such interesting activities. Well done, everyone!
Today we drew from a group still life. Some wonderful items were brought in including some really characterful dolls, but possibly ‘Sooty’ stole the show! The bugle playing was also absolutely fantastic, and those that stayed until literally the very end got a real musical treat! Thank you everyone for taking the trouble to bring in items to draw.
We did continuous line drawings without looking at our paper and with our non-dominant hand to warm up. Then we used all sorts of media: pencil, paint, watercolour paint and ink, to really get stuck in to creating artwork based on the still life. The images produced are all so interesting, lots of different approaches and techniques used, and beautifully observed final pieces.
Some of us continued working on mark-making, using coloured water, ‘Inktense’ pencils and sticks, and cotton buds. Really creative and inventive marks and effects were produced on sample sheets. Gorgeous work. Well done everyone, thank you again for another marvellous session.
Today we looked at mark-making (our personal visual language), and observational drawing (how we see what is in front of us, are we seeing ‘correctly’?).
We explored our materials to see what kinds of marks they would make, and made lots of discoveries about how to express what we see using two dimensional impressions on our paper. It’s very exciting I think, to see what comes out of us with regard to mark-making, as it is a personal thing, and very unique to us, and is a way that we can then proceed with our drawings in an original and singular way. We can create drawings that are full of life and character, because they have a part of us in them.
We also made discoveries with regard to the differing drawing material themselves, as very often, each one behaves differently compared to the same item but in a different brand for example. It is alway good to explore any new art materials for ourselves, as there can be complex facts at play, such as age of the medium and different papers etc.
Then we began to explore ‘how we see’, noticing that sometimes we don’t see the reality of our subject matter, we see what our brain tells us, based on pre-conceived ideas and stored information obtained from a myriad of sources throughout our life. When we begin to draw what is in front of us, we have an opportunity to become aware of this. I am very pleased to see all the ‘continuous line drawings with non-dominant hand, whilst not looking at the paper’, well done everyone. Do this for literally just a few minutes before each drawing, and your observational drawing practice will really take off. This practice is not to be underestimated or brushed aside.
There is some beautiful work here, with some gorgeous marks and drawings. Very good!
This was a catch up session as well as the last session of our experimental watercolour project. Some really great artwork was produced today.
Some people were catching up with briefs that they missed. Some people explored further with existing things that they had learned, to see what would happen. Some used the session as an opportunity to explore their watercolours, getting to now what colours they could produce.
Some people looked through the Experimental Watercolour book and worked from new pieces of artwork that we didn’t cover in the project. Some painted direct from flowers. One person explored elements of what they had learned during this project into concertina books. One person even started on our next little project, mark-making and drawing, using black conté.
And, one again, the familiar, cosy aroma of coffee wafted through our beautiful studio space.
And, I learned the correct pronunciation of Raoul Dufy!
Thank you everyone for a really fanatic term, I at least, have enjoyed it immensely. Let’s hope we have as much fun with the next one!
Today we looked at “Rosehip” by Stina Persson, and practised using similar techniques that the artist used, to create our own artwork.
The technique used is where you lay down an area, or a shape, using plain water, and then add a wet colour medium to that section while the water is still wet. This creates interesting and exciting mergings and juxtapositions of colour, where there is a blooming, a blossoming, a blending, a backrun, a fanning, a spilling, a seeping, a cauliflower… along with the sharper meeting between wet water and dry paper along the shape’s edges.
We used watercolour paint, ready made ‘liquid watercolour’, and ink.
I feel this was a very celebratory penultimate session for our - extended - Summer of Experimental Watercolour project. Well done again and really good work today, everyone!
For this session, we looked at a watercolour painting by Sarah Burwash, “The Fox Sisters”. A potentially challenging artwork to learn from, to copy from, and to use as inspiration for our own artwork.
We all rose to the challenge though, with some really amazing, and unique artwork in various styles and sizes, from small to large, from loose to detailed. Some are studies of the artwork itself, and some are student’s own narratives inspired by the artwork. We also have some self-directed studies of flowers.
Well done, everyone!
Today we looked at a piece of artwork by Misato Suzuki to see how she had created it, and we had a go at using the same techniques to see what we could achieve ourselves. We also took inspiration from it to create our own work.
We created layers of colour, depth and texture, using tea and coffee to stain our paper, as well as berries, beetroot, and turmeric. Although we did not look at the printing aspect of the work, some of us did try out a few experiments to see what printing effects we could achieve, using a slightly shiny paper, coloured pencil and soft graphite pencil.
We also used various types of pen, ink, and dip pen to create the line aspect in our work. Everybody used differing ink media, and you can see the unique effects; some dispersed when covered over with the wet media (even the ‘permanent, waterproof’ ink), and some didn’t, and then again, each ‘black’ had differing colour undertones. This contributes to fabulous variety in everyone’s artwork. This was a really fun session, and I thank everyone for their participation, well done all.
Today we looked at two pieces of watercolour artwork by Kaye Blegvad, “Reykjavik by Night” and “Reykjavik by Day”, and used this to inspire our own day and night time watercolour studies and experiments.
Some people copied the pictures to better find out how the artist may have created them including playing with composition, colour, line, light and shadow, positive and negative shape, texture, and pattern.
Others used the artist’s work as inspiration or a springboard for working from preparatory images of their own, some of their own property, some from local views, and some from travels around the world. Some are finished, and some are not, and some we won’t see until next time!
I certainly had great fun and thought that this was an enjoyable and playful activity. Thank you everyone for a really good session.
We were drawing and painting in Anne-Marie’s garden today. We had amazing views across fields, hills, and towns. Mainly though we chose to draw the leopard plant / summer ragwort flowers, humming with bees; the pond area (in all its beautiful green-ness); and a wonderful, weathered door (which I completely forgot to take a photo of).
We used pencil, watercolour pencil, watercolour paints, and water-brush.
We were spoiled by Anne-Marie as she made tea and plum crumble which we ate in her lovely back yard area. I forgot I was an art teacher and thought I was on holiday. Thank you everyone for a your perfect company, and a very big thank you Anne-Marie, from all of us for the very special afternoon.
(ps, no “bums” were harmed in the making of this blog)
This week we continued our exploration of the book Just Add Watercolour: Inspiration & Painting Techniques from Contemporary Artists, by Helen Birch
We took inspiration from the work of Becca Stadtlander, to explore using both watercolour and gouache (or body-colour) together. We created washes using wet-in-wet, and when they had dried, we added gouache layers and detail over the top. We mixed and created our own greens with various blues, yellows, and ochres, and used reds to de-saturate and also to darken our greens. We took a detour to look at how to create dark purples by surprisingly adding lemon yellow, and we then looked at creating rich and interesting blacks by using the same method, as well as mixing the other complementaries, reds & greens, and blues & oranges (in this case, a burnt sienna).
Many of these images are not finished, so we may have some updates next week! Thank you all for a great art session!
