Degas was one of the forerunners in impressionism. He preferred to work in his studio, and was not impressed with his contemporaries who painted en plain air. Born 1834, he was a little older than the others. He was a trained draughtsman, who then went on to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He … Read more
Caroline Marsland lead us in a demo of a Monet painting. She pointed out the Impressionists of whom he was most famous, were into seeing colours in their environment. `Monet painted with thick oil paint later stumbling with thick paint when his eyesite become poor. He used small strokes that blend often giving a feeling … Read more
Instructor Caroline Marsland demonstrated how one could take measurements of the objects you are painting. She provided us with a simple picture of how to do it. Just using a brush or pencil, one can work around complicated objects or scenes more accurately.
Caroline’s subject this week was “fish, painted in watercolour”. The vibrancy of the medium was well suited to this subject as can be seen in her beautiful rendition of a tropical fish. First Caroline lightly outlined the fish in pencil then applied the fish scales and part of the body in a light tone. She … Read more
On April 24th instructor Lucy Parker gave a brief talk to the Wednesday Dupont class on the zorn pallet used by many artists She described the colours used as yellow ocher, cad red medium. black and white. She said that in using oils, the dark colors should be laid down first. This was a brief … Read more
Lucy was our instructor for the Wednesday class and took us through the use of grids when drawing accurately. Anytime you want to draw something that requires accuracy such as a portrait, pet, vehicle, a complex still life, etc. we may wish to use the grid method. It starts with drawing a grid of squares … Read more
When selecting a paper for pen and wash, a smooth hot pressed watercolour paper is best, as rough watercolour paper catches on the pen. Caroline chose to work with India ink, you can also use Quink. She doesn’t recommend hobby craft ink, as it can wash off when your wash is applied, whereas the India … Read more
Caroline brought oil pastels by Sennelier, which are an excellent choice as they are pigment rich and a delight to work with. Cheaper brands such as W. H. Smith are not so good as they are all wax and hardly any pigment. Sugar paper is a good alternative to the preferred pastel paper and is … Read more
Before starting the drawing, Caroline gave a few tips on working in charcoal: Sandpaper the paper for dramatic marks Use good textured paper Think … Where are my darkest shadows going to be? WORK BIG! Blocking in very lightly, Caroline sketched out the group of bottles. Using light strokes to plot … Read more