News and Articles
Read about upcoming exhibitions and see art demonstrations and art tutorials from Dupont Art Club.
Still Life by Caroline Marsden
Start out by choosing your main object, then you can add interest by selecting additional objects which compliment this. It's probably best to have a theme, which can be anything - the possibilities are endless. You should use an odd number of objects as this is more appealing than an even number. Make sure you have variety in size and shape as well as colour. When arranging the objects try to ensure that you use the shapes to lead the eye into and around the image. A square format works well for still life, but depending on your subjects you can also use portrait or landscape. Good lighting is essential and it may help to position an Anglepoise lamp to get good shadows which create tonal value. This is the still life Caroline prepared She started by lightly drawing the main object in outline which was the large bottle, which she positioned slightly right of centre. Next she drew the small bottle outline, noting its size and shape relative to the first object. Continuing, she added the onion the orange and the bottle top, carefully checking where objects overlapped. The scissors were then drawn in very carefully, as the long point of the blade is used to lead the eye . When trying to place an object at an angle like this, it may help to hold your pencil horizontally up towards the object and tilt it to the required angle. Then place the pencil at this angle on the paper. Don't use an eraser if you are unhappy with the positioning, just redraw in the correct position next to it. The danger of using an eraser is that it is easy to redraw the same mistake once you've removed the original. Once all your outlines are in you can...
Painting or drawing upside down by Caroline Marsden
It is a good idea to try this as an exercise to change the way that you look at things. By working upside down you draw only the shapes you can see and not what you think should be there. Caroline started by using this photograph pinned upside down You can, if you prefer, simplify things by splitting the photograph into four to help you in positioning. Using a 7B pencil she first drew an ellipse ( representing the tabletop ). Using this shape to work from, she went on to put in the oblong shape underneath and the black square to the left of that. From there she entered the curves which take the eye down from both the square and the oblong to the bottom. She continued in this way, plotting in the main larger shapes. After all the main shapes were done she moved on to the more intricate parts. This is done by paying close attention to where things are positioned relative to the other main shapes already done. This really will hone your observational skills. Finally think about adding tonal value. Caroline used an 8B pencil to shade in the darkest areas first then the lighter areas using a variety of hatching and crosshatching. Only when she had finished did she turn the drawing the right way up. this was a very good representation of the original photograph
Brush strokes demo by Caroline Marsden
FLAT BRUSHES These can be used for a myriad of different effects. They are especially useful for painting buildings or any other subject which has straight edges, and are economical with the paint as often only one stroke is needed. A BRIGHT is a shorter and stiffer version of a FLAT which will give you bolder strokes. A flat brush is great for getting perspective and you can gently tap it to get a nice thin line as shown in the guttering and windowsills above. Don't throw away your old ones as these can be used effectively for texture , fur or feathers. A FILBERT is a flat brush with curved sides, great for giving a softer edge such as in clouds or petals. Caroline holds the brush at an angle to the paper and tries to touch the paper with only the paint, not pressing down too hard on the brush. A FAN BRUSH is a specialist brush for doing texture, fur and feathers. Bob Ross can be seen on YouTube demonstrating painting fir trees using this brush. A ROUND is the one of choice for Monet and is useful for short expressive strokes. If you use a large one it can hold a lot of paint and be a good choice. A FAT HOG is an enormous brush which holds a huge amount of paint and is very good for stencilling A RIGGER gets its name as it was first used for putting in the slender rigging of boats. This is best used with really thinned-down paint making sure the brush is well loaded and with a good point. You an also use this for hair and fur but it's best to use it for the finishing touches as it would be quite time consuming to draw...
A winter scene in watercolour using only Sienna and Ultra Marine 11/12/19
Caroline chose the two colours of sienna and ultramarine blue as they can be mixed in many different ways to give you both cool and warm colours. The group selected this photo for Caroline to use as her inspiration. When starting a watercolour it is best to work from light to dark. Looking at the picture, first determine where your lightest areas are. Caroline was using White Knight watercolours and a large round brush with a good point to it. She began using a dilute sienna for the sky and the reflection, and let this dry. She then mixed two shades of grey using both colours . She began to put in the tree line using the lighter colour. She used the brush in small upward strokes moving along the tree line. Then she drew up the water in a horizontal stroke to avoid a harsh line. She went on to add a darker line underneath for more tonal contrast. You may need to revisit the darker area as it will dry lighter. Once happy with the top part she went on to do the reflections carefully putting them in the correct position .Using a dry brush she put in some texture. She put in the darker trees using a rigger for the trunks and finally the darkest trees . She decided that the little island in the foreground would be the focal point, so she painted this in a warm tone using only sienna at first. She added some more sienna to the parts of the painting for cohesion. She put in the ray of light by swiping a tissue in a diagonal line which was very effective. Finally she put in a ghost wash to of ultra marine to add mood to the background.
Painting a Christmas Card 27/11/19
Caroline suggested that to get inspiration for your card it is a good idea to have a look at cards from earlier years. Christmas cards have evolved in their design from the Victorian age to the present day. We looked at several different cards from the Art Deco to the war years , here are a few examples:- Caroline decided on a stylised angel for today's demo. She started by drawing out the shape to fill the card using the angel wings to stretch up into the corners. She then chose a focal point which in this case would be a light being carried by the angel. Next she angled the lines of the wings so that they drew the eye to the focal point. You can find many different styles of angel on the internet on which to base your own creation. Once happy with your outline you must choose your colours so that the angel comes forward in the painting. Caroline started with a turquoise wash on the angel's robe and then used a cobalt blue for the background. She mixed a warm red to add interest to the robe. The light is then added using a bright yellow and this colour is also added to the angel's halo and as reflected light on her wings. This was just a quick sketch from which she would go on to produce the finished card. If you would prefer to make a humorous card , again there are many examples on the internet. Last year Caroline made a card for her friend who had a cat called Jack. She drew Jack as a Christmas tree with his little paws holding candles and a fish shaped Christmas present under the tree.
Importance of negative spaces by Keith Manning Kennedy
Keith started by mapping out the outlines of fuchsias in a vase using a 4H pencil. To create more interest in shapes and colour he added in two butterflies. He then carefully painted in the background by filling in the negative spaces between the flowers and leaves. Remember that the shapes created by the negative spaces are themselves a very important element in your mosaic of colour. As he was painting a brightly coloured piece, he made sure to keep the background a subtle complementary colour. In this case, a pale blue to bring out the magenta in the flower. Old Holland permanent rose and permanent magenta were used for the fuchsia. Always use a freshly mixed paint and don't be tempted to use some old ready mixed paint from your palette which may have become tainted. He used a green gold colour for the leaves. Using a filbert you can get a nice fine line when needed and also get enough paint on the brush to fill in the spaces; a sable brush is well worth the money. For the more intricate little areas he used a small flat brush and if needed turned the painting upside down to let the water move around within the correct area. If you do get a small puddle forming, dry off your brush and use the brush to soak up the excess. In watercolour the general rule is that you can apply up to three layers of colour after which the colour goes dead. If this happens you can always get yourself out of trouble by going over it with a lighter shade of pastel or pastel pencil as used in this example. Failing this you can paint over with a thick layer of white gouache then wait for this to dry...
USING OIL PASTELS 16/10/19
Caroline introduced a session on oil pastels by saying that it is wise to use the best quality pastels. The ones she had were Sennelier (£3.50 a stick, or can be bought in boxes). For paper, a rough surface is needed and she was using a brown paper scrapbook (Seawhites).Caroline had a photo portrait of a long haired Roma male as her model for today’s demonstration. Beginning with a dark brown outline, Caroline sketched his features with the edge of the pastel. She blocked shadows with dark brown, followed by red and green reflected on one side of the face by the grassy background. The green was toned down by use of yellow ochre on top. Various colours were applied and built up either by layers of pastel or by blending with fingers. A useful tool was a paper pencil-shaped blender, which could be dipped onto the pastel to pick out small delicate areas. This method was useful for sections of the eye, such as upper and lower lids, and for the light reflected in the iris.
PAINTING ROTHKO AND COLOUR THEORY 2/10/2019
Mark Rothko. B 1903 D. 1970 Markus Rothkovitz was a Latvian of Jewish descent. His family emigrated from persecution and settled in Oregon in 1913, where he started painting. In 1920 he moved to the New York Art School where he became anti-establishment and was influenced by Klee, Cezanne and Picasso. Rothko taught children for 20 years. He liked the simplicity of children’s art. In the 1950s his art became completely abstract, using blocks of colour and influenced by the Fauvists. In the 1960s he used blocks of intense colour, following which he suffered from depression, reflected in his use of darker colours with less luminosity. Demonstration Caroline chose a thick first coat of yellow, then mixed Phalo green and purple as a compliment to the colour wheel. Then mixed an intense orange and placed it into the yellow square. There then followed a succession of different choices of colour to illustrate the effect of one colour on another.
Painting in the style of Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh was born in 1853, and had a tormented life with a lot of anxiety. It is possible that he may have been a manic depressive. He only started painting aged 27 and tragically died aged only 37. However during those 10 years he produced roughly 2,100 pieces of work. His early work was very dark and his younger brother who ran an art gallery in Paris advised him to change to a brighter palette. He therefore evolved from the Potato Eaters to his much better known works like the Cafe at Arles or his famous Sunflowers. His favourite colour was yellow followed closely by cobalt blue, which together make for a striking painting. He had a unique style of painting which was driven by emotion. He used various brush techniques including contour painting and pointillism. His famous Irises were painted much more flatly using the silhouette method of outlining the subject first. Caroline started her painting of sunflowers by a background of a pale blue colour onto which she painted the outline of the sunflower in a light brown. Then she mixed up 3 shades of brown and using small expressive strokes she quickly filled in the centre of the flower. Next, she went over this with a darker shade of brown for depth. Van Gogh would have done layer after layer using very thick oil paint straight from the tube. After this, she filled in the petals with a dark yellow colour using swift expressive strokes. Using a filbert she went over the background with a strong blue and then mixes of white and blue and green and blue making sweeping strokes to create movement. Then she went in with a paler yellow on top of the petals , leaving some of the original colour showing through....
Acrylic and Collage
Collage was first used as early as 1910 and Picasso did some collages. Collage is a great way to add new dimensions to your paintings. The list of things you can use in collage is almost infinite, but here are some suggestions :- Natural things like - shells, stones, pieces of broken glass, seeds , lentils, rice, dried beans or dried grasses - just be careful not to use anything which might go mouldy. Household things like - keys. zippers, jewellery, coins, washers, screws, bolts etc. You can also use newspaper, wallpaper, gift wrap, sheet music and cut-outs from magazines. Note that it can be difficult to paint on top of any shiny magazine clippings. You can either start your painting by using a lovely piece which inspires you and then incorporate this into your painting, or you can use the collage to enhance a painting or give an interesting background to it. Caroline started with a striking photograph of a young african woman, then she selected cut-outs from magazines to add a lively dimension to her painting. The finished painting can be mostly collage or 50/50 or any proportion you feel works best. Once you have your theme it is best to choose items to use as collage which are related to it. Caroline recommends using wood glue to stick on your items as this is very strong and nothing will fall off when the painting is hung. This was her photograph She mixed up some thinned paint, diluted with some glaze medium ( this is a good chance to use up your cheap paints as they are low in pigment) and applied this on top of the collage so that the pattern showed through. She then continued to build up layers. How much paint you apply and how...
Building an Acrylic Painting with Layered Washes
Guest instructor, Zara, introduced her favourite method of developing an acrylic painting by using many washes to slowly develop the picture. She said that this meditative process left a painting which was both translucent and in a illustrative painterly way. She used two subjects to paint at the same time so one could dry while the other was being repainted. Before starting, she mixed a small amount of acrylic paint colour in a little water. She had several pots of these mixed colours which she cautioned us to mix well to get rid of the lumps. They had the consistency of creamy milk.. These little containers of watery colours were her paint pallet. She then drew the object (apples) and sky landscape first with a light coloured watercolour pencil. She then used a flat brush to paint in the apples and sky with a light colour and let dry. She began to layer the colours to develop each of the pictures. She followed the shape of the apple with her brush strokes. She warned us that this type of painting could require 20 or more layers so would require patience. She only had time to paint about 3 layers with each picture and said that they would require at least another dozen layers each. We began to see the potential after only three layers with some lovely luminous colours being produced. Many of the members used the rest of the afternoon practising this intriguing method of painting with acrylics.
The use of a flat brush
Brushes come in various shapes including round, filbert (a semi round top and great for portraiture), fan, angular, and the flat brush. Each has it's own uses. Caroline Marsland demonstrated the use of the flat brush at class. These brushes come in all sizes. She chose a medium and medium small to show how one could complete a landscape painting using this one shaped brush. A flat brush can make thick consistent strokes or when it is turned on it's side, will give you fine lines. It is great for blocking in solid shapes of color such as in the painting of the building shown in her demo. She also showed it's use in blocking in color for trees.
DEGAS – Pastels with a twist
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 was a highly skilled sketcher, who liked to capture everyday people. The new paint colours which were just becoming available were the main catalyst for the impressionist movement. Degas' compositions were dramatic and quite experimental at the time, as in " Dancers ", 1889. Caroline used the top left hand figure from this painting for her demonstration. She began by grating some pastels using a nutmeg grater Combining acrylic paint (Degas would have used oil paint) and pastel, she started the painting by using a dark pastel to form the outlines. She then put in areas of colour, blocking them in and also using scumbling. Scumbling is a method of putting one colour onto of another, but leaving some areas of the original colour showing through. All of this work is considered the underpainting Then, using a white pastel, she went over the face making the colours appear more flesh like. She used small strokes thereby mixing the colours on the paper. If your colours should come out too white at this stage you can add a bit of yellow. Working this way she built up layers , getting thicker and thicker. Finally using some flesh tone acrylic paint, mixed with some of the white grated pastel for texture, she applied this on top. She then mixed some blue grated pastel with the flesh toned acrylic paint, and so on with the other colours, until the desired dramatic effect is achieved.
Painting in the style of Monet
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 of a haze. His strokes for the sky were often verticle and the water horizontal. He often used a ground color of blue or cream. He painted at the lighter end of the light-dark scale. `his brief biography is as follows: Claude Monet, in full Oscar-Claude Monet, (born November 14, 1840, Paris, France—died December 5, 1926, Giverny), French painter who was the initiator, leader, and unswerving advocate of the Impressionist style. In his mature works, Monet developed his method of producing repeated studies of the same motif in series, changing canvases with the light or as his interest shifted. These series were frequently exhibited in groups—for example, his images of haystacks (1890/91) and the Rouen cathedral (1894). At his home in Giverny, Monet created the water-lily pond that served as inspiration for his last series of paintings. His popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century, when his works traveled the world in museum exhibitions that attracted record-breaking crowds and marketed popular commercial items featuring imagery from his art.
Making Eye Measurements in Painting
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.
Fish painted in watercolour
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 carefully left some areas without paint to be filled in later. The fish’s tail lent itself to some experimenting with use of paint. The tail was painted and then scored with the end of a paint brush to suggest lines and again some areas were left free of paint. While the paint dried Caroline applied a viridian green loosely to the background to suggest water and reeds. Contrasting colour was used as opposed to considering tonal values at this stage, whereas later darker tones were used to enhance the body of the fish. Finally the details were carefully painted in with a rigger and some of the white areas were washed over with a pale tone. Some of the painting was left to drip and flicking paint on the green gave it a watery feel. Thanks to Judy Richardson for photos and text.
The Zorn Pallet
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 outline of her colour mix. It is described as follows on line: "The Zorn palette refers to a palette of colors attributed to the great Swedish artist, Anders Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920). It consists of just 4 colors being yellow ochre, ivory black, vermilion and titanium white. Cadmium red light is commonly used in place of vermilion by modern day artists. Whilst this may seem like an extremely limited range of colors, Zorn demonstrated through his paintings just what is possible with such a limited palette. Here are some of his paintings which appear to utilize the Zorn palette:"
Using a Grid for Complex Subjects
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 over the photo of the work you wish to copy. These squares can be numbered and lettered to make it easier to follow when drawing. Next you then draw the same numbers and letters of squares onto your drawing paper/canvas. You then carefully copy each square from the grided photo copy onto your painting/drawing surface. Be careful at the corner of the eye and bridge of the nose as these can be tricky. If you don't wish to mark the photo you can always copy the grid onto clear acetate and layer it onto the photo. There are also various grid drawing assistance apps on your tablet which you can download and layover the photo to be copied.
Pen and Wash demonstration by Caroline Marsland 3rd April 2019
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 ink is permanent. She prefers to work with a mapping nib rather then a drawing nib, which can be a bit scratchy. The joy of using a dip pen is in the good expression you can get from the different thicknesses of strokes. First, think about what part of your painting is going to be pen and what part wash. You may want it mainly one or the other. This is the photograph Caroline was working from ( it's the steps up to Whitby Abbey) Caroline chose to start with the pen, as this gives the most freedom of expression. You should look for where the light is coming from and then make your lighter strokes on the side that is getting the light. She started with the lamppost as this was central and then worked out from that. Remember it doesn't have to be perfectly drawn; it is your impression of the scene. If you prefer, you can draw it out lightly in pencil first. Dip pens are good for squiggles and shapes to suggest bushes. You shouldn't try to put in every line. A few details are all that's needed and the viewer fills in the rest. If you have an accident and get a splurge on the page, this can be covered using white gouache. The distant subjects should be drawn lighter with the heaviest lines saved for the foreground. Caroline used a rigger for the railings to make them stand out....
OIL PASTELS DEMO by Caroline Marsland
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 cheaper. The most important thing is to use a paper with a good tooth to hold the pastel. Selecting a colour that is closest to the mug to be painted, Caroline started by drawing a central vertical line to aid in the drawing of the mug. She then used good observation, not forgetting negative spaces, to make an outline of the mug. She squinted to see the reflected colours in the mug and then blocked these in. You can mix the colours on the paper, and then these can be deepened or lightened by layering until the desired hue is achieved. You may like to use your fingers to blend. Caroline then worked the bottom half of the mug, building up layers . She made the inside of mug totally black as it appeared and then using the edge of the white pastel she put in the highlights round the rim and on the handle. She also used a torchon to make additional highlights and other small marks of colour. You can take off marks made with oil pastel using this tool, unlike chalk pastels (unless you scrape them off!). Using this tool she pulled out nice shapes in the reflected colours .
Still Life in Charcoal Demo by Caroline Marsland 6th. March 19
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 the work makes it easy to erase, should it be necessary. Working dark to light she used heavy marks to start with, noting that wonky lines and random marks make it more interesting. Using a small piece on its side, dark areas were blocked in and the fiddly bits (little shapes) were made using the end and the edge of the charcoal. At this point Caroline suggested working quickly, so there is "no fiddling"! To make the image livelier, the background was strengthened, using strong lines and shadows. Hatching is another useful technique to introduce texture. An eraser can then be brought in to remove parts of the darkest areas, in this case to give the shine on the bottles. Chamois leather can also be very effective instead of an eraser. Thanks to Christine Elsdon for the notes and photographs.
Charcoal portraits
The best charcoal to use is Windsor and Newton as it has good deep coverage and is just lovely to use. Always break the stick into a smaller piece and then you can use it side on or using a corner. You should use a rough paper with a tooth to give the charcoal something to catch on. Pastel paper is ideal for this. When tackling a charcoal portrait, you should first decide which method you want to use. Caroline demonstrated both using shadows to define your shapes, and later drafting out your image using the charcoal a bit like a pencil. She started by covering the entire paper with charcoal lightly, then she put in all the large shadow areas like the eye sockets and under the nose and the outline of the head. Next she used a rubber to erase all the lighter areas of the face and eyes and put in all the highlights. She frequently rubbed it on a piece of sand paper to clean the rubber. She used careful observation to ensure that the facial features were correctly sized and positioned, taking note of measurements of spaces between nose and mouth, eyes and nose etc. It's just a matter of making continual adjustments until you are happy with the end result . Remember you can rub out and replace the charcoal as often as needed. You may prefer to use a charcoal pencil for the finer details, Caroline herself just used the corner of the stick of charcoal. You can also use your fingers to blend it. The little girl was done using the drawing technique with the corner of the charcoal and then blending with the fingers.
Watercolour Painting of Patterned Fabric
Caroline Marsland took the Wednesday Dupont class through how to watercolour paint a patterned fabric on paper. We were not painting the fabric. She started off by lightly drawing the general shape of the fabric lightly with pencil. She then painted in the the colour of the fabric first with all of the shadows that are in it. She layered the shadows for best effect and used tissue paper over the wet parts to show texture at times She worked away from the centre with a wet in wet technique. For the really white areas, she suggested using masking fluid. You need to exaggerate the shadows because when you put the pattern in, they will disappear somewhat. Once the background is dry, she said to very lightly draw in the pattern first with complex patterns but with a simple pattern, she just paints the patters in. Some suggestions: Remember to sqint, She painted from light to dark to light as needed.
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.