Higlights from Beginner/Intermediate Classes
Student Gallery
Drawing: In the first weeks students
focus on drawing "keys" — methods artists use to
see more accurately: line, gesture, angles and proportion, measuring,
negative space, and value. Students are also encourged to "take
charge of their picture plane" by using the entire sheet of
paper and observing what's in the background.
Painting: In "Drawing into
Painting", students do two 3-week paintings. The lessons of
value and composition learned in drawing are carried over to the
paintings. Each painting begins with an underpainting, an atonal
version of the composition that work out issue of value, composition,
and drawing. The subjects are kept simple so students can focus
on color and paint handling. Paintings in this class tend to lean
toward a more direct, painterly style, as opposed to the classical,
methodical (and more time consuming) glazing method. |
DRAWING
HIGHLIGHTS
The first weeks work exclusively with line —
what we call "the indispensible abstraction". The drawings
shown here also play with line weight — how can a line's weight
and density suggest space?
Above, 'before' and 'after' drawings by Tamra Myers, completed on the first evening of class. By understanding angles
and proportions, students are able to quickly improve their perspective.
Peter Moser , charcoal on paper
The first exercise in value uses an additive an subtractive method,
and achieves a full range of value.
Suzi Buck, vine charcoal on paper
In week 3 the essential drawing key of negative space is explored.
Gael Ford, charcoal on paper
The first exercise in value uses an additive an subtractive method,
and achieves a full range of value.
Brigid Slinger, pencil on paper
Bob Zat, pencil on paper.
Brigid Slinger, ink on paper.
Gesture is one of the most essential "keys." The goal
is not accuracy, but the underlying energy and movement of the forms.
Kyle Abernathy, charcoal on
paper
For homework, students practice lesson learned
in class on their own subjects.
|
PAINTING HIGHLIGHTS
Instructor Sample
Students learn how
to begin a painting with an "underpainting" — an
tonal version of the painting done with one color. This
resolves issues of composition,
value,
and drawing before advancing to color
in the second week.
Susan Matalon, oil on canvas
Stage 1 underpainting.
Lisa Young, oil on canvas
Stage 1 underpainting
Demonstration
During the underpainting stage,
instructor Mitch Albala uses the computer to support students'
understanding
of the value structure of a subject. A digital photograph is
taken, transferred to a computer, and then converted to a 10-level
value scale.
Joan Ostendorff, oil on canvas
In the second stage/week of painting, color and mixing demonstrations
are presented as students begin their first application of color.
The goal is not necessarily to cover up every inch of the canvas;
rather, to address all areas of the canvas. In this example, you
can see the original underpainting color (raw sienna) peeking through
in many areas.
Joan Ostendorff, oil on canvas
The exercise of painting all white objects stretches the student
to see color in what may seem like colorless of 'gray' areas.
Linda Rempel, oil on canvas
Kate Thompson, oil on canvas
In the third stage (third week) of painting, students continue refining and adjusting
the color. Some areas may be left more transparent, as in the background, while
other areas receive new layers of color that mix with the colors layed down in
the previous week. Edges are softer in the background and sharper in the foreground.
Gael Foord, oil on canvas
Third stage (third week). Note that Gael didn't use all the
canvas available to her. By keeping the picture plane "open"
and cropping on the fly, she is better able to control the composition.
Lisa Young, oil on canvas (detail)
Students are encouraged to see the hue (color) shift that occurs
in colors as they fall into shadow. Here, subtle nuances of green,
prurple and orange are shown in the underside of the lemon.
Sabella Wells, oil on canvas
In the third stage (third week) of painting, students continue refining
and adjusting the color. Some areas may be left more transparent,
as in the background, while other areas receive new layers of color
that mix with the colors layed down in the previous week.
|
