And did we mention that we seem to be on a new kick? That's right! We have fallen in love with edges—particularly as described by the pen and wash technique. In this softer take, Greeta is using a Tombow marker to outline this lovely bouquet. And the color is a warm sienna, rather than the typical black.
You know how we love to peek inside each others' sketchbooks, right? Well, here's Greeta's. She's done a series of paintings of this still life, all using variations on the line and wash with her sienna marker. Lovely, isn't it?
Alan is also experimenting with line and wash here. He's using a more defined line than Greeta, but that's where the "typical" ends. Get close and look at how Alan uses line both under and over his washes to create both edges and pattern. The lines aren't perfectly straight; nor are they the same width.
Alan goes back to watercolor on Yupo as he begins this painting of cabbages (yes, we love our produce, too!). We love the colors and can't wait to see how this finishes.
Madeleine is also painting with line and wash in this Irish cityscape. For her, it's an old favorite style. Notice how each of our artists has their own take on the technique? For Madeleine, the lines are delicate, perfect and even. The washes are exactly contained in the lines, too.
Here's another Irish cityscape, but in a different style. This time, Madeleine emphasizes the textures of the stone wall and the thatched roof. They are wonderfully tactile, aren't they?
You'll have to trust us when we tell you that the color and finish on this one are much better in person. Madeleine has painted the magnificent Cliffs of Moher, using acrylic on canvas. The colors are vibrant; the finish is shiny and you really get the sense of the towering cliffs.
Tony has also painted a vacation scene, but his soft palette imparts a vintage feel we love.
We also have to issue a correction. Previously, we mentioned that one of Tony's sketches used no pencil; that he started in directly with paint. Unfortunately, we were misinformed—by our own teacher, too! If you look closely, you'll see some pencil in the sketch below, but not in the church above!
Another sketch by Tony, this one definitely uses pencil as he sketches a group of seven men in a train station. We love the composition and the story we can already see in each character. This will be wonderful when it's finished!
We did mention how we loved our sketchbooks, didn't we? Bill is using multi-media paper to do color studies of a sequence of waves hitting the shore. Ultimately, he's planning to frame and display three paintings as a triptych. You can see how sketches and studies guarantee success, can't you?
Bill finished his painting of a night sky over a Cozumel resort. The sky is darker and moodier than you see on screen, contrasting beautifully with the golden glow of the resort buildings. This is another one you have to see in person!
And this is why we do studies! Bill's trees below revealed to him some things he'd do differently next time.... as well as some things he loves and will do exactly the same. For instance, he's succeeded at "tree holes" where we can see branches and sky through the leaves. And that is not easy to do!
Ken's final (?) in his corn series is the most abstract and ties into our "line and wash" theme. He's outlining the shapes to separate foreground and background, but he's using watercolor, not actual ink.
Like the rest of us, Erika is into produce, people and color. She loved the colors of this National Geographic cover and is painting her first in a series.
Elaine almost gave up on this small painting of a baby. She tries to finish every painting, no matter how bad it looks in the middle stages, hoping to either salvage the painting or learn something in the process. In this case, she experimented with pencils to add definition. And it's still another version of the line and wash that we all seem to be into lately.
Michael's conceptual and philosophical painting is of the sun and moon together. And when they are together, they will think for you!
Luciana is painting holiday cards for her friends. Look at each quadrant separately and you'll be amazed and amused. From the sophisticated trees to the adorable bear in a sweater, we are jealous of Luciana's friends.
Susan dropped by to share holiday greetings...and a painting... before rushing off to another party. In this colorful mashup, she's combined a perfectly shaped and decorated tree (in front a bank on Clark Street) with a sparser, but equally well decorated tree (on Ashland). Then, Susan added gently falling snow to make a lovely holiday scene.
We have one more class before the year-end break. We'll use this time for our popular Swap-o-rama. It's a guilt-free way to clear our painting kits and make room for new acquisitions. Here's how it works—anyone who wants to participate can bring in one or more items that just don't work for them. This can be anything from paper to brushes to accessories to tubes of paint. We put all the "lost toys" on a table and everyone is free to take whatever they would like to try. This is always fun! Don't miss it! In fact, Greeta brought in an early pile of goodies today; we all swept in and the swap table was clean in minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment