Grange Hall available May 24, 25 for Workshop

Things are looking good for the May Portrait Workshop. The Grange is open, lots of space and we will have it for the weekend for everyone to spread out. There's a kitchen and good view, so it makes a great easy spot for workshops. What are we going to cover? With our Models, we will be looking at these portrait concepts.

How to set up for a successful portrait experience
Composition and the portrait, thumbnails
Setting up a limited palette to get started,
Drawing, Drawing with a brush,
How to block in shapes, measuring & angles
Looking at the big shadow shapes,using a mirror
what color is that skin tone?
Full Palette and color mixing
Painting in lights and darks, figure/ground
Creating form with edges, shadow shapes, hard and soft edges, reflected light.
Building up features, the eye, nose, mouth. ears, and hair
Planes of the face, "locking in the shapes"
yellow/red/blue

What do you need?

sketchbook and pencil
Easel, french easel or table top. I have a few extra easels. Grange has big work tables.
brushes, 1", 1/2" and 1/4 filberts are great, bristle,(bring what you have and we'll look at them)
Palette, I like the stay-wet palette with the bright blue lid and paper palette inside.
Odorless mineral spirits,small bottle.
For medium, I like liquin or galkyd by Gamblin, + the little cups to pour them into.Both make your paint dry faster.
Rags, old towels cut up are my favorite, paper towels too weak
2 medium sized canvases these are all good sizes: 9 x 12,11 x 14,12x 16, 14 x 18,
If you'd like to tone them first, great, or we can do it at the workshop.
Gloves, & Apron.
Something to do a few shorter pose paintings on, like a canvas paper pad. Recycled brown paper bags work too.

Paint:
Cad. red light
aliz. crimson
Cad. yellow medium
Cad. orange,
Sap green
Ultramarine blue
earth colors like raw sienna good.
White, I like permalba or Gamblin quick dry.

In the nice but not necessary catagory would be naples yellow, dioz. purple, Quinadrodone magenta, cad yellow light (more of a landscape pigment, useful for greens)

The cost of the workshop is $175, includes model fee.
Limit the size of the group to 15. Artists of any level may join.

Please call with any questions, my toll free number is 1 866 374 4272
locally at 378 2638, or email: funkon@rockisland.com
I hope you can join us!!

Portrait of Introspective Woman

12" x 16" oil on linen panel. Loved the hand and asymetrical pose, this happened thru several thumbnails before getting started. I like to draw first, get the feel for the pose, it helps strengthen composition.
Check out our winter portrait drawing class to see a wide range of great student work.

Classic Side View

Once in a while, it's nice to do a classic side view, 12"x 14" oil on panel.
Mary Beth McKenzie says, to paint across the form. Why? Softer edges. Check out her site to see a wonderful painter's work.I will be in New York Taking classes from Mary Beth Mckenzie and Henry Finkelstein during th month of April.

Drawing with a Brush, Portraits from Life.

Drawing with a brush, working on getting my brushes up to speed and beyond, with my pencil. There's something so comfortable about a pencil,and so foreign about a brush. I have been trying to increase my brush handing ability. My friend Ann Walbert brought out her stick,like from a tree branch, to draw with yesterday. She dipped her stick into ink, fabulous! Must go get stick....