From drawing to painting

It's surprising how many people feel uncomfortable as they move from line drawing into more fluid painting. We cannot assume that it's easy to move smoothly between them, and at the same time to avoid dropping into a style that sometimes feels a bit like “painting by numbers”.

Crossing that boundary is the focus of this workshop. It's always worth practicing upon.

The workshop is suitable for artists at all ability and experience levels. It is devised to suit art groups.

Contact Maggie about the workshop.

 

Aims

• To explore in step-by-step fashion the progression from monochrome drawing to colour painting.
• To enable participants to work fluidly with colour.
• To do so whilst retaining line, should they so choose.
• To develop and improve participants' skills of both observation and creation.
• To complete at least one full painting.

Workshop outline

Day 1

• Introduction to workshop, including our own experiences and concerns.
• Presentation and discussion of the work of artists who have crossed the boundary.
• Let's start in monochrome.
• Building limited colour into the image.
• Introducing more colour, but not yet a full colour picture.

Day 2

• Establishing the structure of new images using line drawing.
• Developing this foundation into full colour paintings.
• Discussion of work.

Materials & equipment required

• Lots of large, thick drawing paper.
• Pencils and charcoal.
• Pen and ink (optional).
• Acrylic paints by preference, but watercolours are fine.
• Several large pieces of card on which to make paintings – sides from large boxes are OK if first painted with white emulsion.
• Three rigger brushes (long thin bristles – of different thicknesses) plus your usual brushes.
• Old dinner-plates or pallettes for mixing paint.