Watercolor Weekend, Day 3: Tom Lynch

Today wrapped up my scheduled workshops at Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh.  All three were watercolor classes.  Today's instructor was Tom Lynch, a very charismatic teacher whose mission was to teach us the fundamentals of a good painting while having fun.  We did!

This time our classroom at the North Raleigh Hilton had the same mirrored teacher station, but I was not bothered by the directionality problem.  There was no specific drawing or direction to worry about.

He gifted us with a small plein air palette filled with paint, two brushes, and also four quarter-sheets of Gemini 140-lb. paper.  Very organized- everything came in a plastic bag ready to go!

We each made two juicy background washes, one in a warm tone and one in a cool.

We put leaves over the underpainting and painted over them with dark values.

We learned to find a focal point and soften the colors in other areas of the painting.  We added some positive shapes and some veins in the leaves.

Here is mine with a mat over part of the painting.

I ended up with a semi-abstract, colorful painting with a glowing focal point.  I like it, but think I will try it again.  These leaves were kind of torn up, and did not make as crisp an image as I would like.  Compare mine to these of Tom's.

I purchased two Tom Lynch instructional DVDs, and then went to the trade show.  Very overwhelming!  I limited myself to a few supplies that the instructors had recommended:  spray bottles for spraying paint, and some of the 300-lb. Bright White Arches paper that Tom Jones recommended on Thursday.

Oh, yes, and I had to get just one new book from Suzanne McNeill's booth.

Altered Surfaces, by Chris Cozen

Using Acrylic Paints With Gels, Mediums, Grounds & Pastes

I think I have enough projects to get me through the winter!

Watercolor Weekend Day 2: Karlyn Holman

On to Day 2 of my classes at Art of the Carolinas.  This time it was another session with Karlyn Holman, and the topic was Paint Colorful Boats. Karlyn leads art excursions all over the world, and the subject of this drawing was of boats in Venice.

The method was very different this time, because we painted on stretched canvas that had been pre-treated with a medium to allow it to accept watercolor paint.  When finished, the painting can be sprayed with acrylic and framed without glass.

There were a large number of students in a long, narrow room.  I was at the very end of this first table, and Karlyn was at the opposite end of the room.  No problem, since we all gathered around her station to watch her demo the techniques.  She walked around the room frequently offering help and encouragement.

And here is what I came home with!

My boats look a little like they are grounded on rocks or caught in an oil slick!  But it is a colorful picture.  I might work on this a little more.

Tomorrow is a workshop with Tom Lynch titled  A Watercolor that Paints Itself. 

This is another one that I am really looking forward to painting!

Watercolor Weekend Day 1: Tom Jones

Last night was my first class at Art of the Carolinas 2011.  I took a watercolor painting workshop with artist Tom Jones.  What a wonderful teacher- patient, low-key, encouraging, generous. 

This class met at Jerry's Art-a-Rama, and the demo station had a mirror to show the class what the instructor was doing.  For people like me with directional problems, it was somewhat disconcerting to see him painting in reverse.  But that's okay.  He walked around with his in-progress painting often.

Everything was provided for this workshop except for our brushes and palette.  He gave us the paint, and gifted each of us with a spray bottle that sprays dots instead of fine mist.  Our paper was 300-lb Arches Bright White.  I have never used that before- a very heavy paper that does not curl when wet.  I loved it...and probably can't afford it!

The class was full and everyone produced a very nice painting in their own style.

Here is mine!  I am very happy!



Mountain Barn, Jeanne McBrayer, 2011

This afternoon is my class with Karlyn Holman on Painting Colorful Boats.  I am looking forward to being in her class again. 

Here is the description:  

 Paint these colorful boats from Vernazza, Italy on this unique surface. You will be provided with a pre-drawn sketch of these boats, stretched onto a wooden frame. Paint this image and then add a spray of acrylic and frame your finished painting like an oil painting. This lesson is an abstract composition, as well as, an on location scene. The interlocking shapes and bright colors form a strong design that is exciting to paint. Join the fun and take home a finished painting on canvas.

Each student will be provided with a printed image on canvas, stretched on a stretcher. Bring your favorite watercolor paints and brushes.

If you live in the Raleigh area and have any need for paints, paper, brushes, or instructional materials, the Trade Show in the North Raleigh Hilton is free and has some great deals, plus lots of famous painters on hand doing demos.





Landscape #2: Cubism

I got the nod of approval on my Lesson 1 landscape in my Pamela Allen online workshop, so it was time to move on to the next lesson.  The assignment was to interpret our chosen subject in a Cubist style.   Instead of one moment frozen in time on a flat canvas,  the Cubists interpret what can be seen at different times and from different viewpoints.  Of course, one immediately associates Cubism with Pablo Picasso.  I theorize that one reason he had so many different lovers in his life is because they all got a little bit miffed after he painted their portraits!  Consider this painting of Dora Maar!

Head of a Woman, Pablo Picasso



Besides the strange portraits with faces portrayed in different planes at the same time, Picasso painted landscapes, my chosen subject.  In Landscape at Mougins, the mountains, lake, and a house are all at least recognizable.



Landscape at Mougins, Pablo Picasso

 This style is rather daunting for a non-artist to attempt, but Pamela offers many ideas such as fracturing objects, layering, including transparency and real world objects such as paper.  Here is an example of a still life by Juan Gris.



Still Life With Geraniums, Juan Gris

So, on to the fabric landscape in Cubist style.  My first attempt used some realistic looking woodsy fabric, an oak leaf in both positive and negative shapes, and a strong tree shape that also includes the roots.  There is a representation of a building that is made of newspaper. 

Even I realized that this attempt was too realistic to be a Cubist interpretation, so I removed all the elements I had cut and rearranged them on a plain background.

In the revision,  I added some rather geometric mountains and a river, and attempted to add a foreground.  I was a little happier with this and uploaded it for Pamela's critique.
She agreed that the second version is a more semi-abstract landscape, but noted that I was still clinging to realism.  Her suggestion, illustrated by her Photo Shop magic, is to make the scene more of a birds-eye view with map imagery.

Notice the dashed lines to indicate roads, the fracturing of the oak leaf, a stronger foreground, and the addition of more text (exit sign).  This is getting closer to my implied theme of man-made objects imposing on nature.

I have not gotten back to this project as real life has intervened.  I loaded the big candlewick quilt on my Gammill yesterday and got started on the quilting.  After all, I still need to make a little more money to cover the repairs to the garage door I backed into last week!

And today begins my first workshop at Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh.  The class is The Easy Approach to Starting a Watercolor Painting, instructed by Tom Jones.

"Truly a wild and wonderful NEW class where at the end of a busy week … you want to just paint … not have to “think” … or take notes … This class is for you! Great if you need to learn how to loosen up, or if you are a beginner, Tom will help you build a successful painting first, and then show you how unity, color, contrast and a focal point were utilized without you ever knowing."

I am super-excited about this class.  If I produce anything close to the lovely landscape in the sample image, I will be delighted!

Don't forget to enter the drawing for the Elm Creek Quilts novel.  Leave a comment at the end of this post and tell something about the friendships you have shared through your love of quilting.

Watercolor Painting Revised: Sunflower

Since I had all my watercolor stuff set up on my kitchen table for the Venice cafe painting, I decided to try to improve my Sunflower watercolor painting.  This, again, was from a Karlyn Holman line drawing in a kit that included a photo reference of a flower, brief painting instructions, a photo of Karlyn's painting, and a line drawing.

This was my first attempt at the painting.  Okay, but kind of pale and weak for such a strong subject as the sunflower.

I decided to use a technique that I learned from Karlyn's DVD, Watercolors Without Boundaries.  She paints white tissue paper with her watercolor palette, letting the colors blend together, and applies them to the painting with Yes! paste.  To be more specific, she uses the paper toilet seat covers found in public restrooms!  Dad, my sister, and I got a good laugh out of that when we watched that part of the DVD together a couple of weeks ago. 

I did not have a johnny seat cover, but used some painted white craft tissue.  I tore it into small pieces and pasted them onto the flower petals.  Then I enriched the color by overpainting.  I notched up the colors in the backgrounds, as well.  Here is the revised version.

I like this version much better, and am ready to sign it and call it DONE!

And, I couldn't resist signing up for one more Karlyn Holman workshop at Art of the Carolinas next weekend.  She is going to teach us how to paint boats, but it will be on a stretched canvas support.  That sounds very new and different!  Here is the description of the Friday workshop.

Paint these colorful boats from Vernazza, Italy on this unique surface. You will be provided with a pre-drawn sketch of these boats, stretched onto a wooden frame. Paint this image and then add a spray of acrylic and frame your finished painting like an oil painting. This lesson is an abstract composition, as well as, an on location scene. The interlocking shapes and bright colors form a strong design that is exciting to paint. Join the fun and take home a finished painting on canvas.

I am getting excited about my weekend of painting lessons!

 
 



Watercolor Painting: Cafe in Venice

Here is the latest watercolor painting I completed from a Karlyn Holman drawing.



Venice Cafe, 2011

I took a class with Karlyn last year at Art of the Carolinas, and subsequently purchased her book and DVD.  I followed along on the DVD as I painted each step.  This method has really helped me understand various watercolor techniques.

For this painting, we started with painting the cast shadows on dry paper.

Then we wet both sides of the paper and added color, letting it spread beyond the lines.

After that layer dries, you add more color to crisp up various shapes.  I started adding flowers by throwing paint from the brush and letting the colors combine.

To finish, we added a wet wash for the sky, continued to darken some areas such as the shadows, and added mottling to the building on the left by sanding a watercolor pencil over wet paint.  A little color on the figures and dog, and it's done!  There is a ripple in the paper that I will have to flatten out by putting it under some heavy books.

I hate  to waste paint that is left on my palette, so I decided to use it for this month's Sketchbook Challenge journal theme:  Imaginary Animals.  I just painted some blobby animal shapes, and later added features with a black Pitt pen.  This was fun!



Quilt Bees and My Last Mountain Weekend

I have a lot to catch up on with this post!  On Thursday night, The Whacky Ladies got together for our November meeting at Jean's house.  Jean's senior citizen kitty cat must have been used to sitting in my chair.  She sat in my lap most of the night.

That's okay, she's twenty years old.  She can sit where she pleases!

Our hostess is making a beautiful applique quilt top for a friend.  This is going to be stunning.  This is just the center panel.

I brought Jean's Cowboy Boots quilt with me to the meeting to deliver it.  Jean had made a pillow to go with it using a smaller size pattern for the boots.

Mary had a couple of holiday quilts that featured sparkly embellishments like beading and ribbon.  This one is lap quilt size.

This ornament-inspired wall hanging is also by Mary, being held up for the picture by Jean.

Lori designed and was working on an original Christmas quilt top.  The circle near the top is the embroidery hoop she was using as she stitched down some rickrack trim on the white border.

One of my other quilt groups, the Anything Art Bee, met today at Kathy Hefner's home.  Kathy is an excellent bead artist, and took on the task of trying to teach six women how to do the peyote stitch.  She prepared some excellent hand-outs and examples.

Our task was to try to form a Grandmother's Flower Garden bead-weaving using several colors of seed beads.  Kathy taught us to line the beads up in order on our beading trays before trying to string them.

Some of the ladies did pretty well. I decided this was probably not going to be my favorite beading technique. Here was the product of my hours of effort!

A little twisty and turny, yes?

Roberta Morgan brought two of the pieces for which she won awards at the North Carolina State Fair.   This one with the colorful funky houses got a second place and a special award.

She also showed us one that just came home from traveling with the Hoffman Challenge.

We are all excited because most of us are participating in Art of the Carolinas next weekend.  Last year Roberta and I took the Zentangle and Watercolors class with Suzanne McNeill.  I also took a full-day class with Karlyn Holman which started me off on my journey to become a watercolor artist.  This year I am taking two more watercolor classes from different artists.  But several of the others are taking classes with Karlyn.  Stay tuned for results next week!

We went to the mountains on Friday.  It was gloomy and rainy all day, but just as we arrived at the cabin, the sun came out and STAYED OUT all weekend!  It was beautiful, and I soaked up as much inspiration as I could since I won't be back up until after Christmas.  It is getting into serious hunting season, so I am bowing out and letting my son and Charlie's brothers stay at our place for "deer camp."

I probably have enough mountain photographs to last me a couple of months!  Here's one Charlie took of me on our last ride over the top of the mountain.

And here is Kasey's last dip in the sparkling creek.

I started a couple of art projects in the cabin last weekend which I finished at home.  I will show those next time.