10/3/09

PORTRAIT WORKSHOP HERE

Learning to paint watercolor portraits of young children is one of the many challenges of painting. In November, I'll be teaching a weekend workshop for people who want to learn how to better paint children's portraits. The dates are Nov. 14 and 15, a Saturday and Sunday, and it will be held in my teaching studio near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, close to Cincinnati, Ohio.

We'll work each day from 9:30 to 5 with every artist creating watermedia paintings from their own photographs of children. (In other words, it won't be a 'paint-along-with-the-teacher kind of class, but an 'I-painted-this-myself' kind of accomplishment!)

People who struggle with drawing will certainly find good success using the ideas and methods in this workshop. Cost is $140. Bring a sack lunch along with your regular art supplies. Working on Arches 140#Cold Pressd or Fabriano 140# Cold Pressed will be a must, and if you need it, I will have some paper available for sale at $4.75/22x30" sheet, plus tax. Many artists are likely to paint several portraits during the workshop, and all will go home with the expertise to pursue painting portraits on their own.

Contact me here to find out more info. It will be a weekend full of inspiration, discovery, and hard work, and I know we'll have a very good time. Hope you can join us.

9/28/09

THURSDAY'S WORKSHOP PAINTING

Each day of our Watercolor Society of Indiana workshop brought new challenges. On Thursday, Alvaro started his painting with a wide red sign that hung in front of a meat market. It was a stunning, HOT painting, so I tried to find something from my photos that could be adapted to his approach.

This painting is THE ONE that I've done over a dozen times in various approaches, techniques, mediums, etc. I do LOVE painting this scene, but this is the first time people have been included.

After completing it, I decided maybe to crop the top and both sides to make a better pix - see the crop below. The left figure's also darkened, and the right hand figure has a more even value on the jacket. The intense reddish gold patch above the light has been grayed a bit too.

Look closely and you can find Chinese White Watercolor around the lamp and people. The painting hasn't been officially chopped yet because I'm still in love with that top window area.

"MALTA AGAIN" Transparent Watercolor on 140# Rough Arches presently 15 x 22" COLLECTED