Winter Wednesday Watercolour Class at DVSA!

I was back at Dundas Valley School of Art on Wednesday for the first evening class of a series of four. The group was a very balanced mix of ‘regular’ students and new (to me) ones. All have some experience in the watercolour medium but not all had done a lot of, or any, prior observational still-life painting. Everyone was keen, however, and I’m looking forward to the next three classes.

Finding and preserving the key light may be the most critical element of observational and representational work. It’s always challenging in a studio lit with numerous fluorescent tubes. I always place a lamp with a strong bulb over the still-life and that’s the light source we try to heed. The fluorescent lights confuse the issue but, alas, we need them to see what we’re doing. At the start of the class, and once in a while throughout, I’ll turn off the overhead tubes for a few minutes. This helps everyone see the important light much better and always enhances the still-life.

My demonstration focused on finding the light and also on creating interest in the shadowy areas of the objects. I like to emphasize the positive but the right side of the sheet shows a few examples of ‘how not to draw’. I’d already presented my more positive drawing approach briefly in the mortar and pestle study on the left.

There are a lot of objects in my still-lifes but I never recommend that the students paint them all. I suggest that they choose an area of the collection and do a thumbnail compositional study before enlarging it on their watercolour sheet. With several students new to this experience, I also suggested that they forget about composing and painting a group of objects but create a sheet of individual studies. Some chose this route and I think that the focus on practice over product will make the class a more successful learning experience for them.

I enjoyed the evening and the enthusiasm of the group. Stay tuned for their efforts over the next three Wednesday evenings. As one of my DVSA colleagues says, “practice makes progress”!

Wednesday Critique

 

Winter Wednesday Watercolour Class at DVSA – Week Five!

It was already our fifth evening of Watercolour: Concept and Technique last Wednesday at the Dundas Valley School of Art! We’ve had a cold and fairly white winter so I thought some bright colours were in order. Also, I wanted to talk about colour mixing and applying washes and these gift bags fit the bill.

If you don’t see a multi-coloured bag in the still-life, your vision is fine. I broke this bag down into component shapes so I could discuss colour and washes without taking the time to paint several bags. We’ve only got three hours to paint, after all, and that includes my demonstration and our constructive critique.

The students always apply themselves and most wish there was more painting time by the end of the class. Some of these watercolours are unfinished but why rush? The learning process is more important than the final product.

Wednesday Critique a

Wednesday Critique b

Winter Saturday and Tuesday Watercolour Classes – Week Two!

I had to do the dishes before setting up a still-life for the Saturday and Tuesday classes at Arts on Adrian this week. Wait a minute! Those dishes are the still-life. Do you think this is an unorthodox subject? It may be, but the students really enjoyed it.

My demonstrations were much more about drawing than watercolour painting. That’s because of all of those tricky ellipses. An ellipse is a circle in perspective and there are several good guidelines about drawing them. Ellipse theory! Like other elements of perspective, a little bit of information can go a long way. Conversely, too much theory can lead to confusion and frustration. I tried to strike a balance in order to help the students with the challenge.

I threw a small wrench into the works. As if drawing ellipses isn’t tough enough. I gave everyone a copy of a photo of a typical kitchen sink. My hope was that some of the visual elements would give them ideas for the ‘backgrounds’ of their paintings.

The Saturday students used their full day well and several employed the kitchen sink photo to enhance their paintings overall. Have a look at their work and click on any critique image to see a larger version.

Sustained Saturday Critique

We don’t have a backdrop behind the still-life in the studio. It’s in the centre of the room and students sit all around it. I photograph the still-life for these posts with a fabric behind it and I enjoy seeing how the different colours work with the objects. The dark blue shown above is effective. What do you think of the green? Both the blue and green are colours that are already present in the still-life objects.

The Tuesday classes got a slightly abbreviated version of the Saturday demonstration. Many of them work a bit smaller and place less objects in their compositions. It’s a practical solution as they have only an afternoon or evening to complete their paintings. Here’s the work from Tuesday. My next round of classes at Arts on Adrian in Toronto are a few weeks away. Check out my Winter Studio Calendar and think about joining us.

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique

 

 

 

Wednesday Watercolour Class at DVSA – Week Three!

If it’s a winter Wednesday evening, it’s time for watercolour painting at the Dundas Valley School of Art. As you can see, our still-life was comprised of a pile of hats. The hats aren’t particularly colourful but they were the perfect subject for the lesson I had in mind. I went ‘back to basics’ and talked about two main things during my demonstration; tone/value and brush-handling skills.

I drew my hats in pencil first. My cool grey was a mix of Burnt Sienna and Cobalt Blue. As I painted, I was very careful to leave the white of the paper for the lightest areas of the subject. I developed the bigger middle tone shapes next and the smaller dark shapes and marks came last. The brush-handling I mentioned involves the soft edge washes used to create gentle transitions such as on the crowns of the hats.

This study could be continued by ‘glazing’ washes of colour over the values. Believe it or not, this approach was widely used by early watercolourists a few hundred years ago and is still employed by some contemporary painters. I chose this lesson because I thought some of the students could use a refresher in light and shadow.

Next week, I’m going to take it a step further and discuss glazing. But right now, let’s see what the Wednesday class did. Remember to click on a critique image for a larger version.

Wednesday Watercolour
Critique a

Wednesday Watercolour
Critique b

Wednesday Watercolour Class at DVSA – Week Two!

Last Thursday, this blog had it’s 200,000th view! Thank you for following, commenting and liking. Now, what happened at DVSA on Wednesday evening?

I brought in my collection of ‘Mexican’ pots on Wednesday. Lovely, solid forms with lots of texture on their distressed surfaces. My demonstration dealt, first of all, with process. Many watercolour painters follow three basic guidelines; light to dark, big to small and soft to crisp. Add in a dollop of simplification and a sprinkle of editing and you’ve got the essence of my lesson.

It was only our second night together so I think my ‘back to basics’ approach was appreciated. Thinking back to my suggestion of week one, almost everyone did a thumbnail sketch/compositional study first. This helped focus on an area of interest in the still-life. Remember to click on a critique image for a larger version.

Wednesday Watercolour Critique a

Wednesday Watercolour Critique b

Spring Tuesday and Saturday Watercolour Classes

We had a very cheerful still-life at the Arts on Adrian studio last week. I just got back from teaching in Mexico a while ago and I guess I miss it already. Last Tuesday, I discussed some basics with my demonstration as well as a few thoughts about handling the fabric backdrop.

Let’s have a look at what the students did in the Tuesday afternoon and evening classes.

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique

Do you ever wonder what the Arts on Adrian studio looks like? It’s spacious and well-lit. Every student works at their own table with lots of room. Here’s a peek at some of the Saturday students at work.

And here’s a well-organized work table. As long as the artist doesn’t dip her brush in her tea!

The Saturday demonstration isn’t an exact duplicate of Tuesday. We look at the one from Tuesday and I add some new thoughts.

Watercolour demonstration sheet by Barry Coombs

There was a lot of good energy in the studio on Saturday, as well. Enjoy their work!

Sustained Saturday Critique

Spring Tuesday and Saturday Watercolour Classes – Baked Goods!

Yummy! I should have warned the students to not come hungry for the classes last Tuesday and Saturday. These baked goods weren’t just mouth-watering but a lot of fun to paint, as well.

Before I demonstrated, we had a look at the work of Wayne Thiebaud, the American artist who is well-known for his paintings of pastries and other everyday food items and objects.

I wanted to stress colour and simplification with my demonstrations on both days. I also discussed the white objects in the still-life and offered some thoughts on dealing with them.

Tuesday Demonstration

Saturday Demonstration

I had to keep a close eye on our tempting still-life. One of the students even rolled a pencil off a table, crawled under and approached the cupcakes! Fortunately, the goods survived until the end of the classes and the students enjoyed painting them as much as they would have enjoyed devouring them……maybe, not.

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique

Saturday Critique

Winter Saturday and Tuesday Watercolour Classes – Brass!

Here are two views of our still-life from the Saturday and Tuesday watercolour classes at Arts on Adrian in Toronto.

Saturday class is an all day affair and I suggested that the students take the time to do a small warmup painting. I used a flat angled brush for my demonstration and worked very quickly. As I painted, I discussed various aspects of the still-life. Fast and messy, this painting is not an end in itself but part of a process. A warmup painting can help the student identify potential problems and challenges before tackling a sustained piece.

Several of the students followed my lead before settling into a more sustained painting.

Sustained Saturday Critique

Tuesday classes are three hours in duration. I decided to discuss the drapery behind the objects. My demonstrations simplify the folds as much as possible.

That’s it for Winter term at Arts on Adrian. I’ll be posting my Spring calendar soon!

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique

 

Winter Saturday and Tuesday Watercolour Classes – Rust and Dust!

These old cans and containers have a lot of character and are always a popular subject with the watercolour students. On Saturday, I focused my demonstration primarily on colour and texture.

A Sustained Saturday class is six hours long and it allows the students lots of time to complete thumbnail sketches and small studies before starting a more ambitious piece. This extra effort always pays off!

Sustained Saturday Critique

Tuesday was quite a challenge and I’m not talking about the watercolour painting! Our region experienced an ice storm. I followed the weather report every half hour and decided to run the classes. Amazingly, eleven determined students showed up for the afternoon class. Unfortunately, conditions worsened but four undaunted (maybe crazy) artists turned up for the evening session.

I concentrated on simplification and colour with my demonstration. The small study on the right was done in the evening. I’ve drawn attention to the foregound object by eliminating all paper white in the background with a cool grey wash. When that wash dried, I added shadow shapes of the other objects in a single value. Suggestion versus depiction.

A potentially disastrous day turned into a success!

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique

Saturday and Tuesday Watercolour Classes – More Colour!

The last time we convened at the Arts on Adrian studio, the students were faced with a still-life comprised solely of cardboard objects. The entire setup was, basically, light brown. We changed that. After a discussion about colour theory, each student adopted a colour system (complementary or analagous are two examples) that appealed to them and converted the still-life into a very colourful watercolour painting.

This time, I set up a still-life of just about every colour I could find in my trove of objects. It’s colourful but that doesn’t mean that the colours are working well together. The new challenge for the students was to pick an area of the still-life and adjust the colours in order to make a more effective statement.

I looked at a small corner of the arrangement and made a simplified thumbnail sketch. You can see that I made some key changes. I wanted to draw the eye to the bowl on the plate and to create a bit of depth to the space in the painting.

I had asked the students to plan all of their colours at the outset with a thumbnail sketch, as I had. Why not? Why wait until the painting is near completion before deciding what colour to employ in the remaining unpainted areas (almost always the background)?

The students enjoyed our colour challenge. We spend a lot of time in watercolour class discussing drawing, composition and technique. We discuss colour, as well, but I think our intensive two-class mini-workshop really struck a chord.

Sustained Saturday Critique

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

Tuesday Evening Critique