Daily Lesson and Work
DAY 1–morning
Step 1. LIGHTEN UP
LIGHTEN ANYTHING THAT YOU DON'T LIKE.
Ugly? Poorly Designed? Poorly drawn? Get Rid of it!
You needn't live with ugly parts of your painting if they discourage
you. Anything can be lightened or removed. Determine what you
don't like. Be specific. Don't be overly critical.
Do you have murky areas? too dark? poor, boring shapes? Shapes
which don't overlap enough? Areas that don't make sense? You
don't have to put up with anything you don't like. Lighten or
remove and repaint one iffy area at a time by using stencils.
(Special equipment needed: for ARCHES
PAPER ONLY: clear packing tape (light weight, inexpensive tape
cuts the easiest) and a single-edged razor blade and a natural
sponge. FOR ALL OTHER PAPERS use Contact paper, Frisket paper,
or other adhesive backed papers. FOR ACRYLICS use
tape, alcohol (91% strength) and a toothbrush.
|
Demos, Slides, Discussions
and Handouts
Handout–course outline
DEMO: cutting and using stencils
SLIDES and ACTUAL PAINTINGS: Introduction
to my work.
SLIDES: Removing what you don't like through stencils
LUNCH? Master Disaster DVD. an overview
of the course.
DISCUSSION: One-on-one conferences:
What are they? 15 minutes of personal time with the instructor.
signing up
What you will need: several paintings, photos or slides of work,
or questions
|
DAY 1–Afternoon
Step 2. BREAK IT UP
Paintings are usually boring because they don't have enough going
on in them. Breaking up boring spaces is the simple cure. Critically
look at your painting and review these:
1. Do you have a variety of size "pieces"
in your painting?
2. Larger paintings need more breaking up of space.
3. Add polish and interest with textural gimmicks.
4. TONING DOWN TEXTURE. Some painters have a tentative, itchy
way of applying paint. If this is you, you may want to run a
wash or two over these areas to tone down the texture–especially
in non-focal point areas.
5. Consider adding a pattern.
6. Clean up accidental texture.
7. In a traditional painting, does the texture lead your eye
to the focal point
|
DEMO: How to run a complicated wash.
Creating textures.
Toning down textures.
SLIDES: Breaking up space and texture
ONE ON ONE CONFERENCES
CLOSING DISCUSSION: What is content.
HOMEWORK: read Louise Cadillac article
(handout)
|
DAY 2–Morning
Step 3. ENRICH IT
While an occasional "high key," light painting works,
most unfinished watercolors just don't have enough mid-tones
and darks.
IS YOUR PAINTING TOO LIGHT?
1. Simply add two, three or more layers of similar colors to
most of your painting. Avoiding "mud."
2. Put in some real darks.
3. Compare. Compare you painting to other finished ones--both
yours and others.
4. Look at your painting in dim light.
5. Now look for high contrast areas in the wrong places, particularly
at the edge.
Each Value adjustment creates the nee for changes in other places.
Be patient. Adjust, refine and adjust some more.
|
DEMO: Enriching a painting.
SLIDES: Enriching a painting.
ONE ON ONES CONFERENCES
|
DAY 2–Afternoon
Step 4. UNIFY IT with Color Strategies
Color and value strategies are by far the best ways to pull your
paintings together. We will be working with value strategies
on day 3.
Color Strategies. Unlike value strategies,
which seem to be everywhere, there are 8 color strategies to
choose from. Some express a distinct mood, so your choice will
be affected by the content and ideas that you wish to express.
Color Strategies are simply 8 ways to limit your palette.
Everyone will develop a firm color strategy
and apply it to his or her working painting.
|
DEMO. Applying a color strategy.
SLIDES (or DVD) and ACTUAL PAINTINGS –Color
strategies.
CREATING A "FLIP BOOK" Artists
are asked to bring in art magazines to cut up, and/or paint samples
of each color strategy.
ONE ON ONES CONFERENCES
CLOSING DISCUSSION with SLIDES: Working
in a series. Introduce my series sketchbook method.
|
DAY 3–Morning finish Color
strategies
Morning and afternoon
Step 4. UNIFY IT with Value Strategies
Value Strategies can be found everywhere: in masterpieces through
out history, in other painting classes and books, and, most importantly
from paintings you love.
Apply a value strategy to your paintings.
|
SLIDES (or DVD) and ACTUAL PAINTINGS –Value
Strategies.
DEMO: Applying a value strategy
"FLIP BOOK" Add value strategies.
Look for some samples in magazines.
ONE ON ONES CONFERENCES A.M.& P.M.
AFTER LUNCH SLIDES: Art at the New Millennium.
(handout)
CLOSING DISCUSSION: writing an artist's
statement (handout) (homework)
|
DAY 4–morning
Step 5. SURPRISE US–applying content
Content is what makes a painting a work
of art. You may think that this is late in the game to think
of content, but it is never too late and it will save a painting
from boredom. I call these last minute thoughts my "surprise."
Brainstorm. Make a list of every silly
suggestion that enters your mind. Eventually, you will find the
perfect "surprise." I list all of these in my sketchbook.
An idea that I may reject today will be the perfect answer for
a painting next week or next month.
Adding painterly content. Unusual color
surprise?
Switch media. Collage elements? Rough crayon marks? Do integrate
these.
Adding an element. Symbols. Personal Marks. Writing.
Borders? It's never too late for this.
|
DEMO. CHOOSE A SURPRISE ELEMENT
AND APPLY IT TO THE DEMO PAINTING.
SLIDES and ACTUAL PAINTINGS–Surprises
SIGNING THE PAINTING
ONE ON ONES CONFERENCES
|
DAY 4–afternoon
Step 6. EVALUATE IT
Different ways of looking at your own
work.
critiquing a painting, how I do it, how
others do it
critiquing your own painting,
critiquing your neighbor's painting.
(handouts)
|
FINISH ONE ON ONES CONFERENCES
READ ARTIST'S STATEMENTS
DISCUSSION: portfolio (show) and business
questions. (handout)
IDEAS FOR CONTINUED GROWTH
(handout)
|
All of my courses are basic to the
arts. They apply to any media, and any non-smelly media is welcome
in the classes. Acrylic painters should bring alcohol (91%) and/or
Windex to class.
Five day courses allow for complete study of design strategies.
Artists will be asked to apply a different design strategy to
another painting. "Flip books" will be fully developed.
Students have called this booklet their art bible, giving them
the tools to get into exhibitions–even AWS. After using
mine for years, I still find that I use if for every painting.
Since traveling light is always the best
way to go these days, organizations are responsible for supplying
the copies of handouts. Master copies can be mailed ahead of
time, if necessary.
For more information, contact me at susan@tregay.com.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|