Over the last week I talked a lot about honing your artistic skills and working towards the mastery of your chosen craft, art, and interest (not that those are separate categories but they could be). One thing I've discovered through my own journey is that the magic 'sauce' for anything I've done is in this one big secret....ready for it???? Practice!! Don't get me wrong, there are shortcuts that one can take and 'aha' moments you can break through with that will propel you a bit further, but by and large, the magic potion is in the practice. For me, one of the most significant improvement in anything I've done has been in my portraits. I've found my groove and I can see my style go from primitive and pretty girls, to ones that have much more emotion and substance in my style. Sharing those 'aha' moments and helping YOU move from what you are currently doing now, to a more "Extreme Portrait' (drawing and painting) is the basis of my class coming up at Random Arts in Saluda, NC, this February 28, and March 1st. Emotional. Colorful. Deep, Full of Substance and Character.
During this 2 day class, we will work on shading and developing features of our portrait. I'll guide you along in my exercises to give you confidence in the fact that you can do this, too. Maybe not exactly like me, but perhaps even BETTER! It's about YOU...and using your strengths, your style and your vision to capture the feeling behind a person you are portraying or 'creating' if it's from imagination.
In addition to working on our drawing skills we will be working on developing some really interesting backgrounds full of texture and original mark making.....as our painted portraits will beckon for more grit and grunge then just a simple painted background piece.
In order to get the richness and depth our "Extreme Portraits' call for, we need to create a foundation to jump off with. This picture is about 6 or 7 layers in from the beginning....
Over the 2 days we will learn strategies to create shape and form...and NOT be afraid to use non-traditional colors for our faces. I believe in the theory that one can create amazing portraits with just about ANY color. Trust me. Or trust yourself may be the better way to look at it.
I'll show you how to make your paintings radiate with color through techniques that date back 100's of years but are not as used as often in this day and age because many artists don't want to take the time to glaze and layer, glaze and layer, shade and highlight, shade and highlight some more than do it all over again...as many times as necessary. It's fascinating to see it all come together...and quite frankly, there will be times that it' a bit scary. That's the part where you have to stick with me, stick with you...and keep the process going.
We will also do exercises that are not as time consuming. Not everything has to be a journey, there is a lot of value in just working super fast and letting the rawness of your brush strokes do the talking for you.
My mission is to expose you to it all..and to be your guide.
My style is a bit imperfect. It's a bit gritty. It's full of texture. Not traditional but yet it is.....It's about color and emotion and trying to capture someone's spirit and give it a 'voice' on your canvas.
Time permitting, we may even work a bit on painting ourselves...so bring a fun picture of yourself in black and white and in color. This class is about exploring. Practicing. Learning. Diving in and immersing yourself for 2 full days of portrait play. Nestled in the mountains of Western NC,
Random Arts is the perfect intimate location to visit and leave inspired for unlimited amount of creative ventures. Art, culture, nature, and amazing photographic opportunities abound over and above this classroom setting.
Join on this 2 day exploratory journey into "Extreme Portraits" .
Take you work from flat to that which is full of depth and texture.
Draw and paint eyes that will pierce.
Paint faces that have shape and radiate with color.
You'll hone your skills around shading and highlighting.
You will find ways to let go of traditional colors and explore a brave new world of contemporary colors.
Combining painting with drawing we will literally do it all during Extreme Portraits.
For registration and location information, Please visit
this link here.
I'll be teaching this class on February 28 and March 1st, 2015--the only time I will be doing this particular class live in 2015 so don't miss out on this fun opportunity!!
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, part of the magic sauce on the road to mastery is practice, but a little guidance along the way doesn't hurt :) Allow me to be your guide for 2 days!
Until we meet again, go out and be brave, do something that might be outside your comfort zone and live a bit outside the lines.
Go Extreme.
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Have you seen my new
cards in my shop? Just
listed today several new styles and a couple best sellers back in stock!
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