Focus on Flowers Workshop at Dobbies

The Focus on Flowers Workshop at Dobbies Garden Centre, King's Lynn, was a great success and based on the feedback from participants it would seem everyone went away armed with some nuggets of new information and enthusiasm for tackling more flower drawings and paintings.

The four photos here show some of the preparatory work in a sketchbook for discussing how the basic structure of most flowers fall into one of eight categories.

This was the subject I introduced at the beginning before we moved out into the garden centre and had a go at some structure drawings from live plants.

This led into focusing on how tone adds information about the light source, form of the subject and where things are in space, even if it is very a shallow space rather than the foreground / middleground / background of an expansive landscape. There was time to settle and work on one longer tonal study or several shorter ones.



Light and shade visually allows areas to come forward and others to recede - even though it is just a flat piece of paper!

               
                 

We had a break for lunch in the restaurant area and enjoyed a delicious meal of jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings and a  salad garnish. As we sipped tea and coffee there was reflection on experiences so far, and a few people mentioned how interested some customers had been in what was going on and how different it was for them to see flowers being drawn in sketchbooks.









The afternoon was devoted to using watercolour and working from a flower specimen individually chosen from the garden centre. Strategies practised in the morning helped with getting a basic drawing in place; and one participant, feeling bold, decided to go straight in with paint and use soft fusions of colour as her starting point. I had demonstrated briefly some of the main useful watercolour techniques and also how coloured or water soluble pencils can be successfully incorporated to enhance passages in the work.

Working from chosen flower specimens.

Focused on their flowers, observation and creativity...

There was a break mid afternoon and Dobbies supplied us with more refreshments and plates of wonderful cakes and traybakes. Then it was back to work...

Light and airy in Dobbies restaurant, and plenty of room to work.

It was a great day - lovely company, delicious food and plenty of teas, coffees and iced juice to keep the brain cells alert. I thank all the staff at Dobbies for their welcome and generosity in accomodating us. As the weather warms up, your garden comes to fruition and the local parks show off colourful flower displays, try capturing some of that beauty in a sketchbook or painting as a memory of time spent observing nature closely.

Another Attempt at YouTube Videos!

Tubes of watercolour

Watercolours seem to be featuring quite a lot in my recent work, and also in the mixed media classes that have just started back after the Christmas break. This medium is so seductive, but probably one of the trickiest as there are so many variables - and to my mind it works best when 'given it's head' a bit. The paint likes to move by itself in water and it is scary to not be totally in control, but this is when watercolour seems to be magic! I decided to have another go at making a YouTube video and use it to introduce the materials and some basic principles/techniques as hints and tips. My previous attempts were time lapse - this would involve speaking...

The introduction involved two attempts. The first time I tailed off at one point, forgetting what I wanted to say. However once I moved into chatting about the materials and the actual demonstration parts it was fine. In fact, once I'm off, there's no stopping me and I totally forgot that at the moment my YouTube account will only allow 15 minute maximum video length. I definitely exceeded that. Consequently, I had to discover (fast) how to edit and trim the video into two parts. Also how to join the short introduction so it was incorporated into the first section. So, the video has been posted in two parts again - not ideal but I will remember the shorter time frame in future. The good news? I also learnt how to use YouTube editor to add a title and an end frame with this blog address.

Thinking About Watercolour 1:  Introduction and Basic Materials

Thinking About Watercolour 2: Basic Hints and Tips

Hope you enjoy my efforts, and would love any feedback!

Time Lapse Video - Watercolour of Mountain Gorilla

Through the Looking Glass, watercolour, 75x58cms

The Eastern Open 2013 exhibition opened at the weekend and the photo above is of large watercolour painting I entered.  Unfortunately neither of the paintings I put forward were accepted but with a large number of entries from 7 counties I am only one of many who received rejection slips.  However, having experienced the task of being a selector for the WNAA Summer Exhibition on two occasions I have some insight into the whole process.  I would encourage any artist to take up the opportunity to be a selector/curator if the chance is there - you will certainly never take rejection personally!  Fortunately all entrants to the Eastern open have their postcards displayed for sale in the Old Warehouse.  I popped along to the Art Centre yesterday to have a closer look at all the work and the exhibition does have a cohesive flow to it, with several stunning artworks on display.  It is good to see so many drawings selected.  The Best in Show went to a photograph.  It was interesting walking round and trying to visualize if my work could have sat in amongst them.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see the process of this watercolour painting as captured via a time lapse film.  The original reference photograph I took at Bristol Zoo last month.  I was lingering in the indoor area of the mountain gorillas when this big silverback ambled right up to the glass where I was standing and hunkered down for a few minutes.  I was fascinated by the animal itself but also with the reflections in the glass.  Once the painting was finished, although I gave it an official title, I always mentally referred to it as Egghead!  You can probably see why...   

Drawing on full sheet watercolour paper, Not surface

The following time lapse film is in 2 parts - I have yet to learn how to join the two sections together (I couldn't see how to do it directly in YouTube, think I might have to find a video editing programme to load on the computer so I can add titles etc.) so I do apologise.  I did discover how to add audio, Part 1 works fine in terms of duration but Part 2 finishes rather abruptly.  Hope you enjoy my efforts anyway - it's all a steep learning curve.

Part One

 

 

Part 2

Not sure if this painting will be seen in an exhibition any time soon - but I had a great time creating it!  If you are in King's Lynn between now and 30 November I do encourage you to visit the Eastern Open 2013 at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk.  Enjoy the selected work, and see if you can spot my two postcards, on sale for £20 each.

Art Review 2012

I have been reviewing my 2012 art year, and tomorrow will add a post about plans for 2013.

2012 has been a more focused, productive year for me, which was what I had hoped for.  My classes at Henderson Art & Framing continued for the usual three terms (of eight weeks duration each) - see www.hendersonartandframing.co.uk for details about upcoming classes.  I started this blog in May, hit a long slump but have rallied, with new resolve, to end the year.

 

Outside of my regular classes the year kicked off when I organized a Sketchbook Evening for the West Norfolk Artists Artists (www.westnorfolkartists.org).  Members were invited to bring along some sketchbooks for an informal evening to give people a chance to look through and chat about sketchbooks - their uses, different ways of using them etc.  It was (thankfully) a rip roaring success, very inspiring.  I had already made a resolution to do more sketchbook work in 2012, and although I did make much more use of them, in all honesty, I could have done even more.

 

Water Mixable Oil Painting

  

In March I held a Water Mixable Oil Painting Workshop at Henderson Art & Framing.  These workshops are always enjoyable and cater for 10 - 12 participants.  They are marvellous value too as all materials are provided and in this case each student went away with tubes of paint, brushes, plastic palette and finished work on two small canvas boards!  Sue provides a delicious lunch and refreshments mid morning and afternoon.  If you live nearby and haven't tried a workshop before 2013 could be your chance.

May was a very busy month with 2 exhibitions and I participated in Norfolk Open Studios as part of the West Norfolk Artists at South Acre Church.  I was absolutely thrilled when I sold a painting in each venue! 

'Beauty of Charcoal' Workshop

July is the annual West Norfolk Summer Exhibition.  This year I was one of the three selectors / curators and opted not to show any work.  This is the second time I have taken on this role and find the whole process fascinating.  From the initial daunting task of being faced with a sea of artwork, to gradually whittling it down a selection of work that showcases the Association and its members to its best advantage takes several hours - and the following morning there are often additions as the exhibition takes on a life of its own.  During the exhibition the Association puts on free 2-hour workshops and I ran a 'Beauty of Charcoal' Workshop.  Participants worked from simple a still life each based on peppers and mushrooms and were led through a variety of techniques to get to grips with the possibilities of this marvellous expressive medium.

'All About Artbars' Workshop

Before my classes resumed in September I ran another workshop 'All About Artbars' at Hendersons.  These new triangular water soluble wax bars burst onto the art scene in the Spring and I had plenty of time to experiment and get to grips with them.  The workshop tackled using them as a drawing medium, diluting the colour with water to make luminous washes and then working back into them.  In the afternoon they were used thick and enabled scratching through juicy layers to get interesting textures.



 

 

Reductive drawing, willow charcoal, cartridge paper

 

Compressed charcoal on watercolour paper

 

Also in September there were two more exhibitions, both at the King's Lynn Art Centre.  Again I was delighted to sell work.  Finally in November I did my first art demonstration - at Park House, Sandringham.  I was given free rein so chose charcoal again as it is quick and expressive.  I had a two hour slot and decided to do a reductive drawing of a foal (lifting the lights and adding darks) before the teabreak.  I used compressed charcoal to do a quick head study of my old pony, Danny, after the break and used water to dilute and create inky washes and drips before drawing back into it to add definition.  Two very different techniques and fortunately got it all done in the time...

So, on reflection 2012 has been a busy and fruitful year for me.  But the real highlight of the year?  My two daughters both graduated from their respective universities!!!

Happy New Year.