oil painting workshop

Oil Painting Workshop

Someone I met through giving my How To Draw talk back in November expressed a desire to take an oil painting workshop from me. She is a can-do, git-‘er-dun kind of person (takes-one-to-know-one), so we set a date, and she gathered 4 other interested people. I learned that she is an art teacher, as is another attendee from the talk. They were joined by a third art teacher, along with a couple of family members for a day of oil painting.

I set up samples and my supplies on one end of the room.

We sat together for some chit-chat (a talk about the tools and techniques), and then they chose what to paint from photos that I passed around. (One overachiever chose two.)

I was ever so slightly intimidated by these well-educated art professionals, but there was no reason for that foolishness. They concentrated, asked relevant questions, and we enjoyed the time so much that I forgot to take photos until the 4-hour session was almost finished.

The Overachiever also had the largest canvas size.

This painter used to oil paint regularly, perhaps 40 years ago.

This painter thought her pomegranate looked like a tomato until we figured out a little visual texture through color variation was the answer.

This painter admitted to feeling a little uncomfortable about learning publicly; I confessed to the same feeling with all her education and experience. We had a good laugh, and then carried on like old comfortable friends.

This first-time painter showed me some photos of her own art, —custom designed, beautifully decorated sugar cookies! (She didn’t bring any, boohoo, but I am glad I didn’t have to tell her, “It is forbidden.”)

Excellent start! Because my style of painting is called “glazing” (layer after layer after layer), it is my hope they will finish these paintings on their own. (And if they need help, I hope they will email or call).

THANK YOU FOR AN EXCELLENT PAINTING WORKSHOP, Maddie, Amy, Janeva, Angie, and Jeanne!

P.S. They learned about layering, working “lean to fat”, getting the design on the canvas without first drawing it in pencil, mixing colors from a double primary palette (2 blues, 2 reds, 2 yellows, + white), how to get the paint onto the canvas to look like what you want, how to put leftover paint back in the tube, and how it takes FOR-EV-ER to complete a painting.

oil painting workshop oil paintings

Another Secret Oil Painting Workshop

There are benefits to taking drawing lessons from me. One of them is that I offer an occasional oil painting workshop to my drawing students.

(There are a lot of links in this post. So many things reminded me of past posts. If you click on any of them, they will open in a new window, so you won’t lose this post before you finished reading it.)

What? If someone takes lessons, they are offered the opportunity to take more lessons?

Yep. You got it in one.

Shereen is just as careful in her painting as she is in her pencil drawing. This painting will need more layers, but has a very good start. You can see Shereen’s pencil drawing of boots here.

A began this painting in December when I gave 2 other secret oil painting workshops. She thought this wasn’t looking too good, but I betcha when she lets it quietly mull in a corner and then returns to it in a week, she will be as impressed with it as you and I are.

J painted with me in the first workshop and had such great success that she ventured out into new territory for both of us. The lighthouse will happen when the water is dry. Hmmm, what is dry water? Never mind. But did you know that blue is God’s favorite color? I decided this when I was on a ship to Alaska last summer.

L is prolific and dedicated and usually gets things right the first time. I may have been a little too busy at the other table when she began this painting, but when it dries, she’ll be able to deepen the colors. Aren’t you impressed that she can paint this just using the primary colors? (Pay no attention to the tube of brown or the tube of black – just an optical illusion or something. . .)

She almost finished this pumpkin and has plans for the Sequoia.

And Mary? She snuck out before the camera appeared! She’s painting a beautiful orange.

Why the (beta version) Oil Painting Workshop Was Successful

Yesterday’s blog post told a secret – that I gave an oil painting workshop without publicizing it first, and why I didn’t publicize it.

Today, I will reveal why I believe that workshop was a success. No, I will reveal the reasons that I believe it was a success, not why I believe . . . never mind. Here is the list.

1. All of my students know how to draw – they understand proportion, are confident about putting shapes on paper (now on canvas), understand values (darks and lights), understand about hard and soft edges.

2. All of them understand what I mean when I make up words to explain things – “smoosh that part” or “verticalize those marks”.

3. They are very kind about my inexperience as an oil painter/oil painting teacher and very understanding when I explain that all I know to teach is what I know.

4. They don’t mind when I say “I don’t know – let’s try it both ways and see which turns out better”.

5. They stayed to help me clean up.

6. They brought things – old tablecloths, drop cloths for the floor, soup, brownies, great attitudes!

I just love my drawing students. I’d hang out with any one of them and be thankful for the time together, I respect them and their willingness to learn and try, I understand their frustrations, and I am proud of them!

I gave them each a jar of pomegranate jelly at the end of the workshop. 😎 Gosh. I feel warm and fuzzy.

drawing lessons oil painting workshop oil paintings pomegranate oil painting pomegranates

An Oil Painting Workshop, Beta Version

Oh Great. Now she is speaking Computer. Isn’t it enough that we have to endure occasional Artspeak without this too?

What is “beta version”? I looked it up and found the best definition on Michael Hyatt’s blog:

” The premise is this: ‘we know it’s not perfect, but it’s far enough along that we need your input to get it right.'”

Based on this idea, I gave an oil painting workshop for a handful of my drawing students. They know me and my teaching methods and limitations, I know them and their skills and their kindness and encouragement. I didn’t publicize the thing because I didn’t want to expose my ignorance to strangers who were expecting a highly experienced painter and workshop leader.

We painted from photos. I provided 5 versions of a pomegranate and lots of leeway for interpretation of background, cropping, compositional variation, and whatever made the participant happy and comfortable with the project. It is okay to paint from photos. That’s what studio artists do. (We had real pomegranates available to look at, feel, examine and make us believe we weren’t “cheating”.)

We had a great time! Here is the results of the workshop (minus Nicholas’s work because he had to leave early).