Acrylic Sampler at Swinton's April 26, 2015

I've been a very very busy bunny. Got big projects on the go and stuff I can't quite show and tell about yet so stay tuned, it is going to be very informative here in the next little bit. I have a mural I've been working on being unveiled this Thursday, a show pice I've been working on coming up soon and 10 new pain tined commissions and their process to share. But for now I have my Swinton's Sunday Sampler to share.

It was the smallest size class I've had here so I gave them extra supplies and assigned a value cart and colour wheel on canvas board for them to experiment with and have something they can take home to refer to before getting onto their more creative try out.  I showed how to make black using a limited palette as well as how to use just the primaries to get all the colours they may need.

I did the speediest loosest laying down and blocking in of colour so that they could see how easy and fun it can be. So quick that the intimidation level should have gone way way down plus I shoed them how to make a basic skin tone and how to lay out and plan their work after rubbing in a tone to knock back the white of the gessoed canvas.

 This participant used a round 2 brush in his first time using acrylic. He did a wheel showing how he mixed certain colours for what he wanted to paint and practiced a face above, I felt like it looked like she had a monster mouth when looked at together so I snapped this shot for inspiration and prosperity sake.

Here he is giving it another go on the provided 7 X 9 Fredrix canvas board. He struggled with having wetted the paint a little too much, having had prior watercolour experience, but I taught him that acrylic is a different beast. It likes to be more like oil and it is best to add mediums when wanting to alter the consistency of the pigments as water weakens the overall structural bond of the polymer based paint.

Another first timer went the portrait route based off a pic of her nephew on her blackberry. Portraits are difficult subject matter as it is but for a first time painter, and in the time given she has made a really nice start. I like the tones being developed. It feels reminiscent of early picasso works to me.

Her mom also participated and made this lovely painting based on an image found in Doug Swinton's collection. There are so many great references up for grabs but maybe in the future I'll list that students are welcome to bring stuff with them if they like.

Here is it after the short hour they have to sample the materials and give painting a quick go. I'd say excellent but the students are most often the most critical of their own work.

Bright bold colours and simplified shapes represent this landscape scene so beautifully. Needless to say I am very happy with how everybody did with me this gloriously sunny Sunday after a successful Stanley cup win for the Flames after an exhilarating game. I heard there was quite the Red Mile debauchery the evening before. No wonder a few people signed up didn't show. lol.

Before leaving I was able to pick up the custom frame job they did for me down there. So excellent! Frames really help make the window to the painting and elevate the work. I shelled out a good amount picking the top of the line and heaviest frame I could find………..but then got a great deal due to a Groupon Swinton's is offering for custom framing. Hurry up, it is still on if you need anything frames, Its way better, higher quality, quicker and cheaper than anywhere else including the dreaded Micheals.  I can't recommend it enough!

Rich, thick, creamy, and sometimes messy.

Today I taught an oil sampler at Swintons Art supply. I love showing people interested in trying out oils for the first time. They always impress me with what the colours they mix and they create in such a short time given.

 I start with an overview of the materials and process then we get right into mixing paint. I could teach an entire course on colour mixing, and I count away the hours in the joy of mixing colours. Warm and cool, high chroma and all the values in between. I just love colour so much, and when its oil its so rich, thick, creamy and bordering on delicious enough to eat. But don't eat it!

I give a quick demo of how to prep the support, plan the composition and apply the paint. This time at the end I had some wow factor when I completely scraped the finished painting away, destroying it completely. After all, paint is cheap.

The participants select a reference image and undertake painting it all a prima. At the end of the class they have their first piece to take home, I'd say thats an amazing way to spend a Sunday.

They try different brushes, mediums and even get some practice with the palette knife.

There are many stages to oil painting, and often you have to wait for it to dry so you can work with layering and glazes as it tend to get "muddy" the more you work it. It is a bit of a difficult medium to handle your first experience with it.

What keeps me going is there is so many interesting things you can do with paint, an infinite amount of ways you can do it and there is never a shortage of ideas to explore.

I painted this icon as a gift to a friend. recently I clear coated it with a thick layer of Pour on epoxy resin. Having no previous experience with it, it was a risk. There were too many bubbles on the uneven surface so I had to borrow a sander from my best friend who helped me take it down, get rid of the imperfections and smooth it out. Lesson learned. I reapplied a new coat of thick clear epoxy resin. This time to remove the bubbles I used a hair dryer on it which caused the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop. The end result took it to the next level. I decided it looked so good I'd flip the bill and get it framed. Swintons has some groupons for custom framing worth getting. I got a frame worth $560 for a mere fraction of the cost. A frame really helps set off the work, I can't wait to see it when its done!

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Did I mention I have booth N01 in Artist Alley at the Calgary Comic expo April 16-19?!
Come by and say hello if you are checking out the show!
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Drawing from life and sketch club 1

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I have booth N01 in Artist Alley at the upcoming  Calgary Comic expo April 16-19?!
Come by and say hello if you are checking out the show!
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Here are some pics from a session we did in drawing 1 with a live model.

We had some lights set up so the students were better able to move away from line and begin working with tone.

Having a piece of charcoal and one single source of light can be really fun.

This class was really exceptional, I also received my best class evaluations to date.  It inspired me to use the class time once the class was over for my brand new sketch club!

Our first session was out at the zoo, here are some of the crew that came out and joined me for sketching some animals. If you'd like to join in send me a line and I'll tell you where and when the next session is :D

Cartooning class concludes

Another cartooning class at ACAD wraps up. It was such a great group this semester and I'm really proud of all the hard work they put in. I am always a bit sad to see the flock leave and hopefully they got a lot out of the sessions we spent together. I brought my good camera to photo all the pieces but then the battery died so I just snapped a few with my iPhone while the students inked their final assignments.

 Here are a bit of my tools for finishing my drawings.  The basket at the top goes on my bike, the priority being to carry as many drawing tools as I can on a ride. On the back rat trap I have a cooler. to the lower left my travel size Sakura watercolour set. A large set of copies, which I can't say enough good things about them, though I'm finally finding ones that need refilling. Blue photo pencils, inks, brushes and opaque white to fix mistakes.

 This class was full of quiet, studious hard working students, at times it made me a bit nervous and caused me to fill the air with the sound of my voice telling silly stories from my life and cheesy uncle jokes to help break the icy silence.

 I hope some go on to finish the pieces they began and further develop their ideas into a finished comic book. Some will visit my booth at this years comic expo and hopefully i can inspire them to take the leap and join artist alley in future years.

 I think this one is like a children's book gone wrong, I mean check out that owl, he's gonna cut you up, I think he's the ring leader and the one to really watch out for.

Benjamin here really surpassed his own expectations, initially claiming he couldn't draw people, but he really succeeded with his Dark Heart cover! He said he has some 40 chapters plus written for this epic, I hope he puts pen to paper and tackles his self inflicted challenge some day.

I am now busy working on the Blackfoot Graphic Novel project as we only have a month and a bit to get it done and ready to publish. The plates are full and spinning quickly. I'm helping Martinho on the mural until April 6th as well and finishing up a few evening classes and working on some commissions. Keeping busy and happy that spring has sprung. I planted about 150 seedlings in our indoor set up, things are on the up and up :D

Many jobs, many hats, it's monday mish mash

In an effort to save up for my trip to Italy and keep productive and out of the house, I've been working triples. Wake up early, get home late. I taught after effects all last week to grade 9's at one of the CBE art schools. I hd 6 lasses of 30 or more, it was brutal but the impossible was accomplished. I am also teaching all my regular classes as well as working on a mural with Martinho plus I have some commissions on the go see a sneak peek below.

My kitchen table has become a make shift studio once more until I figure out an alternative space.

I do love painting anatomical hearts this way.  I have also keep up a very fulfilling and busy regiment by teaching on my only free day off at Swinton's. Alas, there won't be another for a few weeks but I do love the samplers.

I paint neon pink on all my sampler supplies in the case somebody gets into my stuff. I do a big into at the start and then we mix colours to see how the pigments behave.

I love colour so much and I am always amazed at the colours the participants choose to create during this part of the session.

 We then select an image to pant and go about blocking in the large areas of colour. I love it when the background colour shies through. This landscape is very enticing to me.

 Here is one more refined, all the leaves etc were done with the tip of a palette knife, I really like this artists style and choice of colours.

 Here is this lady's first sunflower painting, she brought her mom who also made a nice piece that day.

 In our cartooning things got wiggy by the end as I crammed tons of perspective drawing techniques and exercises into my 3 hour tour.

hat was really hard but I always aim to please. I hope to deliver the most amount of education I can so that artists walk away having learned so much they can keep running on the fumes for a while and what they learn they can carry with them as important techniques and tools for their artistic success. When I get another break there will be more to come. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. But not me,  I'm not sure I'll ever be dull.

Oil Sampler this Sunday at Swintons

I've given away all my Sundays, not to church, but to the temple of art at Swinton's and I love it.  There is no other place I'd rather be that within the walls of the studio praising creativity.

I lay out everything we need and begin the session with an overview of the entire process and the materials etc before beginning the demos.

Just as in the studio, I like to start the session with a good half an hour setting up the palette. Here the students have a chance to experience the feel and properties of the material by mixing colour wheels as well as tints and tones. This is where the fun really begins. Oil can be sticky and takes some time to get used to its wonderfully creamy properties.

We plan out our compositions then block in with big brushes the large areas of colour. I like how this sampler students piece looks already, good start and great tones on the support surface.

More detail and smaller brushes are used as the piece develops. Pretty good for 3 hrs, with demos, lectures and a store tour, how to clean up etc. If you are interested in trying out oil or acrylic with me sign up at Swinton's today! The next one is Acrylic happening Sunday, March 1st, 12:30 -3:30 pm. Click here for to sign up.

Shiva Sketch

First I start with a very loose sketch my trusty mechanical pencil. My goal is to get a general placement of the elements, I really don't worry about any details at they point.

To expedite the sketching process, I go straight into the ink with my copic multi-liners.

I hit the areas I know will be in full shadow and draw in some of the more complicated patterns and details.

I further refine elements and feel at this point that I want to knock the background out.

I filled in the sheet with Golden high fluid Acrylic gold. I love this stuff it has great reflective properties and a nice warm gold tone. I left the sketch at this point but I think I may refine it further int he future when inspiration arises.

A little sampling

Every few Sundays I get the chance to introduce fledgling creators to new materials at Swintons through their samplers. It is a great joy to have a group of people who have never painted come in and 3 hrs. later they have a solid foundation and walk out having painted their first piece.

This particular class we focused on Acrylic paints. Swintons provides everything you need to get started, even gloves if you want. Lol.  She put on that blue super heavy,  she took my oil sampler last week and wanted to see how the two mediums contrast and compare.

Each participant gets to choose their own subject, we have a large box of examples to choose from or you can bring in your own. At least I don't scare them away from art by making it a class type assignment like shading a ball or painting the ol' trusty pear.

This looks like a fun palette to work with. Some work on an easel others on the table. Whatever works.

This participant had experience in watercolour and I really like her command of the colours in a very rich medium. Its hard to believe sometimes that these are not well seasoned painters.

This floral painting turned out really beautifully, and just in time for Valentines day!

Shaded skulls on toned paper

There is no light, only dark and light.

In my Drawing 1 class shut down the overhead lights, to see new forms emerge in by the use of shadows. I set up some still life skulls so we could experiment with mark making to bring out the visual form.

I demoed how to see the shadows and light relationships by big form modelling the values. We worked on our paper which we toned by rubbing in powdered charcoal.

I placed the display items in front of my rich burgundy bed sheets to help establish a middle value from the get go.

Here you can see by focusing on the dark shapes and building from there the form emerges as if coming right off of the drawing paper.

Evrey drawer should practice these types of exercises and realize the importance of how we actually se and how we can translate that into drawing with out hands.

Without relying on line, simplified shapes of light and dark relate the form and its proportions convincingly and with great beauty. This is where art begins to happen.

Here the artist is not only contrasting the dark and light value she sees, but also how the material is soft or coarse on the drawing surface.

These students two drawings are tackled with their own individual touch and technique for two convincing yet individual takes not eh subject matter.

What do you see and how will you push and pull this image from the papers surface?

By the end of the class we turn don't he lights and had a look around the room at what everybody accomplished. I was very proud and very happy to see the work the entire class completed by the end of our time together.