Announcing the Winner!!!

Atelier Artista is very proud to award this years People's Portrait Prize 2018

Emerging Artist Award to

Diana Shen Peng

Diana was given sketchbooks and a voucher worth $400 to take any of the classes offered at Atelier Artista or for our regular uninstructed Wednesday evening figure drawing sessions.

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Speaking of classes at the Atelier, the next semester is coming up quickly, classes begin the first week of April check out the intensives we have on offer visit http://atelierartista.com

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NEW!!!

We  have camps and classes in the summer for kids and youth, registration is open:
SUMMER CAMPS!!

Figuring it out

This post is to help anyone wanting to know the breakdown of  process and time I do my figure drawings. Each sitting is approx. 20 min. In the first sitting I try and get the gesture and the major shapes and cast shadows blocked in. I've indicated the placement of the head and its size but haven't gotten lost in the details.

Next, I add further refinements and begin the "window dressing" from top down, the first session the head and shoulders.

Then I just keep moving down. This time torso, breasts and part of the upper leg. I leave the hands out because I feel its better to leave them for a different sitting.

I keep moving down as time allows. I get in the back arm, some hand and the foot. I tone the background to help me define the leg.

In the final sitting I finish off the leg, work out a bit more of the hand and add some space and place her on the model stand.

So thats it in a nutshell.
5 sittings of 20 min = 100 min
or 1 hr. 40 min. drawing time.

"HIPPY TRIPPY"

As a bonus for  checking out this blog heres a video of my neighbour Ann checking out the pieces I painted in 3D and have on display outside the Atelier for tomorrows Student show and sale starting at 2 pm if you want to swing by and check them out!

Their first life drawing session.

The students in my Drawing 1 - Saturday class at ACAD got their first opportunity to draw the figure from life and I think they did pretty well. I snapped a few of the last two poses to inspire you to take a class with me or to get out there and get back on that rusty old bike if its been a while and ride off into the light!

Plus: at the very bottom of this post, a quick wet in wet portrait demo I did in student grade acrylic for my Arts Academy kids, with fun orange eye shadow!

Fabric, windows and the process of time

Intriguing title. Maybe. Its more of a list of whats being going on really. I have so many different plates spinning, I need lists to keep track. Lol  Below is a demonstration I did of how to block in and break up the shapes to shade draped fabric.

 I continue to make a lot of improvements in the studio space.

Being here for just over 9 months, she's ready to birth. I have a much better idea as how best to organize and address the needs of this space.

 I hung overhead lights for figure modelling using the electrical outlet I purchased on the ceiling in the spring. I still have to go up a ladder to turn them on, maybe I can find a remote sensor or a clapper.

I also bought another folding table, after trying it out, I realized it is far to unstable for my needs. My male genes hate returning stuff, hopefully it's not too late, otherwise I have to keep it. You often do get what you pay for.

 I had about 20 min after a Buds of Buds presentation to paint the door at the Bridgeland community centre. Stoked to have a snow bunny the kids can enjoy.

I added some snowflakes and wintery elements at the end and snapped this shot right before my iphone died.

 Finally, I got some time over the week-end to plow through some details on older work that had been put on hold.

 It took almost the entire day to work out the anatomical details to a degree that I was satisfied with.

I added some ground elements and will continue the push and pull of creating these pieces. i will be hanging them outside my studio wall int he cSPACE gallery on the 4th floor on Nov 25th.

Steps to draw this figure

Every single Wednesday, since I opened Atelier Artista, we host a long pose figure night. Here are the photos of my piece as it progressed in each seating from last night's session with U of C model Toma.

In the first 20  or so minutes I try to orient my figure and get some of the major masses and shapes down.

Note: Often I fall into inspiration traps along the way like with the hand or arm sucking my interest and then i focus on the detail instead of blocking in the bigger shapes, its better to keep it big and simple at first.

In the second seating, I map out the shadow shapes and block in some more of the forms. I left the head at this point knowing that as the sessions progress she will sink deeper into relaxation and the pose would change in some areas so I leave them loose for now.

I add some detail and refinements with my lights and darks including some background tone and a pillow. By this point, I find that I'm fairly blind to what I'm doing so if you have a great group of people like I do, I ask for advice on what I can focus on in the final sitting so I can refine what I've got rather than flounder around getting nowhere fast.

It seems by the end that there is just never enough time, but after about two hours I'm usually pretty happy with what I've done and need to let it sit int he back of my mind. Plus, I work a lot and by this point I'm spent and about to turn into a pumpkin.

If you'd like to come draw Wednesday evening 7 -10 PM. Visit http://ateleirartista.com and chack out the figure drawing events. If you cant do Wednesday evening we have two Fridays a month with Mark Northcott's "Liquid Imagination" sessions as well.

Another busy week of art

My classes at Atelier Artista run everyday Monday - Friday. 

Drawing begins at 9am - 12:30 and Painting classes begin at 12:30. 

I also teach at other times throughout the week and on week-ends.

 On Wednesday Evenings, I regularly host figure drawing, find out more here: https://www.atelierartista.com/figure-drawing
Above is my drawing from last weeks Wednesday evening session.

 I was asked to hang some work at Holy Grill across fro MEC, They sent me the picture above.

 I got on the front cover of MRU's "reflector" newspaper for a course I've been building in creating Graphic Novels and comics. Read the article here:

http://www.thereflector.ca/2017/10/07/calgary-artist-brings-graphic-novels-alive-at-mru/

 On Friday's, after my "Full Figure" drawing human anatomy course I teach an afternoon elective at Waldorf School. Above is the project the kids accomplished this week.

 The "Keys to recovery" exhibition was a huge success.  3 of my students sold their work at Auction!!! Above is the curator with a piece by Aaron Sidorenko.  http://aaronsidorenko.ca/

 I got to pick op 4 works made by friends and hang them in my studio for the time being.

 I teach at ACAD in during the week in the evenings and two classes at ACAD on the week-end.

 In Drawing 1 we are working on creating the illusion of depth and form on a two dimensional surface. I cover concepts including orthographic and isometric projection.

 As we work towards graphical and linear perspective, 1 point and beyond.

In my Arts Academy we finish the last day of our drawing portion with a self portrait and measure of the face, before we move into paint.

It may seem like a lot, but variety is the spice of life.

There are so many interesting and creative things going on everyday in my life and at Atelier Artista. If you want to find out more, take a class, come draw figure on Wednesday nights or anything like that check out AteleirArtista.com and sign up for the newsletter for more updates!

Recently at Atelier Artista

The start of the school year has me incredibly busy. I haven't forgotten about you dear readers of my blog. I have been drawing, painting, cleaning and teaching everyday as well. everyday. No days off, no rest for the wicked. Unless of course the wicked gets sick, which happened last weekend during Thanksgiving so that was my break, in bed then volunteering at the QAS Log drivers Waltz.  Heres a peek into a bit of what I've got going on.

At my last figure sessions I first did a painting I didn't like so I scraped it down, the following week I decided I was better off studying the form through darks and lights rather than sticky colour. Heres a few of the steps in drawing Neema last session on Wednesday night.

My classes are running every day of the week at Atelier Artista (atelierartista.com) Its not too late to join in if you'd like to take the remaining classes until the holidays let me know and come on down.

On Tuesday afternoons I have Colour in Theory and Practice. We finished values, temperature and colour mixing and are now venturing into understanding and using colour harmonies. 

On Wednesdays we do portrait drawing and painting and have begun the first stages of blocking in our self portraits.

Its all about the light and dark and beginning with a good likeness. Next comes colour and form enhancements.

On Thursdays We have classical drawing in the morning and are currently studying some of Bargues method.

In the afternoon on Thursdays, I give a lecture and demo in my "painting secrets of the masters" class.

On Fridays we study Anatomy and more in Full figure.  Ive worked out some theories on how to be both effective and efficient. After this class,  I head on up to Waldorf to teach teens. On the week-ends I have two classes at ACAD and on Sundays I often have samplers at Swintons. 

But wait.......there is more.... there is always more...

so keep your eyes on the prize  =:D