Proudly Unaccredited
I was invited to pose as Mr. Turner the British painter at the Shadbolt Center earlier this month and gave a lecture-workshop for 60-70 people. Drawing tall ships. Fun to be dressed in 19th century costume with top hat. Maybe the look will make a comeback.
“Tony’s Art School” Shadbolt Center Burnaby
April 11 – a series of 8 Wednesdays:
Drawing in Morning 10 am-1 pm.
Painting (either acrylic or Watercolor) in PM 2 pm- 5 pm
Call Shadbolt Center in Burnaby or email tony@tonyoregan.com for details
Composition is, of course, an important skill to develop. Many books have been written on the subject. DaVinci is reported to have recommended that young painters look at mold stains on the walls and try to see landscapes. This is sometimes referred to as ‘forced’ or re-purposed composition. Henry Rankin Poore wrote on it in the 1800’s and is worth looking up.
The example here begins with a random picture of flowers. This is analyzed by gestural sketch. Next, look at the gestural study until you imagine a completely different subject image based on the original compositional layout. This seems a bit forced at the start, but it becomes easier and quite enjoyable as you do it more often. In this case one can see ‘a race between two cyclists watched by spectators.‘
This is a demo I did at the Shadbolt Center at “Tony’s Art School” today. I still have to do the finishing detail touches,
I often use rubber resist applied with a brush for watercolors. I used these cheapo brushes for a class and usually would have rubbed soap into them before using to extend life, but this time I didn’t. I would normally give up and throw these brushes away. I know it’s not ‘world peace’ or a ‘cure for disease’ , BUT… I read on the web that someone had success in cleaning rubber resist from brushes with Vaseline. I tried it and I am very pleased to report that it works! Just immerse the destroyed brushes in ordinary Vaseline. Leave overnight. Clean off with soap and/or , as I did with rubbing alcohol, and voila! Actually, I repeated it twice, partly because I couldn’t believe it the first time. Try it – you’ll like it! While they don’t look perfect, they are actually quite pliable and usable!
VIDEO BELOW