Our recent FREE demo at DANIEL SMITH Art Supply Store in Seattle with Mitchell Albala had a full house of Artists wanting to learn some tips from Mitchell during the demonstration, and who wanted Mitchell to sign their copy of his new Book: “Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice“.    BTW – There is another FREE demo scheduled for April 25th, details below.

 

For this demo, Mitchell used a B&W photo, “Working from a B&W photo has less detraction at this stage rather than working from the color photograph”.  The photo was of a house in a landscape, and Mitchell used it to demonstrate a 4 value study (with acrylic, best for quick black and white value studies) which is his exercise #2 outlined on page 64 of his book. 

 

To begin the demo, Mitchell read a few sentences on “simplification and massing” which he discusses further on pages 57 & 58.  Mitchell told us, “when you are looking at a landscape, it’s very overwhelming all the leaves, grass etc., and doing this value exercise makes you think about the values and basic shapes.”  Simplification and massing are very important for landscape painting as it is with still life and figure, but even more important since there is so much detail and things competing for visual attention.  This B&W exercise is very helpful in determining the important compositional elements, although Mitchell likes the word “design” better than composition because it denotes more thought and decision making by the Artist.

 

When working Mitchell looks at the whole canvas and paints “holistically” not just from the upper left and working down, he is “trying to build the over all pattern and shape”.  He is not painting the perfect house, but rather working over the entire canvas/paper.  “The goal is to place shapes I can modify later”.  By simplifying the shapes, you actually improve the focus of the painting.  Watching Mitchell paint is like watching someone draw with the paint, rather than painting, much more dynamic.  In the photo, MItchell pointed out that the road and sky are the same value (for this exercise he assigned a #2 value) so he told us he had to make a decision, he decided to keep the road a #2 value and blow the sky out to white.  

 

Once Mitchell has the 4 values down he started to work on what he calls his “first pass”.  Mitchell began to add value corrections which begin to pull out some details from the basic shapes he painted.  He told us to use a big brush, because it helps to keep your shapes simple.  Exercises like these are like “training” for the marathon (plein air painting) so that you are ready to paint outdoors.  One of the tips Mitchell shared was; “Few landscapes do not benefit by having a telephone pole.”  Telephone poles are great in landscapes, they add a strong vertical element and several leading off into the distance can add depth to the painting as they draw the eye in.

 

Later Mitchell asked where should he, “put the clouds [from the photo] in the painting?”  In his book, Mitchell talks about how clouds can add a lot of dimension, and using the clouds in proportion and scale to force distance – always with conscious decision to add to the design.

 

Mitchell had a 40 minuet Question & Answer period to answer questions about what he did during the demo and on painting in general.  A few items I noted were:  “Remember that detail must always remain subordinate to the overall value of the painting.”  “Your job as an Artist is to select what is important to the painting and what to leave out.”  Mitchell also told us that he prefers to use the Fredrix Canvas because he likes the absorbency of the surface and it is ready to use.  Mitchell has an entire chapter in his book on choosing a subject, just because you like the subject doesn’t mean it is good for painting, “select your subjects in the right way so it’s not a flat painting.”  Mitchell also uses his computer as a tool to assist with painting , Photoshop is a good tool for “shape builders”.

 

After the demo many of us lined up to have Mitchell sign our copies of his new book: Landscape Painting - got my copy signed!  I have found it to be an excellent book (what I have had time to read!) and look forward to following along with his exercises when I have some time to paint again.

 

It was an excellent demonstration, Thank you Mitchell!

 

There will be another FREE demo with Mitchell at our Bellevue DANIEL SMITH Art Supply Store, Sunday, April 25th from 12pm to 2pm.  Copies of Mitchell’s book: “Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice“ will be available for purchase AND he will be signing copies after the demo!

 

Every Day,  Express Yourself  with  ART….
 
~Deborah Burns

 

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Seattle April Workshops:

 

Katherine then asked, “Why is it that we feel as Artists, [that] we have to create a finished piece?  A musician [expects to and] practices scales, well so do we as Artists.”  “If you are an Artist, you know you should have to practice.”  Try doing different types of exercises to shake things up and loosen up.

 

Several exercises Katherine offered during the demo were:

1)  Doing the same subject over and over again in different Artist Styles, think Matisse (Impressionism, Fauvism) Van Gogh (Impressionism) Gauguin (Post-Impressionism) and Picasso (Blue Period, Cubism).  Essentially “play” with the creative process and imagine how other Artists whose work you enjoy/admire would paint your subject.

2)  Another way to overcome the “fear” of having to produce a “Masterpiece” every time you approach a blank paper is to use “horrible” paper (like newsprint) so you know that it is just for practice, and that you have permission to play and allow your creativity to be set free.

3)  Do quick studies – like a painting a day.

 

For the demonstration itself, Katherine talked about how a friend had asked Katherine to paint an Italian Seaside Landscape and how overwhelmed Katherine was by its’ complexity.  So Katherine began to take the landscape apart, and began doing sketches of the boats, outlines of the buildings, etc., just doing lots of sketches of small sections of the whole scene.  By breaking the scene into smaller parts and making many sketches she became comfortable with the shapes, and values.  Later when putting them altogether, she found that being familiar with the shapes and values made it easier to deal with the complexity of the whole.

 

Katherine then demonstrated the different steps she would take before painting a scene of 3 old men sitting on a bench in front of an immense, beautiful fountain in Italy.  Working from a photo she took, Katherine zoomed her focus in on the figures of the men to see the values and shapes,and sketched out those shapes, getting to know her figures.  For some of the studies, Katherine used “horrible” newsprint and gouache telling us; “see how this is not precious?  I am free…I mess up my paper, I am freed up because it’s not important.”    Doing all these quickie sketches helps Katherine get to know her subjects, and helps free her up to play and experiment, because again, “it’s not important.”  Switching her focus, Katherine now began sketching out the fountain.  She then showed us several sketches already done and told us that “I know my subject so much I don’t have to refer to my photo”.  

 

After all this practice, Katherine is now ready to paint her subject on her watercolor paper.  She has worked it out so much that she can now make wonderful creative choices about what she wants to include in her composition.  

 

Katherine uses tracing paper on the final composition and transfers the composition on to her watercolor paper.  She uses masking fluid to preserve areas, then sprays a very diluted solution of watercolor on to the paper to give her a background and allows it to dry.  Taking an already dried copy, Katherine begins (working sideways on her paper) to paint in shapes working from an earlier black & white value sketch.  Telling us to use as “big of a brush as you can”, and that she has actually painted entire paintings even the details, with a size 40 round brush.  Then gradually, Katherine begins working towards painting in the details, and tells us that “these guys already have a lot of life [and] I’m adding Artistic Life to the painting.”

 

Good tips for “Getting Unstuck” and for how to paint what was once an overwhelming scene, Thank you Katherine!

 

Interested in more ideas?  Katherine is offering a Workshop at the Bellevue DANIEL SMITH Store:

WATERCOLOR: “Getting Unstuck with Katherine Wright”
Monday April 12, 2010
Katherine Wright
“Don’t get stuck…let Katherine show you how easy and dynamic ideas to loosen up and make your paintings lively! Students will learn basic fun techniques to get the joy, creativity, and confidence back in your watercolors. Bring to class several paintings that you feel could use a fresh new look.”
Monday, April 12, 2010
11am to 4pm
$75 per day
001 900 326

 

I think this is a fun way (exercise) to get “unstuck” with creatively by playing with different color combinations in repeating heart shapes, sort of like a jazz musician doing jazz riffs to loosen up.,

 

Thanks Melinda for the demo and the fun “Hands On” exercise!

 

Every Day,  Express Yourself  with  ART….
 
~Deborah Burns

 

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Seattle DANIEL SMITH Store Events Blog

Bellevue DANIEL SMITH Store Events Blog

 

This demo will also have a 20 minuet “hands on” time where attendees will be able to play with the PrimaTek paints themselves testing different color combinations based some exercises directed by Melinda.  This should be a fun way to experience and learn about PrimaTek watercolors.

 

Melinda will be working on 3 portraits for the demo, and some of the DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek Watercolors that Melinda will be using are:

Amethyst Genuine - deep granulating purple

Azurite Genuine - brilliant granulating sky blue

Bloodstone Genuine - deep granulating graed violet

Hematite Violet - soft granulating grayed violet

Jadeite Genuine - granulating jade green

Piemontite Genuine -  violet-brown granulation with a carmine tone

Rhodonite Genuine - brilliant rose pink

Sedona Genuine - golden granulating brown

Serpentine Genuine -warm granulating green

Tiger’s Eye Genuine - brownish gold

Yavapai Genuine - warm granulating brown

Zoisite Genuine - lush granulating green

 

More March/April 2010 Seattle Store FREE Demos – Click here

More March/April 2010 Bellevue Store FREE Demos – Click here

 

 

  

~Deborah Burns

 

DANIEL SMITH Art Supplies website

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Special FREE demo this Friday, March 5th at the DANIEL SMITH Seattle Store with Mixed Media Artist Liesel Lund who will be demonstrating “The Joys of Journaling“.  The demo is from 3 to 6pm.

 

Liesel will be using the Shizen Design Bookmaking Kit to show how you can make your own Journal and share tips and ideas for personalizing your Journal with mixed media.  Liesel will be working with decorative papers like our Shizen Paper Sampler (One Pound of Decorative Handmade Paper) and other decorative papers like our Yuzen Chiyogami, Shizen Screen-Printed Paper or any other decorative papers that you may have.

 

Liesel has more to say about this FREE demo on her blog:  Adventures in Pretty.  Looks like like a fun demo to learn more about how you can make personalized journals!  For more FREE demos and Workshops follow these links: Seattle DANIEL SMITH  & Bellevue DANIEL SMITH

 

 

Every Day,  Express Yourself  with  ART….
 
~Deborah Burns

 

Follow DANIEL SMITH on Twitter
Become a DANIEL SMITH Fan on Facebook

 

 

Saturday:  Gail Howard will be sharing her tips on “ACRYLIC: The Mediums Are the Message” she notes on her website that:  ”I’ll demonstrate how I use pouring mediums to get smooth surfaces, pouring multiple layers to get great depth and how to do encaustic-like effects.” 

Saturday, January 30th at 11 am & 1:45pm
ACRYLIC: The Mediums Are the Message
Gail Howard 

 

Bellevue Store 

 

Saturday:  Cissy Gray will demonstrate how to work with oil bars and “…how they compare to oil paints.  [she'll] use nitrile gloves when painting with the oil bars to apply them much like finger painting.  [She'll] occasionally use a brush for detail.  Because the oil bar color are so vivid, you can achieve a jewel like finish.”  Cissy will also touch upon “principals of design, composition, value, color and shape….”
Saturday:  January 30th at 11am & 1:45 pm
OIL BAR: Colorful Impressions
Cissy Gray

 

 

Saturday, Donna Trent will be demonstrating in Oil Painting how to: “Save the White-Reveal the Shapes” in your paintings. 

Sat: January 23rd at 11am & 1:45pm
OIL: Save the White-Reveal the Shapes 
Donna Trent 

 

Seattle Store:

Also on Saturday, Ann Breckon will have a fun demonstration on painting Lamp Posts with Hanging Baskets in Watercolor.  Get in the mood for spring while Ann shares watercolor tips!
Sat: January 23rd at 12 & 2pm
WATERCOLOR: Lamp Posts with Hanging Baskets
Ann Breckon 
Don’t miss Ann’s Workshop Feb 24th & 25th Seattle Store!

 

Bellevue Store:

Saturday, Don Lee Portrait Artist Don Lee will be demonstrating how to do Portraits in Pastel.  Don’s demo is a good introduction on getting started with painting portraits in pastels, and to find out if you would like to know more and take his workshop in February. 

Sat: Jan 23rd at 11am & 1:45pm
PASTEL: Pastel Portraits
Don Lee 
Don’t miss Don’s Workshop Feb 8th Bellevue Store!

 

 

Saturday: Portrait Artist Don Lee will be demonstrating how to do Portraits in Pastel.  Don’s demo is a good introduction on getting started with painting portraits in pastels, and to find out if you would like to know more and take his workshop in February. 

 

Saturday: January 16th we have Gold Leaf Gilding with Charles Douglas. This should be a very interesting introduction on Gold Leafing, and if you have been curious about this or Metal Leafing, then this would be a great demo for you.  Charles’ website has lots of information, and his blog “A Gilder’s Journal” is very interesting too.  If you can’t come to the demo, we have 2 articles on Metal Leafing that you may be interested in reading: “Metal Leafing the Easy Way“, and “Metallic Leafing Technique” may provide some information for you. 

 

Sunday: January 17th we have a special demo + book signing opportunity with GAGE Academy of Art Instructor Mitchell Albala who is the author of: “Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice“.  Mitchell will be sharing some of his techniques on Plein Air Painting and how it relates to Studio time during the 2 hour demo.  His new book will be available at the demo and also in our new catalog (coming soon!).  It’s a fantastic book, and looks like one I’ll be adding to my collection! 

Sunday, January 17th from 12 to 2pm (Special Time!) 
Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice
Mitchell Albala 
Have Mitchell sign your copy of his new book during this event!

 

 

Saturday, January 9th, Molly Hashimoto will be demonstrating Travel Journaling with Watercolor.  Molly will share tips on how you can do Travel Journaling on your next adventure.  Molly has an article from a past DANIEL SMITH Catalog called

“Watercolor Journal” that you can read for ideas, and especially if you are not able to come to the FREE demo.

 

Saturday, January 9th at 11am & 1:45pm
WATERCOLOR: The Travel Journal
Molly Hashimoto 

 

Molly is also having a workshop on January 31st at the Seattle Store for more in depth instruction:

Sunday, January 31st
WATERCOLOR: The Travel Journal
with Molly Hashimoto
Molly will help you prepare for outdoor painting on location by using photos in our indoor classroom. Many different techniques will be demonstrated so that you can find the ones that work best for your artistic purposes and locations: gardens, cities, and wilderness areas. Painting will focus on learning watercolor sketching techniques, brushwork, and effective paint mixtures for northwest landscapes as well as drier climates! Bring your own blank journal, or cut paper to size for a journal that you can put together after the workshop is over. Instructions will also be provided. Open to all levels, and perfect for warming up skills in plein air painting.
001 020 069
$75 per day
11am to 4pm

 

Sunday, Stella Canfield will be showing how anyone can paint boats using Watercolor by demonstrating her painting tips and tricks with her “Debunking the Myth of Talent” approach.  So if you haven’t tried watercolor, think you are not talented enough or just want to see a new perspective on Watercolor Painting, then this is a great demo for you!