Contrary to popular myth, oil painting – much like drawing and watercolour - is a medium that anyone can gain proficiency at. Gain confidence by being initially introduced to a very limited number of oil colours. Gradually develop skills, via a series of exercises designed to develop your ability to see and record light and dark tones accurately and the variations of so called warm and cool colour values. Returning and experienced students will learn to mix a flesh palette and gain skills in both drawing and painting, as they pertain to historical portraiture conventions.
Beginner Students
- Painting a white statue in monochrome: This exercise is designed to teach the student to learn to see and record tonal values accurately using just white and black. This is made as easy as possible, by painting from a completely neutral white object, having mixed up six monochromatic tints of colour.
- Painting a white statue in colour, or painting an oil sketch of an Old Master painting in monochrome and then colour: This exercise is repeated but with all four colours. The addition of red and yellow, will introduce the student to both colour mixing and so called warm and cool colour values within a white object.
- Painting one Still Life object in a box under controlled lighting: A cup or bowl will be painted to introduce the student to the subtle contrasts of light and shade, inclusive of tonally lost edges.
- Painting a group of objects (a Still Life) in a box under controlled lighting: This exercise will enable the student to practice and expand on the former exercise in either monochrome or a full limited palette.
Returning and experienced students
- Female portrait sitting: Direct painting method – Using a limited or extended colour palette, learn to mix 8 tints of flesh colour, then accurately record observed flesh tones in the model.
- Male portrait sitting: Indirect painting method – Starting with a monochrome, or dead colour underpainting, build up a tonally accurate depiction of the model. Then introduce a full flesh palette that incorporates the cooler values of the underpainting into the finished work.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Draw with the brush, inclusive of correcting and recording accurate proportion, prior to laying in tonal masses.
- Mix a colour palette.
- Have begun to see and record tone accurately.
- Have begun to see and record so called warm and cool colours.
- Odourless solvent OR oil of spike lavender
- Linseed oil
- Colours: Titanium white; Burnt umber; Mars black; Yellow Ochre Light; Chinese red vermillion
- 4x medium sized synthetic round oil painting brushes - size 4
- Large round palette
- Palette knife
- Paper towels
- Very small gesso primed cotton or linen canvas for beginners
IMPORTANT: Please arrive to the first class with all the relevant materials. A lack of materials is not just a handicap to you but to the ability to teach. Materials cost is not included in a course fee. In the event of a course being cancelled WEA cannot be held responsible for the purchase of any course materials. We therefore suggest you purchase your materials closer to the time of the course commencing.
The following stockists below are examples of places you can buy art materials from:
- Art on King: 199-201 King Street, Newtown. Ph: 9516 2342
- Eckersley's Art and Craft Store: 93 York Street, Sydney. Ph: 9299 4151. Also located in various locations throughout Greater Sydney.
- Parkers Art Supplies: 3 Cambridge Street, The Rocks. Ph: 9247 9979
- The Art Scene: 914 Victoria Road, West Ryde. Ph: 9807 6900
- The Sydney Art Store: 11 Salisbury Street, Botany. Ph: 9699 2162
You can also purchase materials from places such as Dymocks, Officeworks, Spotlight, Lincraft or online art suppliers such as Art Shed Online.
