Painting Exploration: Colour and Form

On this 6-week course you will make a new still-life painting each week. The course is designed for the complete beginner but would also suit the intermediate painter wanting to learn/refresh techniques in colour mixing and brush handling to achieve a bright contemporary feel to their observational paintings.

On week-one we will practise drawing out the composition with the brush and layering the paint dark to light. Painting in monochrome will help solidify an understanding of tone, develop good palette organisation and provide excellent practise working thin to thick.

Building on skills learnt in week one, on week two we will be using two colours. Using a warm and a cool complementary pair helps students learn about relative temperature as well as increasing their understanding for tertiary mixes. Demonstrations and tutoring will help students understand how to mix the closest approximation to the colours they see and how to make colour substitutions. Pre-mixing colours onto the palette will help the student maintain tonal contrast and balance between warm and cool in their painting.

On week-three, we will be using an earth palette. Using this limited palette pushes students to notice the relative values in tone, temperature and saturation. The exercise will test their colour mixing skills and encourage them to make creative decisions through out the painting process.

On week four we will be using a primary palette, aiming to mix the closest approximation of colours seen. The session will focus on how to mix chromatic greys and blacks to achieve colourful shadows and enhance the saturation of other colours in the composition.

Week five will use an extended cadmium palette. Extending the palette will allow students to achieve a wider variety of pinks, purples and turquoises. We will consider reflected light and how to paint reflective surfaces.

Week six will also be using the extended palette but this time will focus of brushwork. As well as using the pre-mixes students will be encouraged to mix paint directly on the canvas to create interesting mark-making and rhythms.

By the end of the course participants should feel confident in their colour knowledge and have some techniques for colour mixing under their belt. They will have gained confidence in ways to draw out the composition with the brush and will have greater consideration for their use of brushstrokes to capture the stillness of objects and the rhythm of fabrics. Their paintings will demonstrate a balance in tone, temperature and saturation.

Materials for students:

Surfaces to paint on: I suggest one A3/A2 canvas board per week (6 in total). Stretched canvases are also fine. Alternatively an A3/A2 pad of oil painting paper. For a cheaper/ more eco option you can also prime any plywood/ MDF or thick card (grey board) with acyclic gesso. You can buy acyclic gesso in 1litre tubs from all art shops.
More advice and tips about painting materials will be provided on week 1 so you way wish to delay buying all the oil colours at once. All you will need for week 1 is the following -

• Week 1:
  A4 or A3 sketchbook or sheets of paper 2B pencil and rubberCharcoalApronAt least 5 long handled Hog-hair brushes, a range of sizes. (Upto an inch width) Palette knifePalette (tear off palettes are fine)1 jam jarLinseed oilStudio safe Solvent I recommend a low odour one, such as Windsor and Newton’s ‘Sansador’ or zest it. Rags for cleaning brushes, absorbent thick cotton or towel is best.
  Oil paint colours: I recommend the 'Winton' range from Windsor and Newton as a reliable brand of student quality paints. Titanium whiteLamp black or any other dark colour (Ultramarine, raw umber)
• From week 2: Viridian Green alizarin crimson
• From week 3:Yellow ochre Burnt Sienna/ red ochre Lamp Black
• From week 4:Cadmium red (or similar) Cadmium yellow light (or similar) ultramarine Blue
• From week 5: Phyalo Blue Or Phyalo Turquoise Zinc white (optional) Cadmium Yellow deep