Plein-air painting is a long standing tradition to capture a scene from observation. It puts to the test all of one’s artistic faculties to represent a scene in a visually articulate manner. It can be intimidating to know where to start and difficult to know how to break down and interpret all the elements in a scene.
In this workshop, students will learn how to break down landscapes, creating clear compositions from observation on location. Students will incorporate foundational principles such as perspective, value organization, and color harmony to visually communicate the scene they are representing.
The workshop will include:
- Introduction and demo
- Roberto will explain how to choose a location and how to edit and improve a scene. Roberto will talk about of his work and break down his pieces and show and his process step-by-step. Roberto will start his demo on location and describe his picture making process from start to finish. Q&A included.
- Concept development and sketching
- Students will produce 4-6 sketches for a possible finished painting based on different viewpoints and scenery. Beginning with a clear sense of direction in their compositions. These should be quick and loose but simple and graphic!
- Concept selection, enlargement, and painting.
- Students will choose the compositional sketch that best communicates their idea and start their painting. Roberto will go around and help each student with their painting giving feedback and paint overs.
- Class discussion
- The class will review each others work, providing critique and guidance for completing their finished work.
Students can present their own individual pieces and sketchbooks for critique and discussion that may go on for 15-20 minutes beyond the end of the workshop.Materials to bring:
- Watercolor paper/ cold-press illustration board 5’’x7’’ or larger
- Portable field easel (I usea u-go pochade box on a camera tripod).
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Synthetic brushes ( I use a 1-inch flat, a half inch flat, and a small round either a 2 or a 4. I use Princeton brand.
- A small towel or rag
- A cup to hold water
- A palette
- Water
- Sketchbook
- Windsor Newton or Holbein paints. The following are from Windsor Newton. (Some paint names may vary across brands).
- Permanent White, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Lemon, Cadmium Orange, Alizarin Crimson, Windsor Green, Sap Green, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre.
- Some colors that are helpful but not necessary are Cobalt Turquoise, Opera Pink, Lilac (from Holbein), Cadmium Red.
- I recommend getting a paint container with small wells to store the gouache paint so it doesn’t dry out. I also recommend a small spray bottle with water to keep the paint from drying out.
Please arrive 20 minutes early. Parking is ample and easy.
