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A Study of Artistic Method for Patrons and Artists

Painting in Egg Tempera in the Style of the 13^th century School of St Albans

 

Prof. David Clayton

 

Course Objectives:

To teach the basic of creating a picture in the style of a past tradition, this will direct them to the means be which a three-dimensional scene is represented in two-dimensions. This will involve learning the visual vocabulary of the sacred artist - control of line, tonal variation, color variation and the consideration of postitive and negative space.

Demonstration how these principles are manifested  is done with the 13^th century English style of illumination called the School of St Albans. Through this students will understand how to recognise the common elements in any tradition that give it its characteristic style.

 

It is also an introduction to the method of painting in egg tempera which is the medium that will be used direct the students to employing the visual vocabulary they were introduced to in the first part of the class.

 

This course describes both theory and practice.

 

The theoretical aspect relates to the consideration of how to to conform to the essential elements of a tradition while considering how these principles might be applied so that the image will connect with people today. It also offers a discussion on how we choose a particular tradition as appropriate for today.

 

The practical element shows how the decisions that the artists makes in regard to the above can be applied in practice. This will involve the demonstration of the production of the line drawing and how this is converted into a painting in the medium of egg tempera. We get right down into the detail of this; how the paint is mixed, how we choose and mix colors, how we glaze and varnish.

 

The student will understand how these elements come together in sacred art that engages people in prayer and worship in which both content and form are consistent with the requirements of the Church.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

• Describe and draw the basic elements of the visual vocabulary of the artist used to describe three-dimensional form.
  •       Line including the variation in breadth and intensity of tone.
  •       Tonal variation
  •       Color variation
  •       Consideration of positive and negative space
  •       Use of Geometric and
  •       Use of borders and frames to define the edge of a painting
  •       Medium eg egg tempera, oil, mosaic, fresco etc
•        Analyse a painting and describe how the artist has used the basic elements of the visual vocabulary of the artist in the painting.
• Analyse an artistic tradition, eg gothic art, and identify the characteristic use of visual vocabulary that characterises all art in that tradition
  •      In particular the artist will describe how these elements are used differently by baroque, gothic and iconographic artists.
• Create a painting by mastering egg tempera, this will include
  •       Creating the paint from egg yolk, vinegar and pigment.
  •       Using egg tempera to describe form in a painting by using the visual vocabulary of the artist in conformity to the style of the School of St Albans, or another painting as approved by the the teacher.
•       Pray with images and through this experience describe how the visual vocabulary engages the person in prayer.
•       List the images - eg a schema for saints and festal scenes - that are appropriate for church and icon corner.

 

Required reading: Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting – Egg Tempera, Fresco, Secco by Aidan Hart; pub Gracewing, Leominster, England, 2011. 428 pages.

Students should read this book from cover to cover. Even where we are not putting into practice the practical skills that he describes, for example fresco, it is worth reading and understanding for it gives us a sense of what is possible in the future. In some lessons I have drawn your attention to particular chapters, but this does not take away from the fact that I would like you to read the whole book.

 

 NB: There is one caveat. Aidan is Orthodox and although very respectful to Catholic beliefs, he does differ in some respects. For 99% of this book, these are irrelevant, but there is one point that I would draw your attention to: Aidan, along with many Orthodox believes that the icon is the only legitimate form of liturgical art; as Catholics we believe that it is one legitimate form, but other traditions are also legitimate, such as the gothic and baroque as stated by Benedict XVI in The Spirit of the Liturgy.

 

Suggested background and further reading: books that I would start with for information on the iconography (i.e. symbolic content) of sacred art are a series published by the Getty Museum. They are not exhaustive, but are a good starting point: Icons and Saints of the Orthodox Church for the canon of iconography. Old Testament Figures in Art,  Gospel Figures in Art and Saints in Art for western images that are not in the iconographic canon. These books give a pretty thorough description of the meaning of the content of images they contain.

 

There are also selected short readings written by me as accompanying lecture notes.

 

Grading by mid-term and final written exams (with requirement to complete icon and painting exercises); or by mid-term and painted icon.

 

The grading system of Pontifex is based on the 4.0 scale. The faculty member will determine the final grade for each student in his or her course. The grades used by Pontifex are found below along with the numeric values assigned for each kind of grade. 

A 4 

A - 3.7 

B + 3.3 

B 3 

B - 2.7 

C + 2.3 

C 2 

C - 1.7 

D + 1.3 

D 1 

D - 0.7 

F 0 

P n/a A “P” denotes passing a course, but a grade is not factored into GPA calculation. 

W n/a A “W” is assigned when a student withdraws from a course prior to the midpoint. 

WF 0 A “WF” is assigned when a student withdraws from a course after the midpoint. 

I n/a 

NR n/a Appears on a student’s transcript in the event a course grade has not been submitted. 

 

 

 

Part One - Theoretical

 

Lesson 0          1. Video Introduction

2. Video Some practical points including my email –             [email protected]

 

 

Lesson 1          General Principles of Reestablishment of a Tradition.

1.       General Principles – Lessons Learned from Iconography
2.       Powerpoint, the same
3.       Looking at the 13^th Century English Gothic. Considering the illuminations of the English School of St Albans as a possible choice
4.       Video: Original Images – Why the English Gothic Might Be Appropriate A discussion in conjunction with a wide selection of images to work with

3a.Powerpoint, the same

5.       Video: Other Traditions We might Look At. You don’t have to choose the English Gothic. We consider alternatives: baroque, Annigoni, Fra Angelico, Duccio.
6.       Video: Question – What do you think about the English School of St Albans? Do you think it might work? Or do you favour another style – let me know! [email protected]

 

Lesson 2          Starting to Apply the Principles – Things Artists Will Have to Think About

1.       Wordfile: Iconographic or gothic? Even within the style, do we follow the prototype of iconography, even while adopting the School of St Albans style
2.       Video: Adapting small scale illumination to large scale liturgical art

Wordfile: Adapting small scale illumination to large scale liturgical art

3.       Wordfile: Principles for Painting Haloes An example of the sort of decision today’s artist will have to make.
4.       Video: Chainmail or desert fatigues – do we use current, medieval or authentic historical dress styles?
5.       Video: Modern Icons, the Art of Maximilian Sheshukov An example of a modern icon painter who has developed his own 21^st century style without departing from the bounds of what defines an icon.
6.       Video: Maximilian Sheshokov, postscript. Why did he develop his own style? 6 mins
7.       Video: question – what do you think of Sheshokov? do you like is work? Tell me why or why not? also, would you use chainmail or modern dress or true historical costume? [email protected]

 

Lesson 3          Canon and Context

1.       Video: Canon – What images for the Roman Church?– using the iconographic canon, noting where exceptions will occur.
2.       Video Example of Saint celebrated in the Roman Rite,: St John of the Cross
3.       Video Example of distinctly Catholic images: The Immaculate Conception,
4.       Video Example of distinctly Catholic Image: Our Lady of Guadelupe.
5.       Video Context – Why Where Art Hangs Affects Its Design? (50 mins
6.      Video Context – Rood screen, iconostasis, altar rail or shag-pile carpetted step
7.       Wordfile Rood screen, iconostasis, altar rail or shag-pile carpetted step
8.       Video: Questions - What do you think would work in the Church today? Rood screems? Western iconostasis? Transenna? [email protected]

 

Lesson 4          • Line and tone – the two ways of describing form. Why ours is a line-based image.

1.       Video The Harmony and Counterpoint of of Drawing and Painting
2.       Video Line and Tone in Ancient and Classical Art.
3.       Video High Renaissance and Baroque – colour tones
4.       Video 19^th Century Art – John Singer Sargent and the Academic Method
5.       Video Iconographic and Gothic and How We Will Learn This Visual Language
6.       Video: Question – tell me your thoughts about the art you have seen. Where do your preferences lie, do you feel that line or tone based should dominate, or is it something that depends on how well it is used rather than which is used? [email protected]

 

Lesson 5          An Explanation of the Theory of Drawing Techniques

1. Video Darts or blunt instruments – the different sort of line we use
2. Video Drapery around the human form.20mins
3. Video Human Proportions and Features – hints on drawing people
4. Video Rhythm and Calligraphic Flow – imbuing your lines with grace
5. Video: Question – Can you think of artists who have grace, beauty and flow in their lines even if they are not drawing an accurate, a naturalistic representation; conversly, can you think of artists who lack grace in this way? send me some attachements, I’d like to see what you get from google images! [email protected]

 

Lesson 6          More About Proportion and Compositional Design

1. Video Compositional Design
2. Video Question Are you convinced by my argument that Raphael used geometry? or are you skeptical? Why? Do you think artists really need to consider these mathematical ideas to govern compositions? When I was in Florence people thought it would restrict creativity, what do you think? [email protected]

 

Lesson 7          Choosing an Image for Study for This Class

1. Video Choosing an Image for This Studio Project
2. Video Question Which one are you going to do? Tell me

 

Lesson 8          Preparation both Practical and Spiritual

1. Video Creating an Icon Corner.
2. Video Ora et Labora – Preparing the Arists Studio for Work and Prayer.
3. Wordfile – A Prayer for Artists.
4. Video Researching the Theology of the Content of the Image
5. 5. Video St Ambrose – a case study of producing a work of art
6. Video: Question. Pray and sing your prayers in front of an image – what is your sense about this? Do you feel different? Do you think you need to feel different for our prayers to be authentic? It not, how can you tell that God is going to inspire you and that this is a worthwhile thing to do, do you think? [email protected]

 

 

 

Mid term

 

 

Part 2 – Practical

All students will do each lesson. However students have a choice between two tracks in regard to which material is used for grading.

 

Track One – Students are graded on the completion of a finished icon. For this students must submit all Exercises listed below and a finished icon. For the MSA program, this is not graded according to the quality of drawing, we expect students to have different levels of expertise. Rather they are graded on completion of exercises as stipulated and demonstration through them of an understanding of the method being used.

 

Track Two – Student are graded on the Final Exam which is written. This will test that the students have understood the lessons, but will ask them to explain their understanding in written terms. Nevertheless students must submit completed practical Exercises 1-10 just as Track One students do, with the exception of the last two parts of Exercise 7 taken from Aidan Hart’s book (figs 346, 351, see below).

 

Students can decide at the end which Track they wish to be graded on if they wish.

 

 

Required materials, drawing lessons:

HB pencil, erasor, straight edge/ruler, high quality water color paper (14’x17’ approx, eg canson Bristol, 260g paper - https://www.amazon.com/Recycled-Bristol-Pad-Fold-Over/dp/B00F3D8CWW). Print out in color, print out in black and white of chosen image. Downloaded from class files or from Google Images

 

Required materials, painting lessons:

Eggs, vinegar, porcelain painting palette

Walnut ink eg from http://www.utrechtart.com

Black india ink

 

Pigments –If in doubt, get the smallest quantity you can buy. They may seem expensive, but these will last you a lifetime. Warning! some pigments are highly toxic and so should be handled with care, kept out of reach of the children. The supplier will tell you which are but in general it’s heavy metal based colors: cadmium, lead, mercury (vermillion), copper (azurite, malachite) or chromium based colors.

 

 

You can shop around and find the cheapest deal with online suppliers or your local art shop for the following colours:

Titianium white.

ivory black,

French ultramarine blue,

red ochre,

chromium dioxide (chrome green) toxic

Possible suppliers are Kremer, Naturalpigments.com. If you are in England then AP Fitzpatrick is a good supplier (cost of international mailing rules out most non Brits from buying from them).

 

The following colors can vary I colour and quality even if they have the same name, so to play safe order the brands recommended below:

English Light Red shop.kremerpigments.com/en/pigments/earth-pigments/5026/english-red-light?number=40542_

Yellow ochre – can be gritty, Maimeri is a brand that is not gritty from eg. www.arttreehouse.com/store/catalog/pigments-dry

Avana ocher shop.kremerpigments.com/en/pigments/earth-pigments/4991/ochre-avana-greenish-yellow

Italian dark ocher www.naturalpigments.com/italian-dark-ochre.html

Antica green ocher www.naturalpigments.com/antica-prun-green-earth-pigment.html

 

You won’t need them in this class, but you may find the following pigments useful in the future:

Cadmium yellow lemon #1 from Kremer. Very strong dominating pigment. Used only as mixer or wash with blues or greens above to make brighter greens and turquoises. Toxic

Azurite natural fine from Kremer. A green blue, can be mixed with above to move it in the green direction. Toxic

Malachite natural standard from Kremer. A blue green, agains mixable with greens, yellows and azurite blues to give a range of greens and turquoises. Toxic

Mars black – a very dense opaque black, use sparingly!

Vermillion – a bright orange red, can be used neat, but I prefer to tone it down by mixing with an earth red. Toxic.

Lead white – can be used as a mixer to lighten colors. Unlike titanium white doesn’t make the colours go chalky. Highly toxic!

 

 

 

 

Brushes

Use any supplier for the following brush types. For this exercise, synthetic or natural hair is fine and if you can’t get precisely the size mentioned, get something close.

 

Round No 2 watercolour brush If you want Kolinsky sable the I found a supplier here at a reasonable price. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-designer

 

Liner/rigger size 0 or 5/0 or 10/0 eg http://www.rosemaryandco.com/oil-brushes/eclipse-oils/eclipse-riggers?filter_name=liner

 

Size 12 soft brush for broad washes  A watercolor brush (synthetic or natural hair) or an Oriental brush will work well here eg http://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/japanese-oriental

The above links are to a British supplier which charges about $14 for deliver to the US, if you buy all three from them, it makes it worth while at that price.

 

Round No 2 or No 3 watercolor brush, synthetic, for mixing. Cheapest you can find in the on-offer bin at your local art store. Something like this www.dickblick.com/items/06569-1002/

 

 

Lesson 9

Drawing Instruction Class – Construction the Grids

                                    1.Video Constructing the Grid – literal replication

2. Video Constructing the Grid – When You Are Modifying the Image
3. Video Constructing the Grid – When Your Final Image Will be Large Scale

 

Exercise 1 (Lesson 9): Draw the grid on your chosen image, printed out on computer paper. Replicate that grid in a different size, but proportionately identical on your high quality water color paper. Send the images of each grid to me for critiquing. [email protected]

 

Reading: Chapters 1, 2 , 3 and 5 of Aidan Hart’s book. The first two chapters will be recapping the theory you have learnt up to this point, and will focus your mind on our task of re-establishing a tradition.

           

Lesson 10

Drawing Instruction Class – Copying the Lines

1. Video Copying the Lines

 

Exercise 2 (Lesson 10): Copy the lines from the original into your image, focussing on the main shapes (not every detail) show me your work.

 

Reading: Chapters 3 and 5 of Aidan Hart’s book. Chapters 3 and 5 will have an impact on the design of your icon at the next stage in Lesson 11. Even if you are deciding not to vary, you will put a border around the image and at the very least will need to decide on the proportions of this and how the figures fit within it.

 

 

Lesson 11

Drawing Instruction Class – Creating the Final Drawing

1. Video Creating the Final Drawing
2. Video Drawing technique with pencil

 

Exercise 3 (Lesson 11): Do a sketch of your final drawing – ie show how you intend to frame it, what sort of proportion you might use (at least will it be portrait or landscape) and what new elements, if any, you want to introduce. Send me a photo of the sketch. At this point, make sure you have viewed all the material from this point on before you actually do the drawing. You can see how I made a decision in my drawing that I later regretted (see lesson 23). You can learn from my experience and avoid having to make such a change. (ie in the light of my experience as described in Lesson 21, decide now if you want to do a loin cloth!).

 

Exercise 4 (Lesson 11): Erase the grid lines from your drawing and now start to create your final drawing. Send me photos at different stages if you like, I will critique, before sending me the photo of your final line drawing.

 

Lesson 12

Drawing Instruction Class – Transferring the Drawing

1. Video Transferring the Drawing
2. Video Question. Is using a grid cheating? Shouldn’t artists learn to draw freehand from real, three dimensional subjects? [email protected]

 

Exercise 5 (Lesson 12): Create a piece of pigment ‘carbon’ paper and trace through a copy of the image you are doing as an exercise, show me your tracing and your carbon paper. Even if you are not using this method in the painting you are producing for this class, it is useful to experience it.

 

Reading in preparation for lessons 13- 20: Chapters 8, 10, 11

 

Lesson 13        Painting Instruction Class – Making Paint

1. Video Making the egg yolk-vinegar medium
2. Video Tempering the Pigment

Exercise 6 Lesson 13: create the egg medium, temper a pigment and show me line painted with your first created egg tempera paint. Tell me how you got on, let me know if you have any difficulties.

 

Lesson 14

Painting Instruction Class – Choice of Brushes

1. Video Choosing brushes
2. Image – the different brushes

 

Exercise 7 (Submitted as part of Lessons 14. These exercises will introduce skills that have application in all the following painting lessons):

Painting technique exercises: do the exercises exactly as described on pages 197-206, p257-8, p261. Read the following carefully before you do the exercises.

NB Don’t just dive into these exercises. Read each chapter completely before attempting and watch the videos and do the reading for lessons 14-20 but don’t do the exercises specific to those lesson yet. Having viewed the material and read the chapters then go back and do these exercises in light of your awareness of all that you have seen and read.

 

Copy as closely as you can in red ochre paint the following figures from the book. Send to me a photograph of each completed exercise:

            323 thin-thick-thin

            324 length control

            325 converging lines

            326 curved lines

            327 tight curves

            328 varying arches

            329-332, eye arches

            332 small tight curves

            333 Assist lines

            334 modelled lines

            339 the flicked line

            340 lines of even thickness

            343 modelling with single lines

            344 fanning the brush

            345 wet on wet modelling

            437 silhouettes and forms

            438 ending fold lines

            439 Modelled lines

            447 modelling with dry brush technique

            448 the petit lac (puddle) technique of blending

 

Those who wish are to be graded on painting (and so are not doing a written final) should also do the following studies:

            346 modelling spheres

            351 garment modelling exercises

           

Lesson 15        Painting Instruction Class – Painting Lines

1. Video Line Painting Technique
2. Video The Lines We Paint in this Icon

Exercise 8 (Lesson 15): Painting the lines. With walnut ink, first lightly erase the pencil lines so that they are still lightly visible but not dominating and then paint over them with with walnut ink. Photograph and send me the finished work and any submissions along the way if you want comment.

 

Lesson 16        Painting Instruction Class – First Washes

1. Video The Parchment Wash – a Foundational Wash
2. Video Don’t Worry About the Wrinkles

Exercise 9 (Lesson 16): Parchment wash. Paint this wash and send me a photograph of it when dry.

 

Lesson 17        Painting Instruction Class – Applying Color

1. Video Mixing Colors
2. Video Applying Colors

 

Lesson 18        Painting Instruction Class – Blending and Grading Tone

1. Video How to blend and grade tone with egg tempera paint

 

Lesson 19        Painting Instruction Class – Next Lines and Washes

1. Video Next Lines and Washes
2. Video Demonstration of Petit-Lac Wash Technique
3. Video Doing an Egg Wash

 

Lesson 20        Painting Instruction Class – Final Lines and Washes

1. Video Final Lines and Washes and Adding a Loin Cloth
2. Video Question: Has learning about these techniques, whether as artist or potential patron, changed your appreciation of what you see in works of art at all? I’m not expecting necessarily that it has, I’m just curious as to whether or not it has changed how you look at the work of art that you were already familiar with.

 

Lesson 21        The Importance of Dialogue With the Church

1. Video. Introduction to this lesson
2. Wordfile. Beta Testing and Image on Facebook

3.Wordfile. The Letter to Artists, John Paul II

4. Wordfile. Study of Our Lady of the Mountains, Georgia – a first descripton of the church by Fr Charles Byrd, Pastor.
5. Wordfile. Bringing Sacred Music to a Small Parish – a statement by the choir director of Our Lady of the Mountains
6. Wordfile. Beauty and Superabundance in Jasper – How a Small Parish Can Afford to Commission So Much Art.

7.Wordfile. More on Beauty and Superabundance – How Beauty Generates Wealth

8. Wordfile. Letters from Fr Charles Byrd Commissioning Art.
9. Video. Case Study St Ambrose Dec. 7^th
10. Video. Question: Are you convinced by the arguments about beauty and superabundance – are you skeptical, or perhaps feel that it makes it all sound too much like its only validity is economics? Also, what is your reaction to the Our Lady of the Mountains approach to dialogue? Do you agree that this corresponds to what JPII was asking for? And what about beta testing on Facebook? Is it useful do you think…or just plain silly? [email protected]

Images of the church.

 

Lesson 22        Correcting Painting Mistakes

1. Video Correcting Errors
2. Video Question:You might have heard that monks deliberately introduced ‘errors’ into their work in order to highlight the fact that only  God can create imperfection. I don’t know that this is actually true, but regardless doesn’t stop us using that approach if we wish to. Do you accept this principle? Or would you say that perfection is always better than                                           imperfection if it is closer to the ideal we have in mind?

 

 

                                   

Lesson 23        An Explanation of Glazes, Scumbles, Washes and Varnishes

1. Video Glazes, Scumbles, Washes and Varnishes
2. Pdf. Survey of types of varnish
3. Video Question It is often said that the oil painting was invented in the age when it began to be used. I am sceptical about this and feel that given how easy it is to temper pigment, people must have known about the possibility of tempering with natural oils such as olive oil or linseed oil. I think that oil paint began to be used because of its power through glazes to create naturalistic imagery, which hadn’t been the goal of artists before. In the absence of a text from the 15^th century that might somehow prove the point, what do you think? Do you find my argument convincing? I am curious as to whether you can you think of something that has never been used to temper pigment – why might there be a need for it? (no right or wrong with that last question, just wondering if anything occurs to you).

 

Read Chapter 12, Varnishing

 

Exercise 10 (Lesson 23). Finish the painting. Now having seen all these videos, read the chapters and done the exercises, bring the painting to completion. If you wish to send me photographs of your work along the way, do so, especially if you have questions. Send me the final painting. Note: I am not expecting you necessarily to have errors to correct as significant as mine. Don’t create ‘errors’ deliberately in order to change them!

                                   

Lesson 24        What Next? eg Gesso Panels and Gilding, Choosing Your Next Image

1. Video What next? Gesso panels and gilding
2. Video What next? Next steps in self guided study

 

Final and Submission of Painted Icon

 

 

List of Exercises

 

Exercise 1 (Lesson 9): Draw the grid on your chosen image, printed out on computer paper. Replicate that grid in a different size, but proportionately identical on your high quality water color paper. Send the images of each grid to me for critiquing. [email protected]

 

Exercise 2 (Lesson 10): Copy the lines from the original into your image, focussing on the main shapes (not every detail) show me your work.

 

Exercise 3 (Lesson 11): Do a sketch of your final drawing – ie show how you intend to frame it, what sort of proportion you might use (at least will it be portrait or landscape) and what new elements, if any, you want to introduce. Send me a photo of the sketch. At this point, make sure you have viewed all the material from this point on before you actually do the drawing. You can see how I made a decision in my drawing that I later regretted (see lesson 23). You can learn from my experience and avoid having to make such a change. (ie in the light of my experience as described in Lesson 21, decide now if you want to do a loin cloth!).

 

Exercise 4 (Lesson 11): Erase the grid lines from your drawing and now start to create your final drawing. Send me photos at different stages if you like, I will critique, before sending me the photo of your final line drawing.

 

Exercise 5 (Lesson 12): Create a piece of pigment ‘carbon’ paper and trace through a copy of the image you are doing as an exercise, show me your tracing and your carbon paper. Even if you are not using this method in the painting you are producing for this class, it is useful to experience it.

 

Exercise 6 Lesson 13: create the egg medium, temper a pigment and show me line painted with your first created egg tempera paint. Tell me how you got on, let me know if you have any difficulties.

 

Exercise 7 (Submitted as part of Lessons 14. These exercises will introduce skills that have application in all the following painting lessons):

Painting technique exercises: do the exercises exactly as described on pages 197-206, p257-8, p261. Read the following carefully before you do the exercises.

NB Don’t just dive into these exercises. Read each chapter completely before attempting and watch the videos and do the reading for lessons 14-20 but don’t do the exercises specific to those lesson. Having viewed the material and read the chapters then go back and do these exercises in light of your awareness of all that you have seen and read.

 

Copy as closely as you can in red ochre paint the following figures from the book. Send to me a photograph of each completed exercise:

            323 thin-thick-thin

            324 length control

            325 converging lines

            326 curved lines

            327 tight curves

            328 varying arches

            329-332, eye arches

            332 small tight curves

            333 Assist lines

            334 modelled lines

            339 the flicked line

            340 lines of even thickness

            343 modelling with single lines

            344 fanning the brush

            345 wet on wet modelling

            437 silhouettes and forms

            438 ending fold lines

            439 Modelled lines

            447 modelling with dry brush technique

            448 the petit lac (puddle) technique of blending

 

Those who wish are to be graded on painting (and so are not doing a written final) should also do the following studies:

            346 modelling spheres

            351 garment modelling exercises

 

Exercise 8 (Lesson 15): Painting the lines. With walnut ink, first lightly erase the pencil lines so that they are still lightly visible but not dominating and then paint over them with with walnut ink. Photograph and send me the finished work and any submissions along the way if you want comment.

 

Exercise 9 (Lesson 16): Parchment wash. Paint this wash and send me a photograph of it when dry.

 

Exercise 10 (Lesson 23). Finish the painting. Now having seen all these videos, read the chapters and done the exercises, bring the painting to completion. If you wish to send me photographs of your work along the way, do so, especially if you have questions. Send me the final painting. Note: I am not expecting you necessarily to have errors correct as dramatic as mine. Don’t create ‘errors’ deliberately in order to change them!