ANN PEMBER WORKSHOPS

SUGGESTIONS FOR CLASS

Come to class with something ready to paint each day. Keep the following ideas in mind:  

Reference: Draw from nature, your sketches, or YOUR OWN photos. These first steps are the inspiration for your painting and should be all yours! Don’t work from someone else’s idea; whether from magazines, photos, or paintings. It is illegal to copy anything published. You are designing the composition as you photograph and sketch.  

CREATE DRAMATIC PAINTINGS: Lighting is all important. Unless you intend to create atmospheric, moody paintings, select well lit subjects for a feeling of drama. Strong lighting creates shadows and forms patterns by linking shapes together. Consider this factor when sketching and photographing too. When working from a photo, choose one with clarity and good lighting. If you can’t see any shadows, don’t use it. You must be able to see shadows, reflected colors and details. When painting a flower; choose a light or white one. It is easier to see the subtleties than in deeply colored flowers. The hardest flowers to paint are yellow, or deep red ones. I especially like backlighting for flowers. 

VALUES: Light striking the subject creates values. Notice how the light merges shapes together, forming larger areas of mass. Squint or use a value viewer to see this. Design using these merged shapes to help you edit and simplify. Including too much is confusing. Make a small simple thumbnail sketch to help you work out the distribution of values; light, medium and dark. This is a good warm-up exercise before you paint. Do this in one color such as sepia, black, or pencil.  

COLOR: If you have trouble with mixing colors, begin with a warm and cool version of each of the primaries. Mix as many colors as possible with them until you know what they will produce. It will become intuitive. Test colors on scrap paper if uncertain about them before using them in your painting. Learn which ones make rich darks and which ones can be lifted.