Narrative Portrait Painting with Karen Offutt
Course Description
In our efforts to understand painting as a visual language it is important to see what we will paint as an abstract form. To eliminate our preconceived assumptions of what we see and break them down into parts. These essential elements will give us the foundation to understand what we see and allows for a more intuitive paint application.
Karen will bring in some of her own costumes and staging backgrounds so as to create a more of her own personal narrative to the workshop. She will discuss ideas on how you can incorporate these pieces and your own elements in order to create your own narratives with meaning.
Karen will divide up the workshop into 2 parts. First day, she will teach an alla prima portrait class focusing on the fundamentals of direct painting. The goal is to achieve a 3-dimensional likeness with a simple block-in of the larger shapes and then to build on that by carving out the smaller shapes. Along the way she will discuss, in more detail, the use of value, color and temperature as well as how to adjust edges to create a sense of atmosphere within the painting. On the second and third day, students will work on a more in depth portrait painting with the same model and same pose for the 2 days. For days 2 and 3, students can take more time working on a more finished piece. Karen will start off the first half of the day doing demos and then assist students as they paint from a live model.
Supply List
Canvas boards/panels/canvas paper.
(2-3) 12"x16"s
Mirror Value Planner (link)
Palette - Masterson Sta-Wet Artist Palette Seal - 12" x 16" x 1 3/4" (link)
New Wave Posh Glass Tabletop Palettes (link)
Steel palette knife
Gamsol
Container for the Gamsol
Paper Towels - (Viva is great)
Small container of Linseed Oil, Walnut Oil or Oleogel from Rublev
Brushes – assorted. Try hog and synthetic blends
Filbert 2, 4, 6, 8
Flat 2, 4, 6, 8
Oil colors (Gamblin is an inexpensive brand with low toxic paints)
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Crimson
Transparent Oxide Red
Manganese Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Viridian Green
Burnt Sienna - (preferably by Michael Harding)
Burnt Umber
Ivory Black
ATELIER DOJO WORKSHOP POLICIES
No refunds can be issued within 45 days of workshop date, unless canceled by Atelier Dojo.