September 2011 Course Needs You!

Hi everyone,
the new acrylic painting course is scheduled to start 2 weeks time on Friday 23 September but if we don't get any more takers it will be deferred until January 2012. 
If you want to come back or if you're new and want to join for the first time you all need to do is register for the course via the Lyndhurst Centre, Gateshead (AS SOON AS POSSIBLE please). You can pop in or telephone reception (01914 207000)  and if you're quick it is still not too late to join. 
Best wishes
Tutor

Courses UPDATE for September 2011

We have finished for the summer break (British definition of summer is akin to fraudulent trading given the amount of rain and low temperatures this year!). Bernard is running continuation and new courses at two venues (Lyndhurst and Dryden) from September 2011. They are all suitable for any level of ability and experience. Please note there is a small increase in charges for 2011-2012 courses. Pictured above is the front cover of the new brochure which is on the Council website (click here to go straight to the interactive brochure). A simpler course brochure, prices, and enrolment information is available in the resources page opposite ("2011 Courses"). PLEASE NOTE the watercolour class now starts on 27 September not 20 September as stated in the brochures.

Bernard's courses run for 10 weeks:

At Lyndhurst Centre:

Course code: P11LY0908 Title: Painting with Watercolours (new). Starts: Tuesday, 27 September 10am-12noon.

Course code: P11LY0909 Title: Creative Drawing (various techniques). Starts: Wednesday, 21 September 10am-12noon.

Course code: P11LY0910 Title: Painting with Pastels (this is the continuation of the previous pastels class). Starts: Thursday, 22 September, 10am-12noon.

Course code: P11LY0911 Title: Painting with Acrylics (this is the continuation of the previous acrylics class). Starts: Friday, 23 September, 10am-12noon.

At State of The Art (new purpose-built art class venue in the Dryden Centre):

Course code: P11AR0902 Title: Watercolours. Starts: Tuesday, 13 September, 2-4pm.

Course code: P11AR0903 Title: Acrylic Painting. Starts: Monday, 12 September, 2-4pm.

Course code: P11AR0904 Title: Creative Drawing. Starts: Wednesday, 14 September, 2-4pm.

Course code: P11AR0905 Title: Creative Life Drawing. Starts: Tuesday, 13 September, 6.30-8.30pm.

Course code: P11AR0906 Title: Pastel Painting. Starts: Thursday, 15 September, 2-4pm.

Course code: P11AR0907 Title: Looking at Art. Starts: Thursday, 15 September, 6.30-8.30pm.

Harry's G&T

Harry has been working on his large still-life project for a while and here are the results.  A well chosen close-up design emphasises the abstract nature of the subject and has an architectural quality. Very well observed colour tone (close tonal range) and drawing (large simple interacting shapes) provide a strong platform for the application of paint and texture/colour contrasts. 

Easter Home Project 2011

Please refer to the resource page on the right when doing your Easter home project: using black marker pens and colour acrylic washes. 


If you complete this early, try another one with a water soluble marker pen on damp paper then add colour acrylic washes keeping the paper surface slightly moist until finished. 


We will review the project when we next meet on 6 May. Good luck!

Acrylics class 15 April 2011

A mix of projects underway this week. Some still-life practising monochrome and colour modelling, some large landscapes adding final highlights, some monochrome painting ready for colour glazing project, some pen and ink drawings ready for the colour wash project. 

Glaze project paintings

Some more completed paintings from the glaze project. Look back in the archives (listed by month on the right of this page) to see the progressive stages of these and the other paintings in that project.

Pete's Hopper study

Len's Hopper study 2

Len's Hopper study 1

Still-Life Project 2 (March)

During the break from classes, some continued their still-life projects whilst others started new still-life studies. Here is the work from these activities: 

Pete's still-life 1

Terry's still-life 1

Bob's still-life 1

Belinda's thumbnails

Belinda's tonal study

Len's thumbnails

Michael's stil-life 1

Harry's thumbnail 1

Harry's thumbnail 2

Still-Life Project stage one

This week we started a new project using the still-life genre. We started by looking again at composition basics, framing, and the Golden Section. Then we looked at different ways to set up a still-life with the important message being "keep it simple". Thumbnail pencil studies followed. This will lead to an impasto painting to be done at home. Photos of the still-life set-up in class are in the RESOURCES file link opposite. Here are some of the preliminary drawings: 

Terry's thumbnail

Pete's thumbnail

Bob's thumbnail

Michael's thumbnail

Glazing project - further developments

Here are some of the pictures in the glazing project in progress: 

Len's Hopper study about halfway to completion. 

Terry's finished Newcastle scene

Pete's Hopper study -
just starting to see the colour glazes coming on.

Michael's Greek scene - colour
glazes just starting to appear

Harry's Newcastle scene nearing completion

Bob's Hopper study nearing completion

Bob's St Mary's Island painting with added glaze layers

Monochrome with Colour Glaze Project/3 11 Feb 2011

Continuation of the monochrome underpainting and coloured glaze overlays project sees some paintings complete and others in various stages of progress. The project is creating much debate and new experiences on the journey towards completion. We welcomed a rejuvenated Michael back and welcomed a new face to the group - David. Here are the project images so far:

Michael's preliminary thumbnail study

Harry's monochrome underpainting nearly complete.

Harry: detail

Len's monochrome underpainting nearing completion.

Len: detail

Terry's monochrome underpainting with coloured
glaze nearly complete.

Terry: detail

Peter's monochrome underpainting with
coloured glazes completed.

Peter: detail

Peter's monochrome underpainting (2) with
coloured glaze completed.

Peter: detail

Bob's monochrome underpainting with coloured
glaze nearing completion.

Bob: detail

Monochrome with Colour Glaze Project Feb 2011

This week we started a new three week project learning about tone and colour glazes. A demo picture is in the Resources area of this site - click link on the right. Here are the first paintings at various stages of mono through to first colour glazes:

Len's early stage study, after Hopper.

Terry's almost complete mono stage, photo of Newcastle

Harry's early stage mono, photo of Newcastle

Bob's Hopper study with early colour glaze application

Peter's Pissarro study with heavy glaze effects, early stage

Belinda's first stage mono, charcoal pastel and acrylic