2009-06-02

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Here are my observations after last night's class.  First of all, I was quite pleased and impressed with the number of sketches each of you did.  Many of you did fine work and really broke your shapes into clearly discernible blocks of tone (so important). Please forget tiny details; your viewer will gladly fill in all the blanks.  You just need to create interesting shapes using three tones in a jigsaw-like pattern. Place dark against light against dark and so on. 

The one thing I was disappointed about was the small number of sketches that were done outside.  Nature is our greatest teacher.  The whole purpose of this course is to give you the basic tools you need to go outside and enjoy an hour in the field.  Painting is not just about using our eyes and hands.  It involves the sounds and smells , the memories, the dreams that the outside World has to offer. Remember the pleasure you had as a child seeing faces and other shapes in clouds.  That's what I want you to experience again.

This week remember to do sketches (one a day is ideal) outside (20 minutes is plenty of time) using black and white only.  Create a balanced sketch of a few shapes.  It doesn't have to be a masterpiece.  Try a tree against a house or a rock with some grass around it or a skyscape with a silhouette of houses , etc. Keep it simple and use solid blocks of tone when you use your crayons.  Don't get lost in all the pretty colors.  Value is more important artistically than color.

Regards, Bob

p.s. Has everybody paid for the classes?

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