Learn Traditional Techniques for Contemporary Realism

I am based in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and teach private lessons in realist drawing and painting principles. These principals are universal, and can be applied to any genre, including figure work, portraiture, landscape, still life and others. They are aimed at helping a student to understand what they are seeing, and then recreating or reinterpreting this in their own work. However, I have no secrets and no shortcuts. This type of art making is very hard, and requires a lot of work! But it is exciting, challenging and engaging. Developing good drawing skills is fundamental to this approach, and builds directly into painting.

The entire process can be broken down into individual components:

Drawing

This is the most important component, and lays the foundation for the entire picture. It covers Design and Composition, Proportion, Gesture, Structure and Rhythm. Drawing enables us to understanding what we see, and then recreate and manipulate the emotive elements you wish to express.

Values

Understanding values (tone), and value relationships, has two functions. It is how we create a convincing illusion of both light and form, using our chosen materials. But it is also applied to create a beautiful and interesting tonal design of light and dark throughout the picture.

Edges

The treatment of edges and transitions is how we communicate visually the nature of form. It can also be used to direct your viewers attention around your piece, as edges have the ability to capture and lead the eye.

Colour

This is sometimes considered the most emotive component, and when the previous steps are in place, good colouring will make a painting really sing. In order to understand and  manipulate colour effectively, it is broken down into three components: hue, value and chroma.

If you are interested in any tuition, or would like to discuss anything in this regard, please contact me.

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