Composing the Head and Figure
Workshop | This program is completed
This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of picture making and direct painting from life. We will discuss various starting techniques, as well as color studies, value schemes, and the preliminary work involved in starting a painting. The first part of the workshop will focus on the portrait, the second part will focus on the figure and setting up a scene.
- There will be two long demonstrations the first day and the third.
- Drawing experience required.
- You do not need all of these different palettes for this workshop the Zorn Palette is all that is required-
- Monochromatic Palette: Tera Rosa (Windsor Newton); Venetian Red (Windsor Newton); Burnt Umber; Burnt Sienna
- *Limited Palette (Zorn Palette) (Three Primary colors plus white): Yellow Ocher ; Cadmium Red (Windsor Newton); Ivory Black; Titanium White
- Extended Limited (a warm and cool of your primary plus white): Yellow Ocher(cool); Cadmium Yellow Pale (warm); Cadmium Red (warm); Alizarin Crimson (cool; Ultramarine Blue (cool); Ivory Black (warm)
- Extended Palette (my palette): Yellow Ocher; Cadmium Yellow Pale; Lemon Yellow; Cadmium Red ; Cadmium Orange; Tera Rosa; Alizarin Crimson; Cobalt Blue; Cerulean Blue; Ultramarine Blue; Viridian Green; Ivory Black; Titanium White; Raw Umber
- *Required paint for this workshop all other palette examples are acceptable but not mandatory
- Students should bring at least four canvases to the workshop. I like to have more so I have more options for composition. One for portrait either 11x14, 16x12, 20x16 one for the figure pose 20x16, 24x18 and two smaller canvases for color/compositional studies 5x7,8x10 or 4x6 are good.
- Brushes: Nice Selection of Sable and Bristles. Ex-#2 #4 #6 #7 #10 #15. I recommend Robert Simmons Signet Flat or filbert Bristle Brushes. Langnickel 5590 series or Princeton 6600FB Series filberts for your sable bushes.
- Paper Towels: VIVA is the best. Cloth Rags are also good
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- Mineral Spirits: Gamblin makes their own brand called Gamsol. It is the best and cleanest. Please bring this to class.
- Canvas: Frederix Canvas Boards are okay to use (if you can afford better higher quality canvas all the better). SIZE EXAMPLES: 12x16, 16x20, 18x24
- Miscellaneous: Container to hold Gamsol. It is the best and cleanest. Some sort of Palette to mix your paint.either a pad of palette paper or a glass or wooden palette.
- A couple of palette knifes a small and a large on 1” and 3”
- Kneaded Eraser
- Patience
Aaron Westerberg
Aaron Westerberg is a native Californian. After his first traditional life drawing class, drawing became his focus and he went on to study at the California Art Institute. Later, he expanded his focus to include the study of Edmund Tarbell, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and other 19th century artists. This connection to history can be seen in Westerberg’s style. He sees his paintings as a combination of old world techniques and contemporary subject matter while at the same time striving for elegance and timelessness. His focus is on values, edges, and brushstrokes as well as a solid use of color and contrast.