Enjoyed a weekend workshop in Expressive Figure Painting taught by Tara O’Siochain at Civic Arts.
Take-aways:
* The minute I exchange a “drawing” tool for a “painting” tool, I’m much happier. I think ink washes are a good idea for me. Maybe I can redefine charcoal as a painting tool. The marker I bought for my art journaling class also has potential, combined with a paint-type medium.
* Use dark, heavy line to define the muscle stress. I imagine I’ve heard that before, but it made more sense this time.
* If you take your glasses off, it’s easier to do foreshortening because you can’t see well enough to THINK that what you are drawing is crazy, which foreshortening is at some level.
* Larger is better. Punching off the page is good. I should let my sense of grandiosity work for me.
Bottom line: I can see how I want to paint the figure…I just can’t do it. I guess I need listen to Pat Dallacroce’s “10,000 hours to mastery” lecture.
Meanwhile, I’m going to set my mind toward large-scale, dramatic and simple figures in my basic figure drawing class. I hope I don’t give Sherry a heart attack!
Joanne Taeuffer 