Hi folks

Well this week was a tough one wasn’t it?  We tackled foreshortening this week.  This creates a battle in our heads between what we see and what we know to be true.  Then we have to translate that onto our paper.  The trick is to trust your eyes and record what you can see.  It took some thinking about but I think you were all getting the hang of it by the end of the lesson.  Thanks for putting in so much effort, it will all pay off in the end.  Great work everyone, keep it up!

See you next week.

Wendy

Welcome back Everyone!

The first week of a brand new course and it was great to see so many of you turning out for class even in this heat!  We started out with a few exercises to warm up those creative muscles again after our break, looking at how objects appear differently depending on where they sit in relation to our eye level.  I was really pleased with the work you produced and how well you all took up the challenges I gave you.  More challenges to follow next week, looking forward to it!

See you soon.

Wendy

Hi Everyone

This week was the last lesson of the current courses and you did some fantastic work.  The Beginners Drawing Course Level 2 had to really focus on their accuracy in order to create one large group jigsaw of an Escher drawing.  How all the pieces matched up when we put them together is a real testament to how well you’ve all done and how much progress you’ve made.  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course had the ultimate challenge of drawing the human figure.  There’s very little room for error in life drawing and you all did a great job.  Big thanks to our life model Esther.

Thank you all for putting in so much hard work this term.  It’s lovely for me to see how enthusiastic you’ve been every week and how you’ve all really engaged with the work and the challenges I’ve presented you with.  I hope you’ve all enjoyed this term as much as I have and I can’t wait to see what you can achieve next term!

The morning session for the Drawing Course Level 3 – Intermediate is now full but there are still spaces available on the evening course at 6.30pm – 8.30pm on Mondays, starting June 19th.  All the course details can be found on the “Courses For 2017” page.  If you have any questions about the course then please contact me on tel: 07788 871286 or email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or get in touch via the “Contact” page.

I’ll see some of you when the next term starts in a few weeks and I hope you all have a fantastic summer.

Cheerio!

Wendy

Hi Everyone

This week the Beginners Drawing Course 2 had the challenge of not only drawing glass but drawing water aswell.  Both these things can distort how we see objects and you really had to focus on drawing what you could actually see infront of you – not what you “think” you can see.  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course drew self-portraits this week.  This is always a difficult one but with some great results.  Well done everyone.

Next week is sadly the last lesson for both courses but you don’t have long to wait before the next term starts on June 19th.  Places are filling up fast for the Drawing Course Level 3 – Intermediate and there are only a few spaces left on the morning session.  So please get your payment to me as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

All the course details can be found on the “Courses For 2017” page.  If you have any questions about the course then please contact me on tel: 07788 871286 or email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or get in touch via the “Contact” page.

See you next week

Wendy

Hi Folks

You did some fantastic work this week.  The Beginners Drawing Course 2 drew some still life using pen and cross hatching technique to create tone.  Many of you had never done this before so you did really well to create such beautiful drawings.  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course looked at scale and how you can take small insignificant objects and enlarge them to create some really interesting drawings.  Another great week of drawings and I can’t wait to see what you can do next week!

Exciting news! I’m pleased to announce that there will be a brand new course starting in June!

The Drawing Course Level 3 – Intermediate will begin on Monday 19th June and run for 7 weeks.  All the course details can be found on the “Courses For 2017” page.  If you have any questions about the course then please contact me on tel: 07788 871286 or email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or get in touch via the “Contact” page.

See you soon

Wendy

Hi everyone

Last lesson the Beginners Drawing Course 2 tried out a few different exercises based on the theory of drawing with the right side of the brain.  Then, whilst you were still trying to get your head around that, I threw in a couple of tasks based on negative space.  There was a lot to think about but I hope you all enjoyed it.  The Beginners Pastel Course had quite a difficult task in using a new technique to create a more sketchy style of working.  This was very different from what you have done so far and well done to everyone for having a go.  You can achieve some really interesting effects using this simplified colour palette on a prepared background.

Hope you all enjoyed the May Day Bank Holiday.  We will be back in class again on Monday 8th May.

There are a couple of events happening that might interest some of you.  The Artists Around Wetherby Open Studios will be taking place between 19th and 29th May 2017.  Go to their website for further details: www.artistsaroundwetherby.com

Also, the Ilkley Art Show are currently asking for entries for their August exhibition.  So if you feel like showing your work off a bit then go for it!  Details can be found on their website:  www.ilkleyartshow.co.uk.

See you all on Monday.

Wendy

Hi folks

This week I gave you all some really tricky challenges and it was great to see how you all embraced the tasks.  The Beginners Drawing Course Level 2 took on “The Pinecone Challenge”.  This is always a tricky one and you really had to concentrate to achieve this level of accuracy, well done!  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course had to deal with a mainly white still life and had to get creative with their colour mixing for the shadows.  Fantastic work everone.  I’m so pleased with how you’re all doing so far.

Don’t forget there are no classes next Monday (17th April) as it’s the Easter Monday bank holiday.  Hope you all have a lovely Easter and I’ll see you all back in class on Monday 24th April 2017.

Wendy

P.S.  There is a Chinese Calligraphy Workshop in Leeds on 26th April (not run by Leeds Art Group).  Further details can be found on their website here:   https://lbchinesecalligraphy.eventbrite.co.uk

Hi everyone

Only week 2 of the courses and you’re already producing fantastic work!  The Beginners Drawing Course Level 2 continued to work on shading techniques by making some observation drawings of plants.  You all managed to get a really good range of tones, well done.  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course created some really colourful and vibrant drawings of still life.  Great work everyone, I really enjoyed seeing the work you produced this week, hope you enjoyed it too.

There is a painting/drawing workshop at CafeLux in Pudsey on Sunday 16th April that might be of interest to some of you.  It’s 10am – 3pm and costs £35 which includes all materials.  This isn’t run by Leeds Art Group so please contact the course tutor Paul Ashton at: paulashton6969@gmail.com for further info.

See you all next week.

Wendy

Welcome back everyone!

It’s great to see familiar faces back in class and also some brand new ones.  I hope you are all ready to get creative.  If I had to give you one piece of advice right now then I would tell you to forget about any self doubts you may have had about coming to art classes.  You’ve already done the difficult bit by joining the course.  Now all you’ve got to do is relax and enjoy it.  So give yourself a good pat on the back and hold onto that positivity for the rest of the term.  This term we have 2 different courses running.  The Beginners Drawing Course Level 2 started by using basic lines and shapes to build up a drawing and then using shading to make objects look 3 dimensional.  The Beginners Pastel Drawing Course began by looking at Impressionist paintings to explore colour mixing and mark-making.

A great start everyone, hope you’ve got a taste for more!

See you all next week.

Wendy

Hi everyone

Well, we’ve now come to the end of the current courses and you’ve all made brilliant progress.  As you know, there are no gradings or assessments in Leeds Art Group courses but please consider yourselves all to have graduated with first class honours!  The Beginners Animal Portraiture Course 2 finished the term in a beautiful flurry of colour by using ink blocks to create some amazing peacock drawings.  The Beginners Drawing Course 1 tried one of the most difficult subjects to draw but also one of the most rewarding – the human figure.  I could clearly see how you all improved your technique just in this one lesson, well done!  For the finale of the Beginners Portraiture Course we had the opportunity to finally put together everything we had learned throughout the course by drawing a full portrait from life.  Well done, you were really thinking about all the different aspects we have covered and you produced some great drawings.  Thanks to both our models: Nicoletta and Grace and to Mary for the yummy Victoria sponge!

I’ve hope you’ve all enjoyed the courses.  I’ve had a great time teaching you and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again next term.  For those of you who haven’t signed up for the next courses yet, it’s not too late. Some of the courses are almost full though so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment

The new term starts on Monday 27th March 2017 and full course details can be found on the “Courses for 2017” page.  If you have any questions or would like to book a place please get in touch on tel: 07788 871286 or email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or contact me via our “Contact” page.

See you all soon.

Wendy