Hi folks

This week we all got a bit nosey!  We made some pencil and pastel drawings of noses from various different angles and you all surpassed my expectations once again.  This time we used a selection of different pencils to help us create a wider range of tones.  Then we used just white and black pastels to create a tonal sketch and used the paper itself as our mid-tone.  You all worked really hard to observe all the subtle changes in tone and I’m so pleased with how well you are all doing so far.  Time for a little break now as there will be no lesson next week (11th July) but we will be back in class on Monday 18th July when we will be looking at eyes.

See you all soon.

Wendy

Hi Everyone

This week we started looking at the individual features of the face.  Mouths seemed like a good place to start and I was blown away by the standard of drawings you all produced.  You did some incredible work!  We started with just using an HB pencil and a few “mouth guidelines” to get started.  Then varying the amount of pressure used to create a range of tones.  Then we used pen and cross hatching technique to create different tones whilst drawing mouths in different positions and from a variety of angles.  Finally we experimented with ink wash by brushing water over certain areas of pen to create a more intense tone.  Next week we’ll be looking at noses and trying out another new technique.

Looking forward to it!  See you soon.

Wendy

Welcome back everyone

It’s nice to see you all again after our short break and a warm welcome to all our new members too.  To start our portrait course we first looked at face shapes and proportions.  We learned how very slight changes in the angles of necks and shoulders or the tilt of the head can make a huge difference to the accuracy of your portrait.  Well done everyone, practising these fundamental steps will give you a good basis for starting any portrait.

Wendy

Hi everyone

We have now come to the end of term and just look at far you have all come.  This week, the Drawing course had to use all the skills they have learned so far to create sections of a picture which fitted together like a jigsaw.  A real test for their accuracy and observation skills but you can see how well you all did.  The Animal course got to use some different colours this week to create this parrot in vibrant oil pastels.  It’s a tricky medium to master but you all did great, especially as some of you had never used them before.  The Pattern course created yet more fantastic designs based on Tunisian ceramics and the Watercolour course produced several paintings of our model Emma (thanks for helping us out Emma).

Well done to everyone this week, a great finish to the courses.  It’s a shame we have to take a break for a few weeks but we will be back in class on June 20th.  Unfortunately both the morning and evening Beginners Portraiture courses are now full but there are still places on the afternoon course – Mondays 1.30pm-3.30pm.  Go to the “Courses for 2016” page for further details or email me at leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or tel:  07788 871286.

Have a good break and hope to see you all soon.

Wendy

Hi everyone

Week 6 brought even more fabulous creations.  The Drawing course tackled how to draw water and glass with all the crazy optical illusions that involves and they made a really good job of it.  “Cats” was the theme for this weeks Animal course along with pen and cross hatching techniques.  The Pattern course looked at Japanese prints and used a layering technique with watercolour pencils to create patterns.  The Watercolour course did some practise sketches of the human figure to limber up for next weeks lesson when we will have a life model to work from.

Hope you all enjoyed the lessons this week.  Sadly, next week is our last week of lessons for this term but bookings are now being taken for next term starting Monday June 20th 2016.  Go to the “Courses for 2016” page for further details.  Unfortunately the morning course filled up extremely quickly and is now full but if there is enough interest, I will consider running the course on Monday afternoons aswell.  This extra course would only run if I have sufficient numbers so please let me know if anyone would be interested.  There are still a few places remaining on the evening course.

If you have any questions about the courses just get in touch – email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk or tel: 07788 871286.

See you next week.

Wendy

Hello everyone and welcome back after our short break.

You produced some really beautiful and colourful pictures this week.  It was a pleasure to see such lovely work being created and to see your confidence start to grow.  The drawing course used a cross-hatching technique in pen instead of using pencil to show tone in their still life drawings .  The animal portraiture course had a go at using soft pastels and mixing darker colours without using black to create their pig pictures.  The pattern course were inspired by Art Deco this week to create these geometric designs.  The watercolour course used all the techniques they have learned so far to paint a selection of leaves on a contrasting background.  Well done everyone, you did brilliantly this week.

Bookings are now being taken for the Beginners Portraiture Courses starting on 20th June 2016.  Go to the “Courses For 2016” page for further details.  When applying, please remember to specify whether you would like to book the morning or the evening course.  Places are filling up fast so please book early to avoid disappointment.

See you all next week.

Wendy

Hi everyone

Over half way through the course now and you’re producing some great artwork.  The Drawing course tried out a few exercises this week to help us draw what we can “see” rather than what we “think” we can see and we also looked at negative space (another tricky one to get your head around).  The Animal course made some timed drawings of Meerkats to help work on their speed.  The Pattern course went tribal and created some really vivid designs based on African art and the Watercolour course looked at how to work around a painting adding layers to create depth.

Don’t forget, there are no classes next week for any of the courses.  Courses will resume on Monday 9th May 2016.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday!

Wendy

P.S.  Roundhay Artists Open Studios is on over the weekend – Sunday 1st May -Monday 2nd May 11.00am – 5.00pm.  Click on this link for further info:  Roundhay Artists Open Studios

Hi Folks

This week we all continued to develop our skills further.  The Drawing course did some direct observation drawings from pine cones – very easy to lose your place with all those “prongs” but you all did brilliantly.  We did some watercolour paintings of Giraffes in the Animal course using a restricted palette of just 5 colours and with some great results.  The Pattern course took inspiration from Art Nouveau to create some beautiful decorative lettering and the Watercolour course used several different techniques to create fantastic sky effects.  Great work everyone.

See you next week.

Wendy

Hello Everyone

Week 2 of the courses and it’s all looking good.  The Drawing Course practised their observation and shading skills – very time consuming but with effective results.  The Animal Course went wild with charcoal elephants using a much freer style of working than the previous week – well done everyone for loosening up.  The Pattern Course created some tie dye effects with coloured inks and then added beautiful designs over the top based on Henna Tattoo patterns.  The Watercolour Course used some of the techniques we practised last week to create some still life paintings.  Brilliant work everyone, keep it up.

See you soon.

Wendy

Hi Everyone

Finally, the new term has started for Leeds Art Group and already I can see some very promising talent emerging.  The Beginners Drawing Course Level 2 worked on some basic drawing skills and built up a picture using simple shapes.  The Beginners Animal Portraiture Course began with a pencil drawing of a dog.  The Beginners Pattern Course created their own interpretations of Aboriginal paintings and the Beginners Watercolour Painting Course used different exercises to explore colour mixing.  A great first lesson for all the courses, well done everyone.  Hope it’s whet your appetite, there’s plenty more to come.

See you next week.

Wendy