Hi folks

I think this weeks lesson was one of the toughest yet.  We focused on lots of different textures, from soft, fluffy teddy bears to rough, jagged rocks and we had to think carefully about the marks and tones we could use to portray those textures on paper.  You all made a fantastic job of it too!  I could not ask for more effort or concentration from you all.  Thank you so much for all your hard work each week.  One more lesson to go and then we break for our summer hols.

See you all next week.

Wendy

Hi Everyone

Our focus for this week was negative space.  This meant looking carefully at all the spaces between things that often get forgotten in a drawing.  Having to draw the faces behind the leaves was a real test of how accurately you had drawn your negative spaces but you all did really well and are continuing to impress me every week with how well you handle all the tasks I give you.  Great work everyone!  We have 2 more weeks left of lessons before we break up but if you would like to see what courses will be running from September then go to the “Courses for 2017” page where you will find all the details and how to book a place.  There will be a brand new course starting in September – “Beginners Drawing From Nature Course”.  If you have any questions about the courses or if you would like to book a place then please get in touch by phone: 07788 871286 or email: leedsartgroup@yahoo.co.uk.

See you all next week.

Wendy

Hi folks

This week we focused on proportion and it was great to see how you all got stuck in right from the start and really considered and compared all those spaces and distances.  It definitely paid off as you all produced drawings with accurate proportion.  Fantastic work!  I hope you’re all pleased with your progress so far – you’re doing great!

See you all next week.

Wendy

Hi Everyone

This week we looked at perspective and how understanding the basic principles can help us to create the impression of 3 dimensional objects on our 2 dimensional paper.  Just like last week, you really had to think about this one as it can get really confusing with all those lines meeting at the vanishing points.  You all did great though and I was very impressed with how well you all picked it up.  Sorry, there aren’t any photos from this week (silly me forgot to take any) but if anyone wants to email me a photo of what we did in class then I will post it on here.  We’ll be working on proportion next week, so don’t forget your small objects to draw.

See you soon.

Wendy

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