Judith Shares Lesson 4, Part 1 Drawing -Two Tips for Accurate Drawing from Lfe from Richard Robinson

I know drawing from nature ...life can be Challenging so I am always
for excellent ideas to simplify the process.

This morning I found an excellent Tip from Richard Robinson on YouTube.

Wherever you are if you are not painting you can be drawing.  So Practice!

Here it goes.

First Way  Measure with your arm fully extended with brush or pencil perpendicular to you.

Hold your brush  or pencil out full length in front of you perpendicular to you.
Then turning your body toward the shape you want to draw tilt you brush (pencil) to follow the  angle of the edge of the form.

Without tilting your arm move your body to face the canvas or paper  concentrate and  continue holding the tilt of the brush (pencil) as you move toward your foundation.

Paint or draw that angle.

Second way  Think clock

Ask your self if the angle is at what clock time 1, 3,  10 etc.
Then draw  a line at that angle.

Watch this video to see this demonstrated.....



Make sure you read and watch the lesson and then practice on 5 drawings or paintings  with these techniques before you answer the questions for this lesson below.

A Chance to Win A Painting Workshop Weekend with Artist Instructor Judith Reidy

This sounds like fun too.

Win Weekend Painting Workshop 

with 

 artist, instructor

 Judith Reidy.

I  am creating an educational blog this summer. 

 It will be providing ideas and instruction in 

 painting and drawing technique as well as Art History. 

 Each post

 will have either

 a practice painting,

 a series of questions, 

or opportunities to comment from each post.

Guidelines for Winning
Participation

1. Follow the Judith Reidy Art Classes Blog 
2. Chances earned for each response vary according to the clearly posted level of difficulty. from 1 to 15 ( 15 being the highest)
3. The minimum requirement to be entered to win is 30 points.
4. Extra Credit chances can be earned by class attendance in day or evening classes.
5. Last day of August, Winner will be announced.

For me it will be great fun to spend the weekend sharing with another artist with whom I have had the opportunity to develop an in depth conversation about art over the summer on our blog. Together this summer we will cover such topics as ....

 Tonalist Painting, 

 Impressionistic Paint of Light,

 Thumbnail Sketches,

 Plein Air Painting,

 Developing Purpose,

 Perspective Drawing,

Colors Mixing and Vibration

 preparing to draw people

  the value of still life drawing and painting

Composition

and many more topics. 

Join in the conversation and WIN,

We are starting Today.   With the first lesson..... at the Judith Reidy Art Classes Blog 
Tonalism Lesson 1  Part 1 Let's look at a Tonalist painting in terms of Composition


Judith Reidy

CLASS Schedule for the next two weeks......

This is a public announcement !

Midweek painting class this week and next week is at the usual time 12:30 to 2:30, Wednesday July 5 and July 12.  

Evening painting class this week and next is on Wednesdays 7 to 9 pm on  July 5 and July 12.  

I am back from PLEIN Air events till next event in downtown Milwaukee that begins July 15.

Check out the Judith Reidy classes blog on the  4th of July  for more  helpful painting concepts.

http://judithreidyartclasses.blogspot.com/?m=1

Win a weekend workshop! By Answering the blog questions improve your chances to win

Exciting Summer Ahead for Learning to Paint

As you know the spring is coming to a close as May has arrived, the flowers are blossoming and the leaves are peaking out of the branches.

This past season in my art classes I have developed a new series of classes
designed to train an aspiring artist to become an astute draftsman ready to begin composing ones own paintings.  As one of my students would say....to orchestrate a composition rather than slavishly copy a photograph or a scene in Plein Air.
For those students who have chosen to follow my instruction in doing the preliminary practice of sketching and planning their values and shapes in their composition before they begin painting,  it has been exciting to see how students have grown.

Key Factors to Growth
1.) Training to observe CAREFULLY
Start slowly, observe, ALWAYS check and recheck
2.) Think composition......first consider  the value pattern and shapes you design more than the "objects"......  consciously  creating  interesting and powerful compositions.
 To improve the composition of your given source material sometimes alter what you  have carefully observed.

This summer I plan on offering some plein air painting instruction utilizing the sketching principles we worked on developing this past year.

After looking at values in drawing and working on a the problems of drawing a still life from life.  Jeff  attempted his first still life in acrylic paint on his own.

Careful observation of shape, value combined with conscious awareness of the composition of light and dark pattern over the entire canvas including both positive and negative space here demonstrates how careful observation and thoughtful composing of light and dark pattern structures a beautiful painting.

I have two suggestions for Jeff.  One is regard to the cloth texture.  In acrylic it can be very challenging to create smooth blending.  A Golden or Liquitex blending medium can be very helpful to slow drying time and allow for smoother transitions in the folds. That said without using the medium Jeff did an amazing job working at getting at smooth folds, even without blending medium. 

Secondly look at lost edges.  Especially the middle pear.  I receding edge should be softened as in the the case of the shadowed underside of the pear. Also the cloth edges in the rear could be softened to suggest that they recede behind the pears in space.

For a first still life however, this is a great beginning to be proud of in every way.  You said you worked on this first still life for 10 hours.  Something you should know about Jeff is that he was an Olympic Speed Skater and now trains Olympic Speed Skaters.  If he applies the same disciplined training that took him to the Olympics to painting he will be an accomplished painter before he knows it.

Judith Reidy September Studio Painting Class Time Changes and Plein Air Events

   I just have a few  bits of news.....

September Studio Class Schedule

Due to  Plein Air events in my schedule, this month's September afternoon classes are as follows..

1st week: Thurs., Sept. 3, 1-3pm

2nd week: Tues., Sept. 8, 1-3pm

3rd week: Tues., Sept. 15, 1-3pm

4th week: Thurs., Sept. 24, 1-3pm

Note classes move to Tuesday on 2nd and 3rd week.  Note classes return to Thursdays Sept. 24th.

Also know you are invited to four art events. 
 All are great learning opportunities.... 

TONIGHT

Brush with the Wind 

Reception

 Friday, Sept. 4  6-9pm

Artists in the Garden

BOERNER BOTANICAL GARDENS 

AT WHITNALL PARK

 SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 & 13, 2015, 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Event Details

New Berlin Plein Air Event Exhibit

 Sunday, September 13, 2015 noon to 4 pm 

Exhibition  and Silent Auction

 at 

New Berlin Historical Site

19765 West National Avenue,

New Berlin, WI

Shorewood Plein Air Event 

Reception September 19

All are welcome to the final day show, sale and gala on September 19, events throughout the day starting at 10am through 9pm, 1701 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood, WI  53211 Front Lawn of the Shorewood High School.

Please know that you are invited!

Also remember that two afternoon Thursday classes have been moved to Tuesday.

See above.

Judith Reidy's Exhibition Opens Jan 31

You are welcome to view Judith Reidy's Exhibition

Yes, please come on over and view Judith's paintings at the Greenfield Public Library

5320 W. Layton Avenue, Greenfield Wisconsin 53220.

I think that you will enjoy  viewing her plein air and studio painting in  oils, acrylics and pastel.  

Still Life in Acrylic Painting Class

My Acrylic Painting Class worked on a Still Life set up in the room....not from a photo.  Each created their painting of the still life from where they were in the room. Thus they each had a slightly different perspective of the still life.

 

 

 If you look in the the background you will see that I created a grid over the still life with a matt and some tape.  The students then from their seat drew their own grid on their canvas and marked out the placement of the objects according to the grid.











Then they layed out the dark and light structure of the still life scene.  This is called the notan.  I asked them to look for interesting shapes in their layout.

Then they blocked in the major colors and values. . 

 Here are the completed paintings together.

Below you can see each painting with the student

 Ellen's painting

Flo's Painting

Kathy's painting
Theses painting were done in Judith Reidy's afternoon acrylic Painting class at
Greenfield News and Hobby.

New Pink Lily Painted by Judith Reidy

Pink Lily by Judith Reidy
9" x 12"
Acrylic Painting

 This past Saturday during two demos I started this painting of a Pink Lily.  I was working on creating a glow of light with layers of color.