OVERVIEW

• Oil Painting Class

In this class, I teach a traditional style of oil painting, starting with the basics and working up to more advanced techniques. The class is suitable for beginners as well as for more experienced painters who want to learn a different approach to painting.

The emphasis of the class is on realism, which means representing form, tone, and colour in a convincing manner. Realism does not necessarily entail a high level of detail, and in the class, we focus on quick, painterly exercises in order to facilitate learning.

We start by training the eye with still-life drawings in charcoal and chalk. This medium lends itself to a messier, looser way of drawing, with a focus on form and tone rather than detail, and is a good starting point for working with oil paint.

We then approach painting using only black and white paint. This helps students to learn how to handle the paint and brushes without the added complication of colour mixing. This also helps to further train the eye to see tonal values without the distraction of colour.

Next, a few earth colours are added to the palette. A full range of muted colours can be mixed from this palette. Limiting the palette at this stage helps to strengthen the students’ colour mixing abilities, and teaches them about achieving colour harmony. Finally, the stronger primary colours are introduced to extend the range of the palette.

After this, we go on to working on longer projects, working in layers and utilising techniques such as glazing and scumbling.