BACKPACK PAINTING
Simplify your palette and materials and make a hike to a lake or forest retreat a light and easy experience. No sore backs lugging heavy equipment around with this method of painting with watercolours or acrylic media. Take two brushes, three or four tubes of paint, a light homemade painting surface, your favourite folding aluminum chair, a little water and presto, an outdoor painting experience without the thought of weight lifting.
This method involves mixing the various colours necessary for a vivid painting from the three primary colours of red, blue and yellow in watercolour media and white, red, blue and yellow in acrylic.
Day one, a.m. - This involves the mixing of black from the three primary colours. A demonstration is enacted and then student participation follows. A still life is used to show how shapes are made when approaching a composition. The students are invited to make a black divided white composition after a demonstration by the instructor. This allows the students to familiarize themselves with the concept of making shapes as the building blocks of a painting and also how the shapes are actually made without the distraction of mixing colours. Learning how to handle a brush properly is also demonstrated here.
Day one, p.m. - The three primary colours are described and introduced. A demonstration of a colour grid is used to show a scale from one to ten which allows the students to grasp the high, medium and low values of a typical scene or subject when painting. The students are shown how to create this grid and participate in an ongoing mixing of paint to create various colours in these ten different tones. The still life is attempted by the students using this system of colour analysis.
Day two, a.m. - A simple enlarged photograph of a scene is brought in for each of the students. The concept of foreground and middle and background are discussed with a special emphasis for the watercolour participants regarding the white of the paper being used as the highest colour value when analyzing the components of the painting. Birch trees, daisies, the highlights on a water surface will be discussed and then a demonstration follows. The students attempt a painting using the photograph as reference material with assistance provide by the instructor.
Day two, p.m. - A still life is attempted by the students using the method which they have tried to use in the morning. Discussion and instructor assistance is used here.
Day three, a.m. - The class moves outside to a suitable area for outdoor painting. A discussion of various composition approaches ensues. A discussion of the physical requirements for a successful painting experience occurs. The class attempts a painting using the methods used in the first two days. The instructor circulates with refining instructions and suggestions.
Day three, p.m. - The class continues with another painting attempt and also time for questions and discussion. A group viewing of all work and discussion ensues just before the end of the class.
Day four and five, a.m. and p.m. - A new location is used for each day and a similar approach is used each day. If there is inclement weather a suitable subject is used indoors for the students to attempt.