Painting Fresh and Loose From Photos (Online Course) Fall 2024 w/ Robin Cheers

October 25 to November 22 (Fridays), 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, Eastern Time

**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.

Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.

Course Description

Photos allow painters a closer examination of spaces we couldn’t normally paint from life and allow an exploration of spontaneity and visual ambiguity if we don’t paint every detail.

Learn how to select photos that will make great paintings and how to make them look more like you painted from life. It isn’t necessary to have expensive photo editing software or a professional printer.

We will work with both printed and digital photos and talk about apps and editing options but most of our interpretation will be artistic and intuitive. Photography is a great tool for artists, but we don’t want to copy everything the camera sees!

Before our first session, students should upload an image they would like to work on, and we can review its merits before they set to work painting!

Course Outline

Week 1 -

We will talk about how to choose a good reference photo for painting and about the limitations of photos and how to overcome them. I’ll choose a photo and begin a painting to demonstrate my techniques.

Assignment: This week select some photos and play with cropping so that you have dynamic value and shapes. You can use paint or pen to put together some good ideas for painting.

Week 2 -

We’ll review students’ ideas and discuss some of the many convenient apps and tools available to artists. I will share how I use Notan Design and color harmony to solve busy, disharmonious areas and to create mood.

Assignment: Work on ideas of notan design and simplifying busy scenes using only black paint or sharpie and the white of the paper before starting a painting based on your design. Show your work.

Week 3 -

We’ll talk about combing multiple photos to paint from. I will demonstrate how I do this.

Assignment: Practice the lesson with photos of your own.

Week 4 -

We will continue to talk about leaving the rigidity of the reference behind and play with exaggerating or flattening perspective, inventing color palettes, and creating an interesting expressive scene. I will demonstrate leaving things undone and implied.

Assignment: Choose a color palette, play with cropping, exaggerating, flattening or unusual perspective.

Week 5 -

We will continue to experiment with manipulating photo reference developing more confidence as artists to invent and enhance to capture and create mood.

Assignment: Continue to play with editing, enhancing, and interpreting your reference to create beautiful dynamic paintings!

Course Materials List

SUGGESTED SUPPLY LIST

All mediums are welcome! Robin will be painting in oils.

These are what I use, and students may want to try my colors or tools, but it isn’t necessary to try all new techniques and materials – use what is most comfortable for you.

Painting surfaces – gessoed or canvas panels or pads – 9x12 or bigger.

Brushes – a variety of long handled hog bristle (for oils) and a few softer hair/synthetic brushes.

Sketchbook and Sharpie or black pens, set of 3 value grey markers.

COLORS*

Reds: Napthol Red

Alizirin Crimson Permanent

Yellow: Hansa Yellow

Chrome Yellow Hue

Orange: Permanent Orange

Blues: Ultramarine

Kings Blue

Purple: Manganese Violet

Green: Pthalo or Viridian

and

Titanium Zinc White

MEDIUMS (for oils)

Gamblin Solvent Free Gel

Mineral spirits (Gamsol)

* I use paints that do not have toxic heavy metals – students can use the cadmium reds, yellows, etc.