Wet in Wet Workshop

Hello there everyone, and welcome to this week's blogpost.

Margaret Barkley

Well, Monday of this week saw us finally get round to hosting the much anticipated visit and workshop by popular watercolourist Margaret Barkley, holding court with using the wet in wet method for producing some of her stunning bird portraits.

I know that Margaret is an old friend of Goole Art Society having visited us last year where I met her for the first time. As Phil and I walked in to the room before this week's session she remarked - 'Oh, I remember this gentleman'. Gulp - I'm a marked man I thought, but is it for the right reasons? Last year's visit with us saw Margaret once again giving us a watercolour workshop,  but this time successfully getting most of us out of our 'comfort zones' and trying new materials to have a play with in our watercolours. I remember her asking for us to bring our own sea salt, clingfilm and bag of leaves and wondered what the heck we were going to be getting up to. Trust me, I am not one for experimenting or playing around with other 'tools or props' - the most experimental I get is to use masking fluid! However, by the end of the evening we were all having fun crunching up clingfilm over wet paint and making leaf patterns. Amazing.


Anyway, I digress, so on to this week's session.

Margaret shows members some of the work that inspires her.

Once we had all arrived, and I have to say that testament to Margaret's appeal we had a very good turn-out of our members, even those who have never, or do not really work in watercolour came willing to have a go, it was down to Margaret to introduce herself and set the scene for the evening's work.

As you may be able to see from the first photo's she came armed with a whole library of bird and natural history books, chatting to us about who and why they helped inspire her. Alongside the windowsill she had kindly printed off a selection of some of her favourite bird pictures for us to choose to work on. We all gathered round the front table where she then began to explain to us her principles of getting the basics right, helping us along the way with one of her own printed 'idiot guides' as to how to start and set about the subject. Please note - I am not knocking her at all, it is simply my term (idiot guide) which endears me to something I myself find extremely useful and simple to follow.

One area that Margaret touched upon which I found very interesting indeed was the need to get the bird 'balanced' and looking right. We were shown how to set about to achieving this, and in all honesty it is quite simple, as these things more than often are (when you know how).

Margaret's 'One she made earlier.'

Once we had all taken in and absorbed the system and logic of it all then we were treated to watching a highly skilled artist at work. To help save time and keep things moving, Margaret had brought a prepared couple of sketches with her, along with a partially painted bird, which was a finch sat on top of some prickly bush (I am not a gardener so can't remember what it was) in winter time.

We huddled round as Margaret showed us how she worked quickly but in a controlled manner on a wet surface, letting the paint do most of the work after she had 'encouraged' it to move where she wanted it. Carefully building up layers of colour which all interacted with those adjacent she literally brought the bird to life before our very eyes. If she had brought an MP3 player with birdsong on it we would have sworn it was in the room with us. The photo's I took on my mobile don't quite do it the real justice it deserves, but believe me, it was amazing!

Below you will see that we have two similar looking birds, but there is a subtle difference. One of these was worked on by simply applying washes of colour wet in wet on to watercolour paper as we normally would, (well me anyway as I've previously told you I am not one for experimenting really, with anything). This looked fine, and is in fact very interesting to compare with the second one in which Margaret very gently applied the washes of paint over a slightly more pencilled in sketch, using the differing grades of pencil to alter the colour of the paint. The lines and marks allowed the paint to run some in a controlled manner, and with the grade of pencil used underneath the paint gave a very interesting rendition of the bird's natural plumage. Have you ever noticed the difference of colour between the smart looking birds in your bird guide compared to the one sat in front of you? Breeding time they all look very, very smart, especially the males as it's part of their cunning mating attraction plan to entice those 'playing hard to get' females. Afterwards when they are worn out bringing beak-fulls of nutrition to a seemingly endless number of wide-open young beaks, it's no wonder they look a little dishevelled at best, down-right scruffy at worst!

Pencilled bird on the right (flash on).

Pencilled bird on right (flash off).

Now it was time for us to run off to our seats and get going with our sketches (each carefully chosen by ourselves for us to work on tonight) having no idea just what we might have let ourselves in for. This time was spent with some joviality and chatter as we are all proficient in our own ways with pencil and sketching. Strangely enough there was a kind of silence spreading over certain parts of the room as those who are not confident in or indeed never use watercolour now had to face the sheer terror of - THE PALETTE! Colour choices and suggestions were quickly asked for, then we were away, having a go at mastering our own wet in wet techniques.

This was part of Margaret's 'Master Plan' which all good artists have. She wanted us to go and work on getting some colour down, move it about if necessary and getting it to integrate with its neighbouring colour, working to create some tone and depth, not forgetting of course to work with light against dark etc. All the time she was on hand to help out with any problems, wandering around giving us each help and advice.

Time tends to run away with you at every one of these events, the phrase 'Time fly's when you are enjoying yourself' is always true, and time now started to press, so Margaret called us back to her table and began to show us how to move on to the next stage which was to give some highlights and detail to our works. More subtle work such as the eye ring and adding gouache to highlight the eye which made such a difference when applied was simply amazing, really bringing to life the little bird.

Before continuing on our own works, we were shown how to use a variety of methods to suggest or simply to apply the effects of feathers, which are, let's face it, such an integral part of a bird's make-up. This included simple tips like getting feathers and contours to stick out from the normal line and shape of the bird to help give it some life and individuality. The last tips we received were on how to create a subtle background for your bird. If you look at Margaret's work you can see that the background is indeed a very simple and effective one: a darker coloured sky highlights the lights of the birds and lighter sky enhance the darks of the bird's plumage. To finish it off completely she then advised us to fade out the sky colour so the eye did not get detracted from the main subject.

We had all had a fantastic evening - two hours is never enough, and we thanked Margaret for her advice, help and tips, each one of us coming away with some newly gleaned knowledge be it us watercolourists or not. My artist companion Phil who I pick up on the way through each Monday and I had a real interesting chat on the 40 minute drive back. He is mainly an acrylic and oil painter, but really enjoyed the slant of using watercolour.

The rest of this blog is taken up by the efforts of our members. We hope you enjoy them.

Sparrow Hawk

Blue Tit

Robin

Bearded Tit

Blackcap

Newly fledged Goldfinch

Robin

Watercolour Blue Tit

Pencil Blue Tit by the same artist.

Brian's brace of Shellduck

Margaret chats to Brian on her 'rounds'.

My attempt at a House Sparrow

So, there you have it, one very enjoyable evening indeed, and almost two dozen artists of varying degrees and mediums, all happy in the knowledge they had just gained. I suspect that in most situations like this your brain goes into a little bit of overload, so it may take a day or two thinking about things before making a decision as to when you are going to attempt your next bird.

Me? Well to prove I took part as an artist as well as reporting on the evening's events,  here's my effort on the left. My board also had my original picture to work from (courtesy of Margaret), plus one of her hand-outs giving us some tips on how to go about producing a reasonable likeness.

How long did it take for me to 'mull things over' I hear you all ask? Well, the next evening Phil and I were back at the very small (4 members)  local group where I set about having a go. For once I turned up half prepared, not only finding out I had forgotten to pack one of my sets of brushes, but also my small palette too!

Luckily I had my pencil tin with me, so, armed with a putty rubber, sketchbook and blushes, away I went and managed to have a go at another House Sparrow which I was quite taken with. Next in line came the start of a Bullfinch - something with a bit of colour, so I will have plenty to keep me going when I get my full range of materials packed!


Hope you have enjoyed this blog, and BIG thanks to my friend Kathleen for her suggestions.

G.A.S.

Monday 17 March

Monday 17 March

Well hello there!

Thought I'd try & make up for the late second post from last week by starting this one before I'd been anywhere - so here goes!

This week we are once again working on our own projects. This is the mainstay for our society as each member brings in their own work and, using their own materials we spend two very enjoyable hours in the company of fellow artists. This is a great therapy to those of us who spend most of their time 'home alone' where we can all chat away, taking in tips, getting ideas and feedback as we try to improve our technique and in developing our own style. Nice though it is to have our friends and 'other half' looking over our shoulders saying 'that's nice' or some such well-meaning supportive comment, but it is not QUITE the same as having folks who actually know what you are going through and share the same understanding as you.

Richard at work on a pencil landscape.

Phil's acrylic Easter Island.

Pencil Wren to work from for Paul.

It was very nice last night to see both our new members from last week return. Richard continued with his Spurn Point (hope you looked it up like I told you), while Gill started a second pencil sketch of a countryside scene. However, she got a little 'tired' of it, so put it to one side and started on a work of a tractor, entirely from memory Gill lives on a farm with her parents so is fully aware of these rural objects having been around them since birth - I have to say she does have a good memory, borne out by the sketch work which she has done so far which is turning out to be amazing. Can't wait to see this one completed, but I will have to be patient for a couple of weeks as this leads me nicely (marvel at the linking up here) of my next subject.



Next week we have a female artist who will be leading a workshop on the 'Wet in Wet' watercolour technique where I think all of our group will have a go and try to learn from it. That's one of the main things with art - there is always something else to learn, even if you just use one medium, it is never fully, truly mastered. I'm quite impressed with our members - they all put their preferred medium down and turn their hand to whatever the workshop is. I've been a member of some groups where folks would sit in the corner and not take part. What's the point of having guests in to show you things and how are you ever going to learn? Anyway, that's next week to look forward to.

I had better leave it at that for this now as I think I've covered about everything, but next week's should be a lot more interesting as I will write up our wet in wet night.

As for me, well my colleague Phil who I pick up on the way through to Goole on Monday nights, and I both attend a group a couple of miles from us every Tuesday evening. The four of us really enjoy the close, friendly atmosphere, with no pressure for anything at all. We have no agenda or exhibitions, simply meeting for our own enjoyment. Saturday morning I'm off to the once a month Life Drawing group in a nearby town which I always look forward to, so it looks like being a good week for me artwise!

Until next time.

G.A.S.

Monday 10 March 2014

Hi there - welcome back!

Two posts in one week - whatever next? I hope you all have the strength for this, so here goes.

Well, after Saturday's events which I wrote up & posted yesterday, my memory lapse (we all get older and have forgetful times) kicked in. I cannot believe you did not know that it all ended on a sour not for me - I DROPPED one of my works on the way back to the car during packing up! The frame split and is totally ruined, but on the plus side the glass did not break. That would have been the last thing I needed, running round with a dustpan and brush. The main thing of course was that the work was not damaged. PHEW!

Anyway, enough of that as I've posted just about everything relevant of that day's events, so on with Monday.


Having recovered from the dropping incident & managing to salvage my piece of work I thought that was it, but on the way to this week's art group we were feet away from disaster as a deer decided to play 'chicken' & run out across the front of my car as Phil & I drove there. We live in a predominantly flat, open part of the country, but this deer was hiding in a ditch running paralel with the road, so remained hidden until it 'sprung in to action'. I swerved, Phil grabbed the door handle & the deers life flashed in front of it. Luckily all three of us stayed safe, if not all enjoying the resulting increased heart-rate.

We hoped that we may have encouraged seven new members during Saturday, with three being what I would call 'serious' potential members. Imagine our surprise then when two of them turned up Monday evening! Wonderful news I hear you all say - and indeed it is. Hopefully we will have done enough to entice them back again and again.


 

Gillian's pencil work.

Brian working on one for his grandson.

Iulian's pencil flasks.

Gillian uses pencil or paint for her landscapes, but her favourite way to work is this new fashion using iPads. That is something none of us 'old 'uns' have any experience of, so it will be very interesting to see how it all works when she brings her iPad along. Richard also started out with pencil, but I have to admit to not remembering what else he uses. What I do know is that he is keen on nature and wildlife studies, and he began his first evening with us working on a pencil landscape of Spurn Point. Readers who are unfamiliar with this place please look it up on the Internet as you will find the history of the place and it's natural history quite fascinating, I can assure you.

So, there we have it, something of a mixed couple of days, but all ending on a very encouraging note.


Update:
I'm sorry for the late posting of this week's blog & its shortish nature but my wife & I have had a busy sort of week with a couple of important appointments for us at home & away which have restricted my time. I would like to think that this week will be just about as normal as I can get!

G.A.S.

2014 Hobbies Exhibition

Hello once again

Hopefully I will manage to post about the week's events as I always try to do, but I may not have the luxury of as much time as I normally have, as my wife and I have a couple of important things to negotiate, so this week may be one of those that catches up with me.

As regular readers will know, last Saturday 8 March 2014 was the town of Goole's annual Hobbies Exhibition, so on a bright, dry morning a number of us gathered in the car park with dozens of other groups, keen to get to their allotted tables and set up in time before the multitudinous throng that ambles by during the course of the day begins to make its first appearance.

Our cars were quite full of 'gear', so the folding trolley that comes as standard with my car was worth its weight in gold. After mastering the 3D Rubik frame that is John's portable display it was down to 'hanging', a quick tidying up and we were ready! Tea-break.

This year we had more of our work on display as we learnt from last year and thought to bring along a dozen table easels to help cover the tables we have. Being on the end of an aisle is quite a big advantage as we are allotted 3 tables - 'all the more space to display your work on' I hear you all say.

Like all groups around the world, be they artistic or not, we used the rest of the space to position leaflets informing folks of our existence (just in case they had missed us being there), our programme of events and other relevant things. There are always ways to improve yourself, & Brian & I are strong advocates of this. We constantly look for ways to make whatever we do appear that little bit more 'professional' as we believe that 'image' helps in so many ways. Tea-break.

After what appeared to be a slow start to what I can remember from last year, the crowds finally began to arrive in numbers. A slow start like that is not all bad news, making sure the stand is manned it gives us time to wander off in one's and two's and have our own look round to see what else is available to view, if there is any 'competition' or maybe we could make a mutually beneficial treaty with someone? As it happens, we did. A very nice lady representing the local small theatre and our Brian had a conversation which could prove a plus to both groups. Later on we found out her husband enjoyed painting some years back, but like we all do, things emerged on his horizon, time lapsed, priorities changed but he was quite keen to become involved once again. Nothing short of a signed 'Royal Charter' to prove he would not be co-opted into any committee position and he left a happy man. Not half as happy as his wife who was more than thrilled to find out he would be leaving her home alone to do her own thing at least on night per week. Tea-break.

The public began to increase in numbers and we were soon very busy indeed doing our best to answer the usual related questions as to individual works regarding the medium used, styles, subjects etc. etc.

It really is quite interesting to hear what we would regard as 'the general public' comment on what we have produced and put on display. I am sure that there are many more people who either like art, would want to get back into what they did often many years ago, or simply wished they had 'the talent' to be able to produce something they could be proud of. These people are ideal material for us to engage longer with, and to encourage them to try and come along to one of our nights, or be it to simply give it a go in the privacy of their own homes. Tea-break in between chatting.

Basically our artists are all like big schoolkids who still get just as much satisfaction from someone recognising and enjoying looking at a face, landmark or object that any of us have worked on. This is something that I feel has increased this year as more of the passers by actually stopped to speak about what was on display, other than that short, unappreciative phrase of 'that's nice' and a nod to something in the general direction of something you are not sure what, as they continue along as if on some form of conveyor belt that cannot stop to take in what they are actually looking at.

The day continued along in much the same vein. Lots of smiles, lots of trying to engage, plenty of chatting to those willing to stop and talk, as many leaflets as we could put into hands and quite a bit of banter in between with those on adjacent tables. The whole event is a good couple of hours out, with dozens of different groups and tables covering a very wide range of subjects, many relevant to the host town like local history groups etc, but also things that interest children too. Personally, I managed to purchase a DVD on the D-Day landings made up from original newsreels and the army's own film crews, and a book on a local man who rose to the rank of Captain in Nelson's Navy, signed by the author. Result  One of our members was completely baffled by the magician who pulled a stunt on him, and he was still talking about it on Monday night! So, after a little wander round it was back to our stand. Tea-break.

Come the end of the day we had seven(!) people who were interested enough to seriously consider giving us a try, with maybe three of them I would put down as 'definates'. That was a major leap forward from the 'one' we managed last year. The whole day had been a success; we had advertised our presence; recruited potential new members; hopefully become closely involved with a local landmark and received many seriously supportive comments.

We have plans and improvements afoot for next year already, but we must first look forward to our next event which is the Summer Exhibition, held aboard Barge 58 at the Yorkshire Waterways Museum. I did this last year for the first time, and it was amazing. Hope this year's is just as good.

Tea-break whilst I reminisce, sit and think about writing up Monday nights blog.

G.A.S.

Life Drawing

Life Drawing 3 March

Hello there

Thanks for 'blogging on' to us. You may cringe at that, but I thought it was kind of funny anyway!  
  
As posted earlier, this week we were scheduled to have a group life drawing session - no nudes (we have elderly ladies in the group who may blush at one end of the scale or faint at the higher end), so we have to take it steady. Unfortunately the booked 'model' could not make it, so we quickly had to make other plans. Luckily one of our members came along with his nephew - are you getting the plan yet?

Dan was 'volunteered' as our stand-in and was quite happy to, but his face was a picture (no pun intended) when he asked does he have to model nude? No I said, while he let out a huge sigh of relief - you can keep your socks on! Poor lad didn't know what to do.

So, to get us all in the mood and warmed up, we started with a couple of short 10 minute poses with Dan sitting and everyone concentrating on his head, with some striking likenesses emerging - even Dan was pleased after all his dread. After a short break we then had a couple of 15 minute timed poses, again sitting and concentrating on his head. Dan had not 'modelled' before which was the reason why we didn't try anything else. He was unsure if he could stand and hold a pose for any length of time, which was fair enough.
 

Dan in pencil

Another quick pencil sketch

 

Most of us used our own trusty pencils to work with, though there  were   a couple of charcoal dust producers and one watercolour painter. I was using a Kohi-I-Noor pencil for the first time - maybe I'll do a small write up on it in a later post. It's often quite interesting having a sneaky look round while we all sit     and work away to see what other folks use. The variety of paper, pads, supports, pens, pencils etc is almost as endless as some manufacturers catalogues. I often 
doubt there are two artists using the same materials!

Time for another short break as we and our trusty model each stretched our limbs while we all wandered round having a look at what each had produced. There was some good work out there, plus of course the odd caricature (especially from me) - my excuse being that I did not want to use a putty rubber, trying to work without stopping to keep correcting as we had the mobile phone timer switched on!

Dan in a soft pencil

 

Male and female paired

Male and female re-paired

 











Last break, and everyone was buzzing - congratulating everyone else's efforts whilst laughing down our own. I'm sure you all have the same at your own groups, they must all be roughly the same the world over. To try and keep it fun, which is one of the main aims, we decided to have the last 40 minutes with something of a twist. This time we would pair up with a nearby sitter, but just to add that little bit more to it, we had to pair male/female. Just 15 minutes to sketch the other whilst trying to hold a pose of our own as they worked on you at the same time! Oh what fun and confusion we had: 'You've moved! - No I have not!' It was such a simple method yet generated so much fun. At the end the results were laid bare for each to see. Many close friendships were made that night (cough).

Brian worked in a soft pencil

Cynthia worked in pencil

Final event of the evening saw us change partners for the last time - still female/male, but to make it a little easier we took it in turns to spend time sketching each other. Rushing to get done before the final bell went there was some very busy arms flailing around, but we each got what we wanted done and sat around swapping glances at your partners efforts of yourself, whilst trying to explain away things like - 'I can see it's a fair likeness but where are my glasses?' and other such helpful pointers.
 
All in all it was a really good, enjoyable evening, with some of those who had been artists for many years having had some fun and learnt a few things along the way. As with nearly every Life Drawing session I have been to they are invaluable for honing your skills, be it in general observation, sketching work or simply giving you the confidence to go and tackle something else.


I have a feeling that when the next life drawing session pops up in the Society's schedule - whenever it may be - will be just as good and hopefully benficial, though one or two may come 'armed' and better prepared! 

This coming Saturday is the Hobbies Exhibition, so look forward to a post on that in due course.

G.A.S.