Large Landscape Project 1 10 Feb 2011

This week we started on the new project. Spread over the next few weeks, this will be a large format (A2) pastel painting of a landscape using an expressive technique. Here are the preliminary studies (thumbnail sketches) as they deconstruct their subject to understand the design, tone and spatial qualities: 

Anne's pencil studies

Frank's pencil studies

Janice's pencil studies

Jean's pencil studies

Jean's pencil studies

Mary's pencil studies

Moira's pencil studies

Rose's pencil studies

Val's pencil studies

Black and Colour Ground Projects 3 Feb 2011

Some continued to complete their first black ground paintings, others started the next project using a coloured ground. This involves spotting a "key" colour in the source image and painting the whole image area in that colour as a deep powdery ground. Then after a simple drawing structure is added in lines, local colours are added according to the details in the source image. Here are those images, the grounds forcing some to work from light to dark, others from dark to light: 

Ann's second black ground train painting

Detail: early stage. A dream-like image is developing

Janice's black ground image
with new red-blue base

Detail: beautiful, expressive mark making hidden
deep inside the bottle

Jean's black ground at second stage, deeper space

Detail: good contrasting strokes and colours whilst still
allowing the black ground to influence colours.

June's black ground picture complete.
Warmer greens and pinks give the image balance.

Detail: marks are wonderfully intense and highly textured.

Anne's colour ground painting, first stage.

Detail: intense yellow ground, with first stage greens
and blues that shimmer alongside each other.

Moira's colour ground painting, first stage.

Detail: fabulous purple ground provides a dynamic base
from which other colours can react to vigorously.

Frank's colour ground painting, first stage.

Detail: light brown ground provides a warm base,
allowing a wide range of colours to sit gently. 

Mary's coloured ground painting, first stage.

Detail: striking green ground will help complimentary
colours to subtly play against each other.
As can already be seen in the top left.