With a backdrop of a few of the paintings on display at the current Portraits Show, Tom explains in his demo the nuances of using charcoal as a medium, and the various papers you can use to get the desired effects.
...then modified that image to mature the infant into a young man, then once more to an older man. All this in 45 minutes!! The members were spellbound with the transformation occurring before their eyes!
A terrific example of wet oil painting, as demo'd by Ellen Gavin on August 7th. Start to finish within an hour!
Glenys Baulderstone's demo was a revisit and second installment of her popular Japanese Sumi-e Brush Strokes demonstration. Glenys finds this traditional, methodical form of painting very relaxing, a soothing, calm therapy for the mind. She learned this method while living in Japan, years ago.
The equipment, brushes, inks, paints and subject matter are very traditional and artists spend much of their time practicing the specific brush strokes and shapes. Artists learn from the master artists and only copy their work, as to create a 'new' subject would be considered too 'egotistical '.
Beginning artists start with brush strokes, then advance to flowers, then trees, scenery, animals and finally people. The traditional paintings are simple, yet intricate, disciplined and soothing to paint.
Al Stietzel has been doing his miniature facades since the early 1990's and has tweaked and perfected his multi-step process methods over the years. He starts by developing a linear picture of his subject, usually by taking photos of the front and both sides of the buildings/objects he's creating the facade. Many times the angle of the building or overgrown trees or shrubs may obscure part of the facade view, so taking photos of each side will better enable the entire facade to be accurately developed. Sometimes roof angles or building front views are exaggerated to enable the linear picture to be created.
Once the linear drawing is developed, Al draws all critical lines in ink, sparing no detail. He stated that some commissioned pieces have specified that items be shown on a porch, such as a sled or rocking chair, etc. to give the facade a more personal look. Al is always interested in the historical aspects of any structure he may do, and will research original color schemes or hardware details such a hooks to hold back shutters.
Once he has the drawing inked, he will make a computer scanned copy of the drawing and print it out in the appropriate scale (a reduction in size of the original drawing will sharpen all lines and drawing details). The printed version is then hand colored using felt tipped or watercolor markers. He prefers to use non-professional children sets of markers, as the pens dry out faster enabling him to go over certain areas to produce darker shades of color to create the correct shadows he wants on the finished facade. He next glues the colored paper version to a flat piece of clear pine board using a clear water-based sealer called Mod Podge. Once the drawing is dry, he carefully cuts the outlines of the facade using a bandsaw (note: a jig or scrollsaw will tear the paper drawing on the upstroke of the blade, but not with a bandsaw as the blade only travels in one direction). After the facade is cut out, he will carefully sand any rough edges using an Emory board, and then coats all edges, front and back of the pine several times to seal in the moisture in the wood, which prevents the wood from warping or checking, etc.
His final step is to add a description of the facade on the rear side using the Mod Podge to glue/seal it to the piece.
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Most of Al's work has been of historical houses or buildings in the area such as churches. He has been commissioned to do copies of antique cars, recreational vehicles, boats, and a statue. In 1992 he did the facade of the Island Heights Artists Guild where he has been a member for decades, and to this day they are still using his ink drawing of the Guild building on their stationary.
His largest commission order was of a specific church where he was asked to make 100 copies to be used as a fundraiser. Once the first copy of the church was made, Al was able to create 10 units at a time, to speed up his process. He still will occasionally do a commissioned facade, but has personal commitments now that limit the time he can devote to his craft.
ReneeLeopardi finds inspiration in the local seasonal landscapes of southern New Jersey; from the ocean and marshes to creeks and woods to farmland. When the weather isn’t so friendly, she and her painting friends move indoors to work on still life or the figure. Recently, she has found new inspiration in teaching pastel and charcoal.
