Have you ever asked yourself how artists come up with their ideas, or the images they represent in their art? Ever wondered why they choose the colors they choose? Or why they place things in certain areas? Believe it or not there is a method to the madness as it were. (Or at least there should be) It is quite a cerebral undertaking and when done thoroughly, leads to wonderful results.
The process of creating a visual representation of a fantasy story or theme was the topic of a class Eva taught this past weekend at the Everson Museum of Art. Telling a story through artwork can be a very enjoyable process, once one masters a few steps. With that said the students in the class got to work and rolled up their sleeves to begin the practices being taught.
Any guesses as to what they were being shown? Well, since the class was about creating a fantasy story painting using a narrative approach; character development would be an important step to understand. An exercise to practice this skill is to borrow from caricature artists. Take some time to think about the level of exaggeration you can manipulate to achieve an interesting character. Or maybe you can morph parts from one type of animal for example onto an unexpected creature. When you allow yourself time to play with this concept and sketch your ideas you will soon see your very own unique characters coming to light.
Another practice used to help develop their ideas was to answer in pictures, who, what, when, where, why and how are all these ideas relating to one another in their painting.
Understanding color and how to use them is a class that is usually a whole semester or two of college. Trying to understand it all in a weekend class or workshop is unrealistic. We delved into the basics and came away with a place to start.
Did someone say, “Whimsy”? Why, yes that was me; Eva, I LIKE whimsy and it’s important to include a bit of whimsy so as not to take ourselves so seriously. I mean, isn’t there enough of that already? Adding some whimsy and joy into your art will help spread the joy and we need more of that these days.
In a nutshell that’s a little bit about how artists get to work on creating their painted stories. It really is up to the individual artist to use the practices that work best for them. As your skills develop over time, you’ll see improvement in your art. Get a sketchbook and draw every day, take notes, find resource images, save them, daydream, play and enjoy the process.
Secret Passage is part of the Happy Little Treehouse Series
Taking an art class can help in so many ways. Not only do we learn from what the instructor is sharing, but we learn from the other students in our class. Maybe you’re a little nervous about taking a class with a group of other artists. It happens. We compare our work to others and worry we’re not good enough. I’m going to tell you to stop right there and give yourself a break. Don’t compare your art to other art. It’s not fair to yourself and prevents you from moving forward. Consider starting with a private lesson. You’ll get Eva’s undivided attention and a lesson designed specifically for you. When teaching a new skill or technique, she will give you a demonstration and guide you through the process. Each stroke of the paintbrush is a step towards improving your technique and skill. She’s also pretty nice and very supportive.
If you’re interested in learning how to create your own fantasy painting Eva is offering a studio workshop on Thursday, Aug 15th, from 5:30-8:30pm. Pre-registration is required. Register here
Additional upcoming classes being offered in Eva’s Art Studio include Palette Knife Technique Aug 14 and/or Aug 16 Register Here Pastel Painting Class Aug 19 and/or Aug 21 Register Here Small Group Watercolor Classes July 29, Aug 8, Aug 12 Register Here
Textural Abstract Acrylic Master Class Saturday August 24, 10:30-2:30 Eva is teaching this class at The Art Store Register Here all materials provided for the Art Store classes. See details pertaining to each class offered in Eva’s Art Studio regarding supplies and materials. Most are included in your lesson.
Psst, here’s an insider scoop! Eva will be offering a watercolor class based on painting like Frida Kahlo! Save the date Sat. Sept 28th, 11am-3pm. It will be offered via the Art Store. Stay tuned for a link next time! …..aaannd upcoming to the studio will be classes offered in Cold Wax & Oil paintings! Woo-hoo!