Reinventing the Familiar
Tutor: Eleanor White
Equivalent to 5 days studio time
Fee: £150
Course code: EKW RTF #1
Course introduction and information:
Reinventing the Familiar intro
This course is designed to keep you creative while perhaps working within a very limited space and with minimal materials. It can be done at the kitchen table, but also can be expanded upon if you have a spare room you use as a studio or if indeed you have safe distancing access to your own studio. No matter where you do it the most important thing is to be inventive with what you have around and for it to be fun and creative. It will help you to focus and to spend time thinking about something other than the main news headlines. You can span any of the stages out to make it a longer project and we see it as equivalent content of a week’s summer school which is 5 full days. There is no time pressure for you to complete any of these tasks in this project; you can break it all up into an hour a day if that is all you can manage. The course is divided into 6 lessons
The inspiration for this course is natural forms of all shapes and sizes. Through the use of experimental drawing methods using dry materials alongside ink and paint you will learn to draw from direct observation. The course will develop a playful sense of composition by drawing and overlapping to see what shapes arrive from combining images and media. A colour palette will be chosen to build a mixed media painting that has the same sense of expression as the initial direct drawings. The course will include working on both large and small scale formats, thus giving scope for developing works into a more abstracted form. The origins of the finished pieces will be firmly anchored in the joy of observing natural forms.
This course will suit beginners as well as those with some experience, all are welcome as we will guide you through the various stages with clear written instructions as well as images and video demonstrations. Although the course is written with water based mediums in mind, it can be tailored to suit oils if you prefer, you will just need to give much more time between stages. Once you have gathered your choice of natural forms together you are ready to begin.
Materials / Equipment required
10 sheets of Paper (250gsm cartridge paper is a good weight) - whatever size suits your working space.
Brown paper (if no brown available, colour some white with mid brown paint)
Acrylic paint is best for this course
Brushes: to suit your painting medium of choice small, medium and large.
Water pot
Kitchen roll or rags
Palette for mixing paint
Charcoal
Chalk or oil pastels
Black Felt pen or any coloured marker pen
Any drawing materials
Masking tape PVA glue
Texture paste or modelling paste – this is a paint bulker and can make textured surfaces
A colour wheel or access one on internet
Sketchbook if you have one
A camera or mobile phone to take photos of your work
What you get on this course:
Introduction video
2 Slide talks to reference artists for inspiration
5 stages with step by step worksheets
Video demonstrations for each stage
Materials list and suppliers
Suitable for all abilities
Course can be adapted for use in a limited space or studio
Offers small and large scale working practices
Designated Facebook group for group feedback