Demo: Julie Herring - Using your Sketchbook to Paint Better Pictures

Julie Herring gave us a very jolly evening reminding us how to make our sketchbooks work for us.

She reminded us that a few minutes of preparation can make all the difference to the success of a project. Art is full of decisions; landscape or portrait, how to frame the composition, how to decide the angle of the light, how to work out the perspective. A few quick thumbnails will support decision making.

Her advice included:

  • Tonal sketches help you to work out light and dark areas

  • Taking a photo helps you to edit the landscape view, shutting out distractions

  • Decide on a focal point but don’t put it in the middle - think about dividing your picture into thirds

  • Find the horizon at eye level and draw in a few initial lines to break up the space

  • Think about perspective (imagine a tiled floor with each line converging on the vanishing point). This will help you to scale objects as they recede.

  • Consider the mood of the picture - what time of year is it? The season will affect the strength and direction of light. Remember, strong light means strong colours and dark shadows with high contrast.

  • Use some diagonals to break up the horizontals and lead the eye in.

  • Use the direction of the brush or pencil strokes to indicate undulations in the landscape.

  • When working in watercolour, it helps to mix colours in 3 different strengths so that you can indicate distance (further away = fainter - usually!)

Julie’s workshop is 24th June. Bring your sketchbooks, some images/photographs and whatever medium you fancy. Expect a lot of expert advice on developing your ideas - and a lot of laughter as you go.

Email Jen and Sally if you would like to join us.

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Workshop: Michael Parker - Palette Knife Techniques