Art Lessons in Richmond & Surrey are Applelicious

This apple is painted quite fast with a wet on wet technique that will allow the different shades and tints and colours to blend into each other.

More adult watercolour classes have been added to my schedule at the Thompson Community Centre in Richmond. If you are looking for some beginner instruction in the tricky medium of watercolour come join our class this spring. Each session we will try different projects such as learning to do washes using simple subjects such as fruit and misty mountain ranges, playing with negative space between fence posts, and scratching out highlights on sparkling seas and snow.

There are 3 new sessions at the Thompson Community Centre. Phone 604-238-8422 for info and to register. We meet on Mondays from 1:00 to 2:30. The next session is March 2 – 23. Then the other two are April 13 – May 11 and May 25 – June 22. Hope to see you there!

This green apple is in oil pastel, which is a little tricky to blend. Start with light strokes in a variety of colours and build up the layers.

Here are some examples of the various apple studies I have taught in my watercolur, pastel, and pencil crayon classes for adults and children. I find that the apple lends itself well as a subject for beginners; it’s more interesting than just a circle and yet not so complex as to scare people away. The variety of colours found on apples are another plus as I always stress that a collection of colours is more interesting to the eye than a flat 1 colour subject (although that has its place too, such as in many poster designs and logos).

Soft, or chalk pastel was used on this apple and is much easier to blend than oil pastel.

Whether it is watercolour, pastel, or pencil crayon, build up a layer of different colours, focusing on your main one, like red, but highlighting with ones such as yellows, and darkening with colours such as blues and purples. Start light, and work up the layers until you just do the dark areas at the end. Have fun, and experiment. Paint and draw apples over and over again, as using the same subject will let you see your progress over time.

This apple had each layer of watercolour dry before the next layer or colour was painted on top and thus you can see some of the brush strokes and it doesn’t blend like the wet on wet apple shown above.

A study in value where you only use one pencil crayon. Can also be done with regular pencil. Try a 3 or 4B.

Advertisement

12 Days of Christmas Art Challenge and Sale

My 12 Days of Christmas Art Challenge and Sale is on NOW! Inspired by the recent Black and White Photo Challenge on Facebook, I have set a goal to produce small affordable art pieces over the last half of November, hopefully one new painting or drawing every 2 days.

Orpheum Neon watercolour and ink miniature by Tiana Kaczor

Orpheum Neon is the first art piece. It is a watercolour and ink drawing of Vancouver’s Orpheum theatre sign. It is based on a photo I took a couple years ago while walking along Granville St.

Get your hands on some new original artworks for the price of a dinner out, and treat your friends, family, or yourself to a one of a kind gift!  All art will be available for sale in my Etsy store. Head over and take a look. Check back every couple of days for new additions.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/211430398/original-watercolour-and-ink-drawing?ref=shop_home_active_1

Steveston Grand Prix of Art 2014

Plein Air competitions are not always easy for an artist who normally creates in the studio where they have lighting and climate control, and are (usually) uninterrupted. This was my second attempt at an outdoor painting competition, and again I learned a lot about composition, material choices, and speed.

Tiana at Steveston’s Grand Prix of Art. Photo by Lisa Ernst.

The Steveston Grand Prix of Art was held on Saturday September 20. Over 100 artists in 3 categories (adult, youth, and photographers) took part. At 10am we signed in and drew a slip of paper out of the prize cup to find out which location we’d be painting at. I had one of the volunteer drivers take me to my spot behind Prickly Pear garden centre. I had 25 minutes to set up and decide what I’d paint. It wasn’t easy. Trees behind me, a busy apartment block to the left and a road and river in front. I eventually chose the street scene with the whale watching business even though the sun was behind it and everything was in silhouette.

When the 11:00 whistle blew I decided to just start drawing with my Staedtler Mars professional pens. This was a great material choice. The ink drawing was very dramatic and people commented that they loved it. However not planning out the composition first in light pencil created problems later when I got too close to the bottom of the page, and when I had to put the mat on at the end of the competition I ended up covering up the top of my telephone pole and some trees along the river. Yes, words were said that I shall not repeat here.

Halfway through the competition I moved from the ink drawing to watercolour. I kept telling people that it’s easy, like a colouring book, just filling in my drawn areas. Ha! The backlighting on my subjects made the real life objects hard to see so that it was difficult for me to choose paint colours. Well, just wing it! I kept telling myself to go darker faster, but it still ended up being too light in the sky and some parts of the building. I didn’t have the time to layer the watercolours like I do in my studio when I take 8 to 10 hours for a painting.

Having to pause to wait for a car to pass so I could see my subjects on the other side of the road, or waiting for people to move, added to the trickiness of painting outside in public. Yet it was the many positive comments from people that spurred me on when I was doubting myself. Yes, I did hear you as you stood behind me and whispered to your friend “this one is great!”  Thank you. And a young boy’s “Wow!” was wonderful encouragement.

At 2:00 the whistle blew again and I had to put my paint brush down and grab my frame. Then it was a mad dash in my parent’s car back to the Britannia Heritage Shipyards to hand in my art for judging. A late lunch of delicious barbeque chicken from Bean and Beyond Cafe finally helped me relax back to normal speed.

This year I was also very happy that 3 of my youth students entered the competition. I’m very proud of what they accomplished.

You can view (and buy!) everyone’s art in the Seine Net Loft of Britannia Heritage Shipyards, 5180 Westwater Drive, Richmond, BC. until Sunday September 28 from 10am to 5pm each day. Closing ceremonies where they will award the Peoples Choice Award and the Photography Award are on Sunday at 3:00. Thanks to Phoenix Art Workshop for hosting yet another great painting challenge.

Tiana’s Warrior donated to Richmond Public Library

My painted warrior has been donated to the Richmond Public Library by the Williams and Lomness Families in memory of their parents Yvette and Walter Beswick. An unveiling and tea was held early November at the Brighouse (Main) Branch and the rain did not deter us from going outside and seeing “Wu Chang” back in the same spot he was 2 summers ago.

The Williams and Lomness Families at Warrior unveiling at the Brighouse branch of the Richmond Public Library

 

My warrior was bought by the BC Lions Society at their auction in September 2012 in hopes that they would find a donor who would place it in a public space in Richmond. Stephen Miller connected with the Williams and Lomness Families who wanted to do something to remember their parents. During the tea, daughters Julie Williams and Susan Lomness spoke about how their parents, Yvette and Walter, loved coming to the library, and the family all contributed to make this donation happen.

Donation was made in memeory of Yvette and Walter Beswick

I’d like to thank the families for their generous donation. I am happy that my artwork is in a public place where it will be enjoyed by many people for many years. It is a library that I use often, so I will get to see my warrior regularly. (Many times artists make art and it is sold and you never see it again.) The staff of the Richmond Public Library are all excited about this unique addition to their institution, and I know they will take care of my “Mr. Wu”.

Beginners Watercolour Lesson – Value Sketch and Negative Space

Over the last couple of years I have been fine tuning my beginners watercolour classes for adults and children. I usually start off with the same lessons for all ages, just moving a little faster, and into more detail with the adults. After teaching the colour wheel and basic brush techniques there are several lessons I run through. I have found that my own watercolour skills are always improved every time I demonstrate these lessons, and therefore recommend beginners and seasoned watercolourists to run through these simple “warm ups” every once in awhile.

Maple seed value study in gray watercolour.

The Value Sketch teaches us to look at the values in real objects and paint from life instead of a photo. I bring to class some simple found objects like leaves or maple seeds. Sometimes I have the students use only one colour, like gray, and then all they worry about is the intensity of the colour and watering it down for the light areas. Other times I have students try to mix the actual colours on the found object. We mix puddles of the colours in our tray, and leave room to add water for lighter values. Once the colours are ready then we can start the painting.

Value color sketch of maple seeds and feather

We start with a light pencil sketch. For young children I may allow them to trace the object so they don’t get frustrated with the drawing. Then we apply 3 or 4 layers of paint, working from the lightest areas of the object to the darkest. These are small paintings, so very little paint should be on the brush. We don’t want the colours to run. Then wait a couple minutes for the wash to dry before painting the next layer of detail. The last layer is the darkest areas and then the shadow under the object is added to make it look like the leaf or seed is sitting on a table.

The Value Sketch is a quick lesson so I usually do a second lesson in the last half of the class. Since you rarely use white paint in watercolours, but instead leave the white paper free of paint, it’s good to have an exercise that helps students be more aware of the paper and leaving areas blank. Negative space drawings can be taught if time permits, or you can go directly into an exercise of painting a white fence.

Fence Negative Space Watercolour

We start by lightly drawing the posts and rails using only one line each in the middle. It’s nice to give a little perspective as the fence goes away from you and perhaps add a gate. Next we mix our paint colour puddles, which are the colours of the background of grass or bushes. When we’re ready we can start by prepping the paper with plain water in each negative space area, or we can just jump in and start painting. Try to load enough paint on the brush so that you can finish a whole rectangular space between the posts and rails. Be careful not to get too close to your pencil lines as then you’ll have a very skinny fence! When one negative space is done then load up your brush again and paint the next one. Dip in different colours to add more interest to your background. Be careful not to have each negative space a different colour as that wouldn’t look natural, but instead dip into a second colour halfway through painting one area and work fast so the colours blend on the paper. When dry you could add some detail of grass blades in front of your fence. Then make your white fence 3 dimensional by choosing a direction for the sunlight and painting shadows on one side of each rail and post. When the painting is totally dry lightly erase your pencil lines.

If you have any questions about these exercises please write to me in the comment section.  Some books I consulted while planning my lessons this past summer were: “Watercolour For Starters” by Paul Talbot-Greaves, and “Watercolour Challenge, Techniques in Practice” Channel 4 Books.

How to View The Show at Emily Carr

With over 300 Design, Media, and Visual Arts graduates this year, Emily Carr University of Art and Design’s grad exhibition offers something for everyone. I walked through the rooms for 2 hours on Monday but was disappointed with the first few rooms thinking that after 4 years of study shouldn’t there be some art that displays a little more skill and thought? But then I started finding a few artworks that made me laugh, or appreciate their technique, or think about their message.

Parcel #1357 by Shannon McKirgan

There will be as many opinions about an art show as there are people who walk through it. Art is personal. What you like another person may hate. Some people like posters of puppies in their living room. Others would faint at that idea and thus spend hours at auctions trying to find the right Miro print to match their decor. I forget which artist said it, perhaps it was Christian Boltanski when he had a show at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but I remember this idea and use it whenever I view art: the artist said “I don’t care whether they love my art or hate my art, just as long as they have some kind of reaction. If they feel nothing then my art has failed.”

The next step would be to ask yourself why you love it, or hate it, or are indifferent to it. Art is a form of communication. So what is it saying to you? Sometimes the answer doesn’t come right away. I like Shannon McKirgan’s “Parcel #1357”, but I still am not sure why. It’s not a style that I normally pick out. The subject is a little depressing – a lone box of a building. For now I think it’s just the quality of her brushstrokes and the positive versus negative space, as well as the framing presentation.

Cachalot and Gray by Fiona Hawkes

With the whale close ups in charcoal by Fiona Hawkes I immediately knew I liked them because I appreciate the skill in her realistic drawings. I draw realistically, and thus whenever I see other artworks in this style I am drawn (ha!) to them.

Throwing by Nolan Drew

Then there was the mini installation “Throwing” by Nolan Drew. It immediately put a smile to my face because as much as I love working on a wheel, it’s not easy to make a bowl or vase or anything round, and Nolan’s piece reminded me of that frustration. There have been times when it collapses, or flies off. I still remember the expression of surprise on one of my student’s faces when she had her clay go whizzing off the wheel and splat onto the classroom wall.

You have this weekend to catch “The Show”, which ends May 19th. There is also an online catalogue at ECUAD’s website. http://theshow2013.ecuad.ca/  Hope you find something you love or hate.

Beginners Watercolour Lesson – Form and Value

I don’t think I’ve ever posted and art lesson on my blog, but I realized the other day that there are a lot of people on the internet looking for instruction on the web, including myself. I often turn to the internet to search for lesson ideas, whether I use them directly, or indirectly when they spark an idea of my own. I’ve also learned a few things from my students this week and thought I would share that with people outside the classroom.

Cherries watercolour value notes

I’ve been teaching an adult watercolour class one evening a week, and this week also did 4 days in a row of a teen class and a pre-teen (9 to 12-year-old) class. I know there are many teachers (including myself) who believe in letting the creativity flow freely out of their students. Give them the materials, a subject, and let them go to it. However, I realized this week that direct, step by step instruction is often a better way for students to learn. This was highly evident when I worked on a First Nations reserve and we implemented a teacher directed reading program. Teacher does something and then the students copy it. My adult watercolour students this week said they learned more when I painted the steps and they followed along than when I just told them some tips and let them work through the process themselves.

For the 4 day week-long class for the children I broke the lessons down into 3 areas: colour, form and value, and texture and pattern. Here is the warm up for the form and value day:

Watercolour cherries– Perfect for this time in summer when the fruit is ripe, however I did not bring in real cherries but asked the students to paint from memory. Cherries are a basic circle that they can easily practice layering paint on to make the objects appear three dimensionally round.

Watercolour value notes from class painted examples.

1. Pencil draw 3 circles. Overlap one. Draw stems, straight lines that go a little into the top of the circles. Draw a “happy face smile” curve under the stem line for the top dimple on the cherry.

2. Mix some blue purple. Add lots of water to make it a light value. Paint loosely, and quickly inside the pencil drawn cherry using U shaped strokes, not straight strokes which would flatten the object. Leave a tiny dot or two of white paper showning – this is the shine on the cherry.

3. Repeat the painting step 3 to 4 more times, each time making the purple less watered down and thus darker. Paint further towards the edges of the cherry with each darker colour. Also remember where your light source is – one side of the cherry will be darker than the other. Letting the paint dry between each layer will keep the shades seperate. Painting the layers quickly while each is still wet will cause the shades to flow into each other. This can make smoother tansitions between the values, but can also be hard to control and if too wet the colours will run all over the place. Practice both ways.

After the cherries I let the students try other objects of their own choosing. They painted apples, oranges, grapes, cut watermelon… I was hungry for lunch and painted hamburgers and hot dogs! All levels from adult to child enjoyed this exercise. I had a teen who even practiced it the next day when she had some time near the end of the class. I also had a parent come to me and tell me how impressed they were with their child’s painted cherries.

If you try this exercise please let me know how it went and whether this quick lesson description gave enough detail. I also must give a credit of thanks to Alwyn Crawshaw, as a couple of his books gave me some help in planning this lesson.

Warrior Pictures and Thank Yous

It’s been a busy month, but I’m slowly editing some more pictures of the painted terracotta warriors that are around Vancouver and Richmond this summer for the BC Lions Society fundraising project. I have some people to thank too as I could not have completed my warrior without their help.

Wu Chang’s left side and other Warriors at the official unveiling in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Thank you to the City of Richmond for being my sponsor and to Stephen Miller at the BC Lions Society for connecting us. For more info and a map of where the warriors are go here:  http://www.terracottawarriors.ca/

Thank you to Lisa Ernst for helping me paint a few little areas when time was running out but I still wanted to keep the level of detail high. I also need to thank Lisa for naming my warrior. One day she started calling the sculpture Wu Chang, and we thought it would be just a nick name, but it stuck, so it is now his formal name. Lisa’s website: http://www.pixels72.com/

Thank you to Chris Caplette for your muscle in lifting my warrior from the garage up to my studio on the second floor. Your criticism and encouragement is also appreciated.

Painted Terracotta Warriors at BC Lions Society Unveiling in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Once again thank you to my parents, who don’t have internet access and thus won’t see this, but they should be thanked because without their financial help and ongoing encouragement over the years I could never fulfill my dream of being a working artist. Having me paint the warrior in my studio, which is in their house, was a fantastic experience for them. They told me they loved looking in each day to see what I had painted, and they missed Wu when he was taken away for public display.

Wall walker on painted Terracotta Warrior

And thank you to all the family, friends, coworkers, students and the public who have seen my painted terracotta warrior and given me such glowing compliments. Your words are fuel for future creative projects. Thanks so much.

To see more photos don’t forget to check out my Flickr page. Link on right of my blog.

“Buried Treasure” by Jeanette Jarville

Invitation to Unveiling of Terracotta Warriors

Invitation to the unveiling of the Terracotta Warriors at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Vancouver, B.C. April 24, 2012.

Terracotta Warrior Painting Process

Tiana Paints "Wu Chang's" Head

I’m in the home stretch, but probably have a good week more of painting until my warrior, Wu Chang, is finished. Like the eagle I did with James Whiteside Elementary a couple years ago this sculpture is also going to be very colourful and detailed. Why do I do this to myself? Such a lot of work. But so far those that have taken a sneak peak in my studio have raved about my collage of patterns on Wu. It’s like he has travelled through time to show us a collection of designs from over 2000 years of Chinese history.