Hi everyone,
I hope you are well.
Welcome to November's content schedule! Here's a sneak peek of what you can look forward to this month:
- Main tutorial - Black Cockatoo - Oils - Available Now (today)
In this beginner to intermediate oil painting tutorial, I’ll guide you step by step through painting a realistic black cockatoo. Working through three stages of blocking in, adding details and finishing touches, we’ll build depth and contrast in the feathers, explore the subtle blues, browns and purples within the black tones, and create realistic feather structure and texture.
2. Live Demonstration - Mark Maggiori Sunny Cloud Limited Palette - Thursday , November 19, 10 am (ACDT)
I recently heard a podcast between Andrew Tischler and Mark Maggiori, where Mark mentioned working with only three colours to paint his vibrant sunlit clouds. I would like to put this to the test and use the limited palette to paint my own brilliant sunlit clouds. He also mentioned that he paints his main cloud in one pass, rarely going back over them due to the challenges in colour matching. This is so reassuring to hear, and something I am so excited to practice!
Colours:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow
Brilliant Pink
Image: Mark Maggiori work in progress sourced from Instagram @markmaggiori
3. About Limited Palettes and Colour Harmony:
Limited palettes are a fun way to simplify a painting and an effective way to create colour harmony throughout your work.
"There are several ways to create harmony in a painting. Today we use color schemes, colour keys, and limited palettes to achieve harmony. The fewer colours that are used, the smaller the gamut and the more harmonized a painting will feel. Colour schemes can be found in the natural world around us, or composed by the artist." — Todd M. Casey, The Oil Painter's Color Handbook.
Image: My original oil painting "Prelude" demonstrating a simple complement colour scheme, creating colour harmony
What separates painters from photographers is our ability to choose our colours and how we interpret a subject. As artists, we can control the direction of a painting through value and colour. This is where we begin to master our medium and set our work apart from photographic realism.
Colour harmony plays an important role in how we experience a painting, with analogous and complementary colour schemes being particularly effective. Last month, we explored the Quiller and Munsell colour wheels and how complementary colours can be used to create stunning colour combinations. We also discussed analogous colours, which sit alongside one another on the colour wheel.
If you missed that live demonstration, you can find it in Live Classes or under Exclusive Content in your Library:
- Core Painting Skills >> Colour, Value & Light >> Colour Theory Demonstration
Understanding how to select colours helps us create more consistent and harmonious mixes. Rather than randomly guessing or selecting colours, we can make informed decisions about which hues will work together in a painting.
In this month's live demonstration, we'll explore working with a limited palette to paint vibrant, sunlit clouds. We'll also dive a little deeper into colour harmony and how we can use it to create more intentional and compelling paintings.
4. Paint a Grizzly Bear With Me:
In June next year, I'll be hosting an oil painting workshop in Yellowstone National Park! With a small group of just 9–10 artists, this workshop is all about personalised, hands-on coaching, giving you the opportunity to develop your skills, ask questions and work closely with me throughout the week... and believe me, the food they serve at the ranch is amazing!
Image: Grizzly Portrait by Harry Collins - The portrait we will be painting at the workshop containing the perfect combination of expression, engagement, wet and dry fur, depth of feild and composition potential.
We'll spend our time painting the above grizzly bear while also exploring and experiencing the incredible wildlife and landscapes of Yellowstone. There are only a couple of places left, and I'd absolutely love to have you join me for a week of painting, learning and adventure!
If you'd like to find out more about the workshop and what's included, click the link below.
I look forward to seeing your creations this month. Thank you so much for being here.
If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to email me directly on carla@carlagraceart.com
Kind regards
Carla Grace
