Painting Architecture and Urban Scenes in Gouache

Charley Parker  

Tuesdays, April 8-May 27 | 9am - noon 

Beginner/Beyond Beginner  

$152 Members, $176 Non-Members  

 https://326.blackbaudhosting.com/326/packagetickets?tab=3&txobjid=7be18e7f-ab30-461b-be08-6c407bd40171

A course in painting architectural subjects and city scenes in gouache, using photographs as reference. 

Gouache is a fun and easy to use water based medium that dries quickly to a beautiful mat finish. It is an opaque version of watercolor. Unlike transparent watercolor, gouache allows for painting light colors over dark, providing greater freedom in how a painting is created. 

Topics will include choosing a composition, transferring photographic reference to your paper, paint handling & consistency, painting gouache in layers, and techniques for suggesting textures. The class will include basic, simplified instruction in one and two point perspective. Students will also learn how to mix a wide range of colors from a limited palette. The class will include demonstrations by the instructor and individual instruction based on each student’s level of accomplishment.

Materials:

Gouache paint (Winsor and Newton or Holbein are a couple of good brands.) Not “HIMI” or “Jelly” gouache, and not “acrylic gouache” (“Acryla” or “Acryl”), which is actually acrylic paint.

Ultramarine Blue

Cadmium Yellow Light or Pale

Winsor Red or Pure Red

Burnt Seinna

Permanent White

Shot handle brushes suitable for acrylic or mixed media, ½” and ¼” flat wash, (ideally 2 of each for light and dark colors), #4 or #6 round

Watercolor palette with a generous mixing area (or a “Masterson Sta-Wet Handy Palette”)

Watercolor or mixed media paper, 140lb (300gsm) or better in weight, hot or cold press, 8x10” or 9”x12” or similar

Water container for brush cleaning

Mister spray bottle for keeping palette wet

Pencil and eraser for sketching out the composition

Reference photographs will be provided, though students are welcome to bring their own.

During this course, we will be painting scenes from reference photos from my collection of pictures that I have taken in many of the National Parks in Canada, and Patagonia, Chile.  Students may paint using their own photos as well.  We will cover many of the techniques needed to paint these breathtaking vistas including mountains, rivers, streams, skies, trees, rocks, atmospheric perspective, grasses, and wildlife.  Come and learn about this wonderful rich color pastel medium for painting scenes of our most beautiful natural treasures. 

Stephen has been painting watercolors, pastels, and oils around the world since 1996.  He has studied with the artists at the Cape Cod School of Art and many of the top artists internationally.  His paintings are in many private collections, Veteran Homes, and Museums.  Stephen regularly exhibits his work in various events in DE, PA, NJ, MD, and VA.  His paintings have appeared in a number of local publications. 

Materials List 

(Items can be purchased at Jerry’s Arterama Newark)

Paper Towels

Baby Wipes

Q-Tips

Small Exacto Knife

Sand Paper Sharpening Block

Sketch Paper 

Soft Pencil

Tombow Markers (White/Light Gray/Mid Gray/Black)

Sketch Pad (White or Toned Tan)

Blending Stumps

Small Set Soft Pastels (36-64)

Small Set Hard Pastels (12-36)

Small Set Pastel Pencils (12-24)

Reference Photos

Value Scale

Color Wheel

Drawing Pencils 

 Artist Eraser 

Small Bottle Rubbing Alcohol

Backing Board

Artist Tape

Designed for beginners and intermediates, this no fear and totally fun pastel making your mark class that will introduce you to explore, and further your skills with soft pastels. Dive into expressing landscapes; the beauty of nature, while learning the skill of painting using the crystalline luminosity of Pastel media.

Topics include showing and using the deep variety of materials to paint on and with, from pastel papers to boards. How to choose and use the different pastel sticks from hard to very soft, tips on pastel brand qualities from machine to hand-made pastels. Details for handling your paintings with advice on matting, fixative, storage, and framing also shared.

Instructor demos take you step by step as you create and explore easy painting studies during the class. Demos show you how to pick source and create strong compositions. Using value and hue, showing  clean, soft, and crisp edge “mark making” are covered. We will use the color wheel, learn underpainting, layering, glazing, painting from dark to light, establishing light source, and find the Golden Mean of your composition. Group and one on one guidance given per level of your experience.

Painting in studio, we will use provided, and your own landscape source photos. Each week builds your pastel know-how confidence, by creating pastel masterpieces from your photo choices reflecting nature’s cloud filled skies, landscapes with pathways to forests, trees, open fields, hills, marshes, wildlife, waterfalls, farms and homes, to the color and texture of leaves, stones, and flowers.

You are invited to have fun, ignite your artistic passion using the crystalline beauty of soft pastels.