Playing with Shapes Extreme Composition

Lesson II 

Part 1

Fall is at last in the air!!! A very short season here. We even had 10 minutes or less of rain. IT still warms up during the day but cooler evenings and we are now off Daylight Savings,, so will get dark earlier. 

Last week went by so fast that aside from working at my weekly workshop, I didn't get to my online course  Extreme Composition . 

Explore different techniques for creating simple shapes. Try to find different techniques than those shown in the video.  This is just a page filled at random of various techniques, don't know if I found any really different on but as I go along I probably will.

Veil of Gray

This was done several months ago on a piece of masonite. Used a piece of netting. Bringing it into class I was told that it was much too busy. It was left aside for a few months and then decided to cover it in gray with a brayer and lift off with  paper, a veiling technique I learned from Dotty Seiter. I had often scraped, sanded,and rubbed with baby wipes but never tried a plain piece of paper. The piece has a lot of texture made by use of a palette knife. The sky looks lighter in real life.

I scraped areas to let some of the color come through, But now looking at the WIP I think I can bring some more color back in,  Another project for another day! Will keep it ins eye view. Appreciate any thoughts or advice.

40 x 30 cm

Oils on Masonite board

Extreme Composition 3

Jane Davies Extreme Composition

Lesson  1  Series Backgrounds and Line Drawing


Jane strongly believes in making limitations when making a series. So with this last exercise in lesson 1 we are to choose the colors, format size, and drawing tools to make a series of backgrounds and dancing lines. Not all colors and drawing tool have to be used in each painting but the series should have a consistent  feeling.

All painted on white bristle paper, 9.5 x 9.5 " Th colors used were 2 grays, 2 oranges one quite neon that did not photograph true, 2 dulled gray-greens, and white. I mixed the grays using ultramarine blue and raw umber and then adding white.  The greens were mixed using the grays plus yellow.
Line drawings were made with black watercolor pencil brushed with water, white oil pastel, gray crayon, green crayon, and orange crayon

I made 10 backgrounds but used only seven for the final line drawings. In a few, I used a brayer to make some softer transitions.

 My Observations

First I need much more practice in handling acrylic paint.

I think for my first series I should have made a smaller format.

I am pretty happy with my gray-green mixes.

Line drawing is quite bold and similar maybe

I should have done more variation.
Feel I succeeded in making a consistent series,

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