Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Mike Svob Workshop - More


  
This is my second painting in Mike Svob's workshop. This one is in oils, and I was trying to use a colour scheme I don't usually go for. I'm more of a warm palette person. I'd like to try this one again with a warm palette and more intensity to the colours. Below is the reference photo



The second day of the workshop Mike painted in oils. The process was a little different but the concept was the same. We chose a reference or references, created 5 or 6 thumbnails trying different emphasis and compositions.  This is really hard to do and requires a lot of practice to come up with many different scenarios of the same image. Mike just whips them off and has endless ideas. The most important part is breaking the thumbnail into three values - light, midtone, and dark, then paint from the thumbnail instead of the reference, using any colour, as long as it's the same value as the value field in the thumbnail. this process creates a new vision from your reference material. In fact you could paint several paintings from the same reference this way. I'm so excited to practice this new approach and see where it leads me.



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11 comments:

  1. That sounds like such a great experience. I wish I had been there. I've heard that before... the part about the color doesn't really matter as much as the VALUE matters. That's so hard to remember, though. I love the stream flowing through the painting. Very nicely done!

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    1. Thanks Kathrine. Yes I think the value study thumbnail is the heart of this concept. If you do a good job on the thumbnail and then block in your values working from the thumbnail, it somehow frees you from the reference and allows your creativity to surface. But I think it takes quite a bit of practice...

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  2. This is really beautifully painted, Claire. It sounds like a wonderful workshop. Very unique!

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    1. Thanks Hilda, it really was a great experience, but as I said to Kathrine, I think it takes a lot of practice to break away from what you're used to.

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  3. Wow! Looks like you absorbed the lesson. wonderful...

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. I absorbed it for about 90 minutes. LOL Now I have to pour over my notes and practice, practice, practice.

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  4. Hello Claire,
    Excellent experience! Beautiful and modern picture!
    A hug

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    1. Thank you Antonio, it was a real eye opener and very exciting to try to apply the knowledge.

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  5. Very graphic and strong. Love how you simplified the shapes.

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    1. Thank you Karen, it required a real effort on my part to simplify to that extent. I'll have to really practice this technique.

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  6. Hi Claire, A relatively new artist to acrylics but I have been a disciple of Mikes for years. My wife Sylvia and I are booked in to the White Rock workshop in August.
    Thanks for your contribution here--just spectacular.

    Richard Dorling

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