ONLINE ART CLASS with ELISABETH HOWLETT
The Online Art Class is 5 week course of video lessons accessible via a link to my website using a password. All classes are pre-recorded. You can watch, draw and paint at any time, at your convenience.
The classes may be taken are designed to engaged in one lesson per week. But classes can be taken at your own pace.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
During this course, I will show you my process for completing a painting from start to finish. I have a process I follow, developed over 20 years of making art and 8 years of professional practice.
My hope is for artists to more fully trust themselves when it comes to their art, whatever stage they are at. I convey how to be confident, deliberate (and joyful) in your drawing and painting.
We will start with some warm up exercises in the process of drawing, painting and generally getting marks onto a surface. I show you quick exercises to encourage your confidence in drawing and painting.
I show you my process of making a painting, from beginning to end.
I demonstrate the 3 stages in my process that I use to arrive at a finished painting: first drawing in willow charcoal, underpainting in acrylic and then the final impasto layer – in either oil or acrylic.
We will a draw in willow charcoal onto canvas to create a composition. Then we will under-paint the canvas with watery acrylic. At this stage, the canvas will start to look like a painting. Then we will paint the final layer in either oil or acrylic paint.
I also show you how to make a simple colour wheel in order to I teach about colour, and in particular, the way I use colour.
During the process I will give you all the information you need to put the above into practice, and produce paintings that you will love.
BEGINNER OR MENTORING
There will be 2 streams of students this class is suitable for.
1) “Start Painting” will be for those who are looking forward to picking up a paint brush. You may be new to art, or may have have done art a long time ago. I will guide you through my process for making art. I will help you start with a blank canvas, and complete an oil or acrylic painting, ready to hang on your wall. I will focus on flowers, which, as you probably know, are the focus of my practice. I have had quite a few beginners successfully complete this course with some amazing feedback.
2) “Mentoring” . This class is suitable for committed hobbyists, or early career artists (ie you think about or have just starting selling your work) who would like some mentoring in their current work as an artist. You will probably have some images to choose from in your own collection, or draw some of your own flowers from life. I have had quite a few semi-professional artists through the course with great success.
MATERIALS
As far as art materials go, this is what you need for the online course: willow charcoal, a gum eraser, black texta or black oil pastel, acrylic paints – warm and cool of yellow, blue, red and green plus yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, neutral grey and white. You’ll need impasto medium for acrylics, some brushes, palate (can be egg carton), 2 small to medium canvases either square or rectangle – go for either 20 x 20 inch or 20 x 24 inch. Paper to experiment with – other options for warm ups are crayons, oil pastels, simple watercolours, textas, coloured pencils, or whatever you have on hand. Use an easel if you have one.
If you are new to painting it is usually best to commence in acrylic. They are accessible, cheap and fun. Oil paints are fun as well! But they require more of an investment and are a fairly demanding medium. I have materials listed for both. It is good to test the water so to speak, with acrylic paints. Let loose and have some fun. If you love it, then down the track, invest in some oil paints.
I am looking forward to painting with you!