Large Scale Animal Portrait Painting

Let's a paint a big animal portrait in a weekend! Even if you've never painted – or never painted in oils – this workshop will get you painting fast. You'll learn the basics of painting in oils, from start to finish, with your favorite animal - pet or wild - as a subject. This is a skill-building class in a warm and welcoming environment. We're going big (16x16 inches or bigger) for dramatic effect and bold brushwork. All levels, including brand new beginners, welcome.

Age / Skill Level:

Teens (15-19) and adults (20 and up). Suitable for beginners, practicing artists, and

educators.

Schedule:

Saturday December 13th: 10am-4pm

Sunday December 14th: 10am-4pm

*There will be a scheduled break in halfway through the session

Materials(What to Bring):

Supply List

1 photo reference – Bring a printed photo (8x10 or bigger) of any animal you choose. Make sure the animal's face is clear, preferably facing the camera, since we will be painting “portrait” syle. Printed on regular paper is fine. Bring multiple options if you're not sure what you'd like to paint.
oil paints (I recommend Winsor & Newton's Winton line. It is less expensive because it's considered “student grade,” but it is still decent quality.):
1. burnt umber
2. cadmium red (or similar color)
3. cadmium yellow (or similar color)
4. french ultramarine, or cobalt blue, or prussian blue (or similar color)
5. permanent alizarin crimson or permanent rose or magenta
6. titanium white
optional/recommended:
1. naples yellow
2. yellow ochre
3. cerulean blue
4. any other colors you love
linseed oil or any other oil medium you like.
1 surface to paint on – 16 x 16 inch panel or bigger! I recommend a smooth primed panel – such as Ampersand Value Series, Blick Premier, or clayboard. preferably square (instead of rectangle)
1 palette paper palette pad or glass palette or roll of wax paper.
painter's tape – 1 or 2 inches wide.
palette knife – Blick Painting Knife style 132 or similar (for mixing paint colors).
brushes – at least 1 small filbert bristle brush (such as Princeton 6600FB or Silver Grand Prix extra long flibert 2, or similar) and variety of soft or bristle brushes (such as Princeton Real Value Brush Set 9130 from Blick or similar).
2 jars with lids – One holds solvent while you're painting; one serves as a “dump jar” to hold used solvent.
Gamsol – at least 8 oz of Gamsol solvent. (Gamsol brand strongly recommended for safety.)
cotton rags and/or paper towels – rags recommended, old cut up tshirt works great.
Optional:
mineral oil – handy for cleaning and protecting brushes. grocery store version is ok.
Dish soap or bar soap – for clean up.

About the Teaching Artist:

A Helene Wurlitzer Foundation fellow and international BP Portrait Award exhibitor, Natalie Voelker creates paintings that investigate complexity and transcendence in seemingly ordinary people. Her painting, “Davetta,” has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Her work has been featured in multiple publications including the anthology, BARED, and the French-English magazine, VolUp. Voelker has produced commissioned works for the Harwood Art Center, 508 Mural Festival, the City of Albuquerque, and various private collections – both nationally and abroad. She has a BFA from the University of Wisconsin.

natalievoelker.com

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