Painting the Figure in a Grisaille Palette

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm

Febuary 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28.

Instructor: Eric Drummond

Location: Cocker Fulton Studio (located on the 3rd floor, accessible by stairs only)

$275 + materials

*Fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable.

*TAP Centre for Creativity reserves the right to cancel any course or workshop at any time if the minimum number of students required is not reached. In such cases, fees will be fully refunded.

Day One: Mixing Values, Preparing the Canvas

Students will be shown by the instructor how to correctly mix their value strings and set up a grisaille palette. Students will also begin to apply an “imprimatura” or paint ground to their canvases. This class will also start students with making a small colour sketch that will serve as a reference for the rest of the course.

Day Two: Underpainting

Using only raw umber, students will draw out the structure of the figure as a basis to work upon. Students will focus on gesture, structure and design the basic shadow shape of the figure as well.

Day Three: First Layer (Ebauche)

Students will mix their value strings in accordance with the grisaille palette. Students will be taught the understanding of using the correct amount of oil (minimal) in initial layers, leaving shadows thinner than lights and creating a foundation of paint to work upon.

Day Four: Values

Students will mix their values and focus on applying proper amounts of contrast. Slowly building a background value to aid the eye in achieving a scale of light to dark as well.

Day Five: Temperature and Blending

Students will be taught techniques for blending and painting planes of the body as well to achieve a greater sense of form. Students will also be shown what temperature variations can be found in a grisaille palette, giving the figure a sense of life and flesh.

Day Six: Modeling Light

Students will mix their values once again and be instructed in techniques of modeling forms within the body and giving the figure a sense of “hierarchy of light”. This also in accordance to a flow of light down the body.

TAP wants to acknowledge CAIP support that allows us to deliver this ongoing program.