Abstract Painting Workshop

Instructor: Robin Adair
Saturday 9am-5pm
1 day: November 1
Location: Online
$135 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: None

This course is for anyone who has been enamoured by the imaginative side of drawing, who would like to put aside their reference pictures, or would prefer to not have a definite plan for how their art should unfold. Students will be introduced to a variety of approaches to creative expression inspired by art history and by the instructor’s own personal creative journey: visual journals, surrealism, symbolism and dream imagery, sketching from memory, and exploring abstraction through mark making and mixed media approaches.

Syllabus

  • The Cubist Landscape: rhythm and form

  • Colour and the Fauvist portrait

  • Abstract Expressionism: the language of gesture

Supplies

  • Brushes: a variety of acrylic brushes, either synthetic or hog hair bristles ranging in size from #6-#16, I recommend square, round, filbert, and fan brushes, and at least one large 1.5” square brush
  • At least 3 palette knives (various sizes and styles), and a silicone wedge for scrapping and impasto techniques
  • Acrylic heavy body Paint: Recommended brands: Golden; Holbein; Tri-Art. I recommend the following pigments:
    • Titanium White
    • Cadmium Yellow Medium
    • Primary Yellow (or Hansa Yellow Light)
    • Cadmium Red Medium
    • Alizarin Crimson
    • Ultramarine Blue
    • Cobalt Blue
  • Wet palette (12" x 16"). You may buy one from a store or I will also teach you how to make your own wet palette. For this you will need a regular tray palette, paper towel, parchment paper, and bulldog clips
  • Acrylic gel medium: as you will see, there is a wide range of gel mediums on the art store shelves. Most of the brands and types are suitable for this course. I recommend a regular soft gel, either matte or gloss, or the Golden GAC (100 series). Either of these are versatile acrylic gel products and are suitable for the projects we will be doing in this course
  • Cotton rags
  • Painter’s Masking Tape
  • Supports: for this course, we will be using paper supports. You may choose any of the cotton rag or cover stock brands of paper. I recommend white Stonehenge because it is a good quality paper that will serve as a sturdy support. 2 full sheets of Stonehenge (22” x 30”) should be sufficient for our projects in this course. We will be dividing the full sheets into halves and quarters as we progress through the class. Note: If you already had experience with other kinds of supports (canvas, board, etc.) please feel free to use them in this course
For a brief list of frequently used suppliers, please see Where can I purchase supplies? on our FAQ page.