Abstract Painting Workshop

Instructor: Robin Adair
Friday 9am-5pm
1 day: October 16
Location: In-person Williams Building room 306
$140 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: None

In this workshop, participants will be introduced to abstract painting in a fun and supportive environment where individual expression and experimentation is highly encouraged. Students will learn how to create rhythm and harmony in a painting by developing variations upon a visual theme through mark making, building up textures and surfaces, layering colours, and incorporating shapes and patterns. This class is for beginner painters who would like a basic introduction to painting, as well as for intermediate level painters who want to develop and hone their craft. The instructor will demonstrate and paint along with students throughout the workshop, and give constructive feedback.   

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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