My first Art lesson!

I took the opportunity this week to attend my local art school, who were offering a free trial lesson in watercolours. This is obviously a 'taster' in the hope of getting you to sign up for further lessons. I went along not knowing what to expect as the evening was in the middle of their term and part of a 'normal' class in what was advertised as a Beginner/Intermediary level.

The 'lesson' started with the usual introduction and welcome for new members (two women and myself, one of whom had already signed up for the rest of the term). This was followed by a very short demonstration by the tutor of a single colour tonal sketch. We then watched a 10 minute Ray Ranson video of the same technique. After this, brushes were handed out, I was given some paper and paint and shown where the palletes etc wer kept. Then it was "off you go, let's see what you all can do!"

I'd had less than 5 minutes of the tutor's time and was expected to paint! Very unnerving in a room full of strangers. Along with everyone else, I set to, using the same reference photograph that we'd all been handed.

Here's my first attempt (well, part of it - it's too big for the scanner!)





After this, we were recommended to have another go, either with the same picture, or with a different one. I noticed that the two other newbies stuck to the same picture, and so did I. "Try another colour this time", the tutor said "Paynes Grey gives a good range of tones". So I had another go.





I was pleased with the wheat stalk at top left of this one. The tutor circulated, making encouraging noises and suggestions as he went round, and all too soon the two hours was up.

My impression of the evening? I really needed/wanted more tutoring rather than just encouragement. I wanted to be told how to handle the brush properly, how to load the brush with paint, those kind of basic things. Maybe how to compose and build up a picture from looking at a photograph... Maybe it was the wrong level for me, or my expectations were too high. I'm told they don't run Complete Beginner's courses all that often - not enough demand. Instead they do these Beginner/Intermediate courses. At something like £170 a term, I'm not sure I'd personally get enough value out of them, based upon tonight's experience.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that they do a Beginner's Course in the future at a time that I can make - there's an Acrylics Beginners course in September, but it's in the daytime, which is no good for me.

Menhirs

The last couple of old pictures for now (until I draw some more new ones!)

The first is of the Graianog Stone, at the north end of the Lleyn Peninsular in Wales. We visited this during a Bank Holiday weekend trip in 2004. The colours are a bit 'psycho', I know.





Finally, a stone that I first visited in 2004, and revisited last month - the Moorgate Stone on north Bodmin Moor. I was happy with the colour of the stone in this one, if not the lichen/moss.

Boscawen Un

Last weekend we visited an artist friend (see her cracking web site) and had a short discussion about my attempts. It seems I'm trying to walk before I can run. Her advice was to tear up all my attempts once I've finished with them. That way, I won't have any attachment to them and can move on. I can see the sense in that, but part of m ewants to keep the early mistakes, so I can look back later and laugh (as many of you may be doing right now!)

Anyway, I dug out an old sketch book from a few years ago and thought I'd post a couple of pictures here, for posterity. They are some of my earliest attempts at watercolour, from 2004.

Today's picture is a slightly blurred picture, at an obscure angle, of the Boscawen-Un circle in West Penwith. If you ever see only one stone circle in your life, make it this one - it's truly magical and one of my favourite places to go to just sit and 'be'.

Carn Marth

On a recent holiday in Cornwall, I took a photo of one of the old Engine Houses that the area is so famous for. One evening, sitting in the chalet we had rented, I made the following sketch from the photo I'd taken. The proportions are incorrect - the building is much too wide in my sketch, and it doesn't convey the size and power of the remaining shell of the building.