The Essence of Figure Painting Workshop with Juliette Aristides

Juliette Aristides

Juliette Aristides, a gifted, passionate, intellectually stimulating artist who runs Gage Academy in Seattle WA, visited Kline Academy this weekend for her 3 day workshop "The Essence of Figure Painting Workshop."  

Throughout this 3 day workshop, Juliette had so many demonstrations and each student did three small studies and one larger (main) painting. 

Day 1:

In the morning, Juliette demonstrated the monochromatic painting method.

She summed up the morning with a critique and shared interesting thoughts with students

In the afternoon, she did a drawing demo and students started their larger paintings by drawing.

Day 2:

Juliette started Day 2 with a value study.

She used Black, Red Oxide Transparent, Ultra Marine Blue and White

 

Juliette's demo of Amy

After the lunch break, she made the color chart on her palette to show students how to mix colors. With what Juliette showed in the morning and in the color chart, students worked again on their lager paintings.

Day 3: Last day of the workshop
In her last demonstration, Juliette set up a full color palette and showed the skin color study for students.

  

Juliette's palette

The skin color study of model "Ifat"

Combining with all the techniques together that Juliette had taught in last 2 and half days, students put the final touches to their lager (main) paintings.

She ensured all students one-on-one instruction

Lastly, Juliette made the time for students to critique one another and told them how successfully each student performed during the workshop.

Students created 80 paintings through the workshop

Fabio did a great job - the colors were just sublime

We are hoping to host Juliette Aristides once again for the figure painting workshop at Kline Academy. Subscribe via email and get the latest news! 

Meet Our New Still Life Painting Instructor - Stacy Kamin

Kline Academy is very excited to introduce our new instructor Stacy Kamin who will be teaching in our new class - Direct Still Life Painting starting late this month!  

Stacy grew up in Washington D.C. immersed in a rich cultural environment. She graduated from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and continues her studies. She travels to various workshops, studying under David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, and Jove Wang. 

Kamin's style, appears delicate, uncluttered and austere despite her thick paint, wide strokes and the richly textured canvas or board she uses. Talent, training, and  a mixture of artistic heritage make Kamin's works not only fresh and exciting, but also entrenched in the rich history of art. Stacy lives in Southern California,. She is a member of the California Art Club and Oil Painters of America.

The following images are painted by Stacy...

In this class, Stacy will have you focus on...

- Training your eye so you know what to look for when painting

- Learn how to make brush strokes and not to be afraid of paint

- Values, Mixing colors, Learning Cool and Warm colors

- Form, Shadow and Light

- Composition Setting up a still life

and she will do plenty of demonstrations and get students one-on one instruction. 

If you really want to master Still Life Painting, this is the class for you!

Click HERE and call us today to reserve your easel...

Kline Academy student of the week - Tammie Halprin

Congratulations to our student Tammie Halprin who was chosen for Kline Academy student of the week!

Tammie, who is in the Foundations in Classical Painting class, finished her first master copy of "David victorious over Goliath" by Caravaggio! She followed Cheryl's instructions very carefully and understood how monochromatic studies and glazing work for paintings. She was an absolute beginner when she started at Kline Academy, but now she is a confident student who keeps working to perfect her technique! 

Tammie and her beautifully done master copy of "David victorious over Goliath"

Copying old master paintings is one of the most incredible ways to learn painting, and when students finish it, they gain tremendous confidence in their ability!

"Using Negative Space to Improve Your Composition" by Sharon Weaver

"Using Negative Space to Improve Your Composition"

by SHARON WEAVER

Teaching has helped me to see common mistakes that many new artists make. One is looking at and focusing entirely on the objects or things you are painting. This isn't wrong but by only focusing on the object it can often look like it is floating in space or unattached. There isn't a connection to anything around it. 

To counter this outcome, I approach a still life by looking at the negative space. Seeing the space around the objects and making that area interesting can anchor the subject and make the composition much more unusual. This concept of concentrating on negative space can be used when painting any genre including my favorite, landscapes.

Whenever I am painting trees, I consider the space between and around the trees. The shapes that are formed by the sky are an intricate part of the painting so they need to be designed. Carving the sky out from around the trees and placing the sky holes are some of the biggest choices you have to make when trees dominate a landscape. For me, I really enjoy this part of the decision making. 

See the space between and around trees to place objects

 The sky holes as the negative space

Another good example of using negative space to improve your composition is thinking of the space around a shadow, not the shadow; the space around a cloud, not the cloud or the space around a building, not the building.

Now you can see in this painting where the negative space is...

You get the idea. This method of thinking outside the box is important to consider no matter what the subject you are painting. Making the negative shapes interesting, varied and pretty will improve your work regardless of subject.


Sharon teaches Outdoor Landscape Painting on Fridays, 10am-1pm. Take a mini vacation with her and learn more art tips and tricks to develop your skills! 

Kline Academy Students' Up Coming Show at Schomburg Gallery

Schomburg Gallery will hold an opening reception for the Malibu Art Association group exhibition, "Poetry of Colors" in Bergamot Station Arts Complex on May 17th between 3 - 6:00 pm. 

The exhibition will include paintings, photographs, and mixed media art by 20 Malibu Art Association artists, and some of Kline Academy students will be showing their paintings!!

"Poetry in Colors"

May 17-31, 2014

Opening Reception, May 17th, 3-6pm

Schomburg Gallery in Bergamot Station Art Center
2525 Michigan Avenue, E3A
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Student of the week - Ron Klotchman

Congratulations to our royal student Ron Klotchman who was chosen for Kline Academy student of the week.

Ron is one of our advanced students at Kline Academy who is taking Cheryl Kline's Contemporary Painting Workshop. He has established a very distinctive style - a variety of unique and interesting abstracts, mainly with figurative elements and evocative imagery - with Cheryl's help. He enjoys show opportunities and has been selling many paintings to art collectors. He is preparing for Malibu Artists Unite Contemporary Show that he will soon participate in! 

Ron and his vivid colored ladies from the last Kline Academy show at Shomburg Gallery 

We are always so excited at Kline Academy to help our students capitalize on their unique creativity  in art. Check out our classes and start your artistic journey! 

"Regarding Imprimatura" by Cheryl Kline

"Regarding Imprimatura"

 by CHERYL KLINE
 

"Imprimatura" also known as: "First paint layer" dates back to the middle ages and became a common practice during the Renaissance. Most artists today simply call this "toning your canvas."

I tone my canvas because I want to get rid of the pure, white of my surface. I cannot compete with this intense white especially when I am trying to establish values.

When instructors tell you to "tone your canvas," ask them what color. Make sure that you merely stain the canvas and do not apply it so thick that it is no longer transparent, you actually want a wash of tone to see through to the canvas or board. It will usually be a medium value meaning in the middle of the value scale, not too light and not too dark.

Since I paint in oil, I will tone my canvas in oil paint if I have an extra day for it to dry completely before using it. Or, I can thin the paint with mineral spirits and let it dry in the sun for about 1 hour. Otherwise if I am in a hurry, I tone my canvas with acrylic paint and set in the sun to dry for 10 minutes. I actually like the "tooth" that an acrylic ground gives the surface to work on. Just make sure that if you do use acrylic as your Imprematura that your surface was not gessoed in an oil based ground otherwise the acrylic will bead up and not penetrate the surface.

Grey Toned Canvas

  A grey toned canvas will give you a cooler, neutral tone to work on. This is one that I prefer to use when I paint portraits. Allowing this first paint layer to show through the other layers of paint adds depth to the shadows and middle tones. 

Burnt Umber and Thalo Blue

Another warmer mixture is Burnt Umber and Thalo Blue. Sounds crazy but if you use just a bit of the blue with the Burnt Umber, you get a greenish, warm brown. Rub it in to reveal the weave of the canvas or the board surface and you'll have a nice ground to paint on.

 

Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre and Ivory Black

Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre with a hint of Ivory Black makes an excellent neutral sandy tone. This is one I like for plein air painting and if you save some of the color to show through subsequent layers, it makes a nice glow around the objects.

Venetian Red, Sinopia or Red Ochre

Venetian Red or any of the earth reds like Sinopia or Red Ochre are more difficult to navigate. The red is so intense that you will be fighting the color in the first stages of painting. However, having bits of red showing through or under a green or blue can be really exciting. 

Before you choose the color for your underpainting, ask yourself if you want this color to show through the other layers and if so, do you want a warm tone or a cool tone. Toning the canvas is a great way to "warm up" getting started and to not be intimidated by the virgin, white canvas in front of you.

At Kline Academy, we will teach you foundational skills to reach your artistic goals…and then we 

may challenge you to break the rules to see what happens and find your unique view of the world.

Student of the Week - Haley Hinckley

Congratulations to our talented young artist Haley Hinckley who was chosen for Kline Academy student of the week. 

Haley started in Teen Academic Drawing and Painting Mastery Class with Adam Harrison last year and is now taking Brianna Lee's Renaissance Drawing Atelier with adults. She is only 13 and already showing great skills of cast drawing! What's even more surprising is that she learns very quickly - she finishes 1.5 - 2 drawings in a 3 hour session - and moves on to the next level every week. 

Haley and her latest cast drawing

Just like Haley, teens in Kline Academy classes are showing great progress and we are happy to help them realize their potential while enjoying the creative process!!