Kline Academy as some Exciting News... Living Brentwood Magazine publication

 

Kline Academy as some Exciting News...

We have been published!

Living Brentwood Magazine
September 2021 issue

Kline Academy of Fine Art
Art classes for adults, teens and tweens - taught by exhibiting artists
by
Nicole Selhorst

Read about Kline Academy founder
Cheryl Kline and her artistic journey with
Kline Academy of Fine Art.

"Often students aspiring to be artists 
know what they want to do, but don't know or have the skills to achieve it... For students who attend the Academy, Cheryl says, The sky's the limit."

KA student Tammy Machmail in a Group Show

We Have Very Exciting Announcement!

👏Congratulations to our student Tammy Machmali!👏

Tammy will be part of a group show, "EAT CAKE", hosted by Fabrik Projects Gallery. 

 Fabrik Projects Gallery

2636 La Cienega Blvd, Los angeles, Ca 90034 

 Artist Reception: 

 Saturday, February 8th, 6 - 9pm 

 Show runs: 

February 8th - 15th 

 Gallery open: 

Tuesday - Sunday

Kline Academy 2020 - It's All about Light

In the classes of 2020, we will be focusing on light... How light describes the form? How light affects color, mood and tone of the scene? Understanding light is essential in all genres of drawing and painting... Join our community of artist and expert instructors who will share their masterly in art making.

Cheryl Kline 

FREE LECTURE by Author Dan Hill at Kline Academy

See It, Feel It

Insights About How People Truly Experience Art

with master artist Dan Hill

1 Sunday, February 2, 1:00pm - 2:30pm

Free event 

or $5.00 - 15.00 USD suggested donation to the studio

RSVP today at artist@klineacademy.com

What’s the actual experience people have when standing before a work of art, taking it in?

Find out thanks to this unique guest lecture that will be of interest to artists, photographers and the general public at large. Hill’s latest book is by far the largest study ever conducted that involves eye-tracking technology and art in order to learn where people precisely look, for how long, and in what order. 

By adding in facial coding, Hill also captures not only where people look but how they feel about what they’re seeing. In addition to results that cover 88 famous art works from the Renaissance to today, Hill’s lecture will also explore how knowing facial expressions, per emotion, can enrich your understanding and appreciation of portraiture based on his previous book, Famous Faces Decoded: A Guidebook for Reading Others.

What you will learn:

How much time do viewers actually take

Where viewers of art look most often, or first

Which forms and colors engage viewers the most, typically

What kind of titles work well and which don't 

What kinds of subject matter attract the eye and heart

What might be the secret to effective composition

Featured Student Robert Mendoza

A Word From One of Our Students at Kline Academy!

Robert Mendoza

Hear what he has to say...

Robert Mendoza

Classical Drawing and Painting Student

Robert Mendoza has been studying with Kline Academy for almost 2 years. Robert spent his first year studying Classical Drawing Techniques with Juri Umagami. He developed a good understanding of the fundamentals of Drawing and decided to move on to something new. Robert is now exploring the art of Oil Painting with Juri Umagami.

In his journey, Robert has achieved some remarkable work in both mediums.
Here are a few of his pieces...

Lapis lazuli identification in dental calculus???

We found an interesting article about lapis lazuli identification in dental calculus during the  European Medieval Ages...

Read the full article in Science Advances...

Use a Hand for Your Art Making - Passing on Artist's Wisdom by Juri Umagami

Use a Hand for Your Art Making 

Passing on Artist's Wisdom by Juri Umagami

One interesting thing I learnt in college was to use your hand for art making / marketing. 

Art making can be divided into 6 important elements:

Pinkie: Production
You prepare your budget (how much can you spend? how much are you going to sell it for?), tools (canvas, paints, brushes or clay, film...) and get some help (space / equipment to rent or assistants). 

Ring: Context
It's genre. In which genre does your art belong to? Pop? Classical? Expressionism? Setting up this idea helps you see where to distribute your art (*Thumb). 

Middle: Content
The physical aspects of the artwork such as medium, image, symbol, color, value, space... Your decision making on "what are you using" for your art. This is important as art world these days also focuses on investigating "materials" you present. 

Index: Intent
Why are you painting this (or making this)? Your intention in art making can be from "This is a gift for my mother!" to "I want to make the world better!" You may not be realizing but any image you create comes from your personal experience and tells your story or story you want to tell. When you keep your intent consistent that leads you to "a body of work." 

Thumb: Distribution 
Most artists are not good at this... Where are you going to show your art? How are you going to let people know about it? Instagram has become a huge asset to art business. It is probably the easiest way to connect with your audience and sell your art. I am old fashioned and love going to galleries as I believe art looks better and tells more in person. If I were you, I'd start looking for galleries that present the genre you are in. You bring yourself to openings and introduce yourself (as it is rare galleries find and contact artists these days) then use SNS for the invitation for your shows. 

Palm: Documentation
Make sure you document your artwork. Images of your work are what get people interested in what you are doing. I usually have two: one that in high resolution and the other in about 300 You can have a decent camera or just have someone do the job. 


If you are taking my drawing & painting classes, you know that you learn real time tested skills, the skills have been passed down for centuries. 

Now what will you draw and paint after Bargue drawings and master copy paintings? 
The answer is in your hand... 

My messy note from college!

Juri UmagamiOctober 2019

New Video Alert! Juri Umagami - Classical Drawing Instructor at Kline Academy of Fine Art

Absolute beginner? Juri will take care of you! 

Juri Umagami

Studio Manager / Classical Drawing & Painting Instructor

Juri Umagami is the rock of Kline Academy!

She started oil painting at Usukubo Yuji Art Atelier in Tochigi, Japan when she was eight years old. In 2009, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue her goal to be an artist and art instructor. 

She is an avid student of classical technique and a focused artist. She received a BFA at Otis in May, 2017. While pursuing Masters in Fine Art, Juri is working to become an accomplished artist and doing some commissioned work. 

She teaches her classical drawing and painting classes.

New Video Alert! Scott Yeskel - Abstract Painting Instructor at Kline Academy of Fine Art

If you ever want to take a jump into the beauty of deconstruction, Scott Yeskel is the man to guid you through!

Scott Yeskel

Abstract Painting Instructor

Scott Yeskel was raised in the suburbs of Orange County, California after his parents moved from New Jersey when he was a child. The mild weather and suburban sprawl fueled Scott’s interest in the landscape. 

After graduating from high school, he moved to San Francisco to pursue an education in the arts. Yeskel graduated from the Academy of Art College in 2002 where he won first place in the Landscape category at the Academy’s Annual Spring Show. 

He was quickly picked up by galleries in Philadelphia, Laguna Beach and San Francisco. Since that time, Scott has been the subject of over a dozen solo shows, countless group exhibitions and has been featured in over 20 magazine and newspaper editorials. 

His work speaks to those who identify with the California lifestyle – often romantic but sometimes plagued with fustration. His love/hate relationship with Los Angeles’ freeways, boxy apartments and urban sprawl feed Yeskel’s desire to paint his environment as he sees – a jumble of mixed emotions. Recently, Scott’s work was purchased by prestigious corporate collections including Microsoft and NBC/ Universal.

Read more about Scott Yeskel!

New Video Alert! Lana Gloschat - Color Pencil Instructor at Kline Academy of Fine Art

Hello! Kline Academy of Fine Art Blog is finally back with new design and exciting news!

Let's celebrate this re-launch with the interview with..

Lana Gloschat

Color Pencil Instructor

Lana Gloschat is an award winning colored pencil artist recently relocated to Southern California. She was most recently recognized by the Colored Pencil Society of America with an Award for Exceptional Merit in their 26th International Exhibition (2018). 

Lana received a BFA in drawing and painting from the University of Utah. 

She excels as a colorist and has an extensive anatomical knowledge which she utilizes to render highly realistic portraits and figurative works.

Click HERE to read more about Lana!

Natalia Fabia is on The Top 100 Figurative Painters Working Right Now on BuzzFeed!

Photo: Instagram

Photo: BuzzFeed

We are very honored to inform you that our instructor Natalia Fabia is on The Top 100 Figurative Painters Right Now on Buzz Feed! 

Read more here...

Congratulations Natalia!

And don't miss out her 3 Day Painting Workshop coming in October!

Vibrant Portrait & Figure Painting Workshop with Natalia Fabia

Sundays., October 22 - November 5, 10:30am - 5:30pm

Kline Mom - #2 Work from Photo

July 15, 2008

I decided to work a bit more on the painting from a photo, before I drag Mom back in.

Sometimes you just need some "history" on the canvas. Its good to build up some paint. What I have done was to establish the lines by adding highlights to the skin. I know what you are thinking...if you add lines, meaning darker color. But, what most people miss is that lines in a face are similar to painting drapery folds. They are made up of highlights an half tones so in this case, my under painting acts as the darker value and all I did was to add highlights on top.

I am also working to establish the wrinkled skin (Mom's going to kill me) but it tells a story about the model, in this case it is necessary. And, since I am not being paid for this painting and I don't have to please anyone but me, I can make this an honest painting. I like that!

So in this next picture, you will see that I made the hand much bigger. It was bugging me and I had spent some time on it and the more I looked, it was too small---so--- destruction! Don't be afraid to destroy a part of your painting if it is not right no matter how much time you have spent on it. You will, I promise you, spend much more time regretting that you did not fix it.

This is a rough block in and her fingers are bent - so once it is finished, it will look accurate. It may also be slightly exaggerated since the hand is the closest to the viewer, I do want to force the perspective. My next step will be to work on the other hand and body, establish the chair, and then have Mom back for a live setting.

Until then.

Family Portraits and KLINE'S MOTHER

Yesterday, a friend brought my Mother by my studio for a visit and I said I would take her home. I wasn't ready to stop painting, so I set Mom in a chair and decided to paint her. I did a painting of her years ago and I love the piece entitled "Enigma" see below

Cheryl Kline, Enigma, Oil on Canvas, 1995

Anyway, I have been wanting to document her aging process and show the wrinkles, in all its earned glory the changed posture, her millions of thoughts inside that has accumulated over 82 years. How do I paint that?

So, here is the first 30 minute sitting:
I will update weekly or when ever I can get Mom to sit.

Here is a photo I took of the pose.

Okay, here is the first block in. My first challenge was that I can't get Mom to sit on a high chair due to health concerns so I had to sit while painting so I could be at a better level with her. As it is, I am still looking down a bit and I prefer to be at eye level.

Oh well, it must be this way..so I grabbed a blank white canvas. It was all I had, normally I never paint on a white canvas. I had black on my palette, so I used it to draw an outline or cartoon like drawing. Also, she was wearing all black...so I thought this would be good to use to quickly get some paint on and block in her clothes.

The background was very ochre-y so I used black, ochre and white to get rid of the white background. Then I noticed that her skin is very pink (but not a warm pink) so I used alizarine and white with a dab of naples (my naples-Sennelier) to quickly block in her pink skin.

The next step was to add a bit of shadow to Mom's neck and side of her face so English red was the perfect choice. I like to use English red with Ultramarine Blue and white as a shadow color. This time though, I had some Egyptian Violet I was trying for another painting and I added that. I like the cool value it gave me. When you first start a portrait, its important to really notice what is unique about the person. What are their most distinguished features. Over the years, I have noticed that Mom has lost her upper lip and the lower one protrudes. Also, her eye lid droops a bit. I think that just getting those 2 things, helped to achieve a likeness right away. I would never be concerned with details but I am impatient like the rest of you and want instant gratification-- so if a few suggestions help me to see the likeness - I go for it. Its when we allow ourselves to be consumed with details and small brushes and too many color choices that you get yourself in trouble. And Frustrated. When I see students come in with a palette full of colors, it is just a matter of time before I hear them say "I'm having trouble mixing this color." My reply is usually "I would too with that palette"

Limit the number of colors you use and then use the exact same palette every time you paint. Think about it. In the printing process, there are only 4 colors. Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and black. Everything printed is made from a combination of those 4.

A typical Renaissance palette is White, Yellow Ochre (not too dark), French Vermillion, and Ivory Black. Many times I will stick to this palette and in my Portrait Class they will start theirs this way too. Hal Yaskulka's Figure Painting class also uses this palette.

So back to "Kline's Mother" I think this first sitting was successful and I will continue to post the progress. Mom is a very willing sitter which helps a lot!

The Right Tool

Once upon a time I met an artist in one of my classes who was painting little landscape-ish paintings. She said she hated what she was doing... using the tiniest brushes to describe every detail from her source image. So, I asked her "who do you like?" She said "Turner." I said "give me your brush." And then I handed her a palette knife and said "from now on, you only use a palette knife."

I had no idea how one simple adjustment could make such a dramatic change in ones art. I am always telling students to "get a bigger brush" but this was different. Gay Summerrick is a Fine Artist who took the challenge and changed the way she paints and even adjusted her approach to painting. Because with palette knife paintings, its not the overall colors that are important -like the color of the sky or the water or the trees. Its what's underneath that counts!

It's the bit of red or that spec of golden color that appears in between and in places that you can't plan for it to be. It is as if light has filtered through and is pulling everything together. Its the vibration of the colors underneath their primary colors that make the painting pop and for you to say "oh yea, this is good... really good."

When you see Gay's paintings up close, you will see what I mean. Gay has won awards from the Malibu Art Association, and excepted into juried shows with The California Art Club. She also shows at Los Angeles County Museum of Art Sales and Rental Gallery.

Needless to say, I am very proud of her.
Below are some of her landscapes: click on images for detail

Cheryl Kline Receives "Certificate of Excellence" Award from The Portrait Society of America

Cheryl Kline Receives "Certificate of Excellence" Award

from The Portrait Society of America

Last weekend, The Portrait Society of America held their 10th annual Art of the Portrait conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Over 800 artists from around the world attended. The days were filled with lectures and demonstrations from the most renown portrait artists living today.

Highlights included:

Thursday 4x4 demonstration featuring Jamie McMahan, Wende Caporale, Dawn Whitelaw and Timothy Thies.

Friday morning John Howard Sanden demonstrated. Then, Friday afternoon classes featuring Michael Shane Neal, Rose Frantzen, Calvin Goodman, Wende Caporale, Ying-he Liu, Judith Carducci, Dawn Whitelaw, Chris Saper, Ross Merrill, Robert Liberace, Edward Jonas, Anthony Ryder, Timothy J. Clark and Daniel Greene.

On Saturday, Everett Raymond Kinstler gave an incredible lecture. He talked about the fact that most great portrait artists all painted other things besides portraits. And how important it is to explore nature from life. Most of the great portrait artists (Sargent, Zorn, Boldini, and others) used only 5 to 8 colors to create their masterpieces!

"When you paint hair, make believe you have a comb in your hand."

He gave many other gems while creating this study:

"There are no short cuts"

"All art is feeling"

and

"Be careful of cleverness"

Burton Silverman followed with this demonstration of a model which he painted in about 2 hours!

Burt began over an old paint as his underpainting, "it causes you to be zoned in and more focused"

He started drawing (with paint) with a reddish brown and alizarine very dry paint as an outline to set up the composition on the canvas. Like magic, the figure began to appear. He made a point to keep the shadows transparent (thinned with oil) and many times wiped out the area after applying the paint to actually stain the area with a hue. Then he started the half tones in the face and added the warm color on the nose then the highlight. He worked very fast and slowly built up the impasto highlights. The blond hair was achieved with a reddish undertone and then put the highlights on top.

On Saturday afternoon, Aaron Shikler spoke for an hour about his life as an artist. What a character, all of these speakers had stories to tell about presidents and royalty they painted.

David Leffel closed the day speaking about "finishing' a portrait".

"Finishing is the stretch between the gaps...edges..." This was such a fascinating demo.

First of all Lefell had no model, this was all from memory.

He started with the dark area around the eye, He called this his yin and yang of the eye- "have lights mass and darks mass." His palette consisted of Burnt umber, ultra marine blue, pthalo blue, venetian red, cad orange, yellow ochre and white.

By painting the dark area first he established all the shadows, then, just like sculpting he began to add the mid values that create the lid and around the eyes. The skin under the eye is a warmer red. He connected the white of eye to the lower lid then went in later to add color to the white of the eye on the inside. It was almost orange in tone and I was waiting for him to "fix" it but it all came together. He talked about how to make the eyes transparent and how light will hit one side of the iris.

Regarding solving problems: Instead of softening a shadow transition he said instead, "to take their attention away or divert it to a light next to it."

"Highlights starts crisp and has a tail which (tapers off) and relates it to the surface."

"The dark part of the eyebrow starts under the brow ridge and has a grayer, cooler color by the bone because it is turning in."

"You use more color on the tip of the nose and less color to make it recede." Also by graying out the receding areas and areas that turn the face , you can get a better illusion of the modeling. The under planes are usually cooler.

"Part of closing up the gaps is making other areas stronger"

And more gems..... "Every form begins and ends. "When light hits, it starts..." "Hard edges follow soft edges" "A hard edge is closed, a soft edge is open"

"Front planes are warm, side planes are cool"

It was a fantastic demo, later another artist, Letticia and I were in the lobby bar and Burton Silverman and his friends joined our table and I had the excellent opportunity to further discuss his process and his ideas on finishing a painting.

Saturday night was our Gala Celebration and black tie banquet. When they called my name, I was so proud and humbled to be among the 30 recipients of an Award and be among some of the finest artists in the country. They show your winning image on 3 huge screens in the banquet hall. The 1st prize went to a sculptor at our table, Amy Kann.

To see all the prize winners and the top portraits go to http://www.portraitsociety.org/

This is a bad picture, but I was still walking on clouds and couldn't hold still. Thats Daniel Graves on the left and Charles Cecil on the right.

Later that evening we again went to the lobby bar and Daniel Graves, founder/director of the Florence Academy of Art (the best place I ever studied) was there and also Charles Cecil Founder/director of Charles Cecil Studios. Both of them were honored for An Award of Excellence in Education for their incredible contribution to the studies of figurative art in a classical atelier.

Our last day featured two internationally known artists, Daniel Greene and Nelson Shanks.

Nelson Shanks was another incredible speaker and talked about his work with Princess Diana and their friendship and his many other commissions of well known people. I was so exhausted I didn't take notes. Later we (800 of us) were invited to visit Nelson Shanks atelier/ Studio Incamminati. Where he teaches classical art in a 10,000 square foot space. They had a generous buffet prepared, a portrait demo by some of his teachers and the unveiling of Nelson Shank's latest work.

After that I ran to see the Cecilia Beaux, American Figure Painter exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts- incredible! I'm sure if she had been a man, her fame would have been as Sargents.

I highly recommend this conference for next year which will be held in Washington DC.