While you are here – please check out my home page!
No. 2-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Karen Robinson sketching her mobile phone August 2016. Photograph taken by fellow student. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
INTRODUCTION
My fourth class in ‘Produce Paintings’ and ‘Produce Drawings’ (these being subjects that are part of ‘Certificate III in Visual Arts’) had proved to be a little challenging for me this week. I was not physically well and recovering from the flu, but I wanted so much not to miss my classes, as they offered me that sense of mental well-being I have come to cherish over the years by engaging in art for therapy. Unfortunately my creative efforts for this week suffered a little due to this fact, but I still gained from being in attendance. Please click on the links below to view my blogs for previous classes 1, 2, 3 and following below here are details in relation to this week’s classes 4.
NB: To view details about Class 1 – please click here
NB: to view details about class 2 – please click HERE
NB: to view details about class 3 – please click HERE
No. 1-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – View from where Karen was sitting of the ‘Produce Drawings’ Class Room. Photograph taken by Karen Robinson August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
‘PRODUCE PAINTING’ CLASS
Our ‘Produce Painting’ class commenced with our teacher, VIN RYAN, checking in with each of the students individually. For this class, it was still about building up on my oil painting mixing skills, and about the processes of laying out my choice of colours onto a palette in readiness to paint an oil painting.
No. 1-7 Fourth ‘Produce Paintings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Art Teacher, Vin Ryan demonstrating the technique in preparing a colour palette in preparation to paint. Photograph taken by Karen Robinson August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
After Vin’s demonstration, I set about in preparation of my own oil paint colour palette in order to paint another painting of a lemon – my choice! In previous classes, Vin had stated that painting a single subject over and over again, can assist the painter in gaining a better appreciation of their own personal progress. Therefore, a lemon it was again! I was happy with my lemon painting of this week, and is featured below in the top image. I felt I had progressed in understanding more about light and shade. After a discussion with Vin, I came to learn why my lemon was more round in shape rather than oval like. It was to do with the fact that I had placed the small green lemon stem in the middle of the lemon, instead to the side of it. When I re-looked at the actual lemon, it was indeed to the side of the lemon! Vin explained to me that our brain wants us to place things in the centre – this made sense and explained nicely why I had not myself, place the small green stem of the lemon to the side of it!
No. 5-7 Fourth ‘Produce Paintings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Painted and Photograph taken by Karen Robinson Title: ‘Lemon’ in Oil Paint on A3 Canvas Paper August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
No. 6-7 Fourth ‘Produce Paintings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Here can be seen a comparison of last week’s lemon painting efforts to this week’s lemon painting effort. Painted and Photograph taken by Karen Robinson August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
‘PRODUCE DRAWING’ CLASS
Our ‘Produce Drawing’ class commenced after our lunch break. This gave me a chance to recharge after the ‘Produce Painting’ class. The teacher, Tim Jones, firstly had a good look through my visual diary, to see what drawing homework I had been able to achieve since the last class. Then it was onto choosing an item to draw and I chose a tall glass bottle. Glass – I find to be quiet a challenge, lots of colour variations and shadows that would have gone unnoticed before choosing to sketch it. Tim said my drawing of the tall glass bottle was a believable effort, and that pleased me considering I was not feeling the best. All I managed to get done after that was a small drawing of my mobile phone!
No. 1-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Photograph taken by Karen Robinson August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
No. 5-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Drawing & Photograph taken by Karen Robinson. Drawing Title: ‘Glass Bottle’ on A3 Paper in Pencil August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
No. 12-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Drawing & Photograph taken by Karen Robinson. Drawing Title: ‘Mobile Phone’ on A3 Paper with pencil August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
JOHN RUSKIN’S BOOK – ‘THE ELEMENTS OF DRAWING’
The drawing teacher recommended a book for me in relation to drawing to assist me in gaining a better understanding of tone, weight, colour and composition. It’s written by John Ruskin and the book is tilted The Elements of Drawing. I have purchased the book online and look forward to having a good look through its pages when it arrives. Please find here below a review written by Amazon:
John Ruskin shaped generations of artists, art critics and historians’ understanding of how art works. He was the preeminent critic of his time, and a fine artist in his own right. In The Elements of Drawing, Ruskin explains how to draw and how to look at the drawings of others, in a wonderful primer on line, tone, weight, colour, and composition. Generations have been taught how to draw and how to paint by Ruskin in this book and his others. Fully illustrated by the author, to demonstrate the techniques he describes, The Elements of Drawing is one of the all-time classics in art and art history, and an essential guide for those who want to learn how to draw. This edition is a facsimile reproduction of the original 1857 work, with all Ruskin’s original art included, as well as his comprehensive list of resources and works any young artist should study (Amazon 2016).
‘PRODUCE DRAWINGS’ VISUAL DIARY
At home, over a number of days between this drawing class and the next, I did a couple of drawings in my ‘Produce Drawings’ Visual Diary. I chose to sketch a beautiful ‘Arum’ lily. These elegant, graceful flowers are currently in flower and wildly growing in large patches across from our home in a garden that my husband has been creating for some 15 years now.
No. 9-12 Fourth ‘Produce Drawings’ CAE Class – Certificate 111 in Visual Arts – Drawing & Photograph taken by Karen Robinson. Drawing Title: ‘Arum Lily’ in Visual Diary Paper with pencil August 2016. NB All images are protected by copyright laws
CONCLUSION
Am always feeling very fortunate in being able to participate in these painting and drawing classes. Being able to soak up the ambiance of Degraves Street itself during my class break very much adds to the overall pleasure of the day’s creative outcomes. Art for therapy at its best for sure….
4 of 4 Cafe outside CAE on Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Australia – Place Karen Robinson stops for a coffee before ‘Produce Paintings & Drawings Classes’. Photograph taken by Karen Robinson August 2016 NB All images are protected by copyright laws
CAE is located in one of Melbourne’s iconic cafe/outdoor dining locations – DEGRAVES STREET as photographed above. Degraves Street’s bluestone-cobbled lane way, its postcard Parisian atmosphere of outdoor dining under umbrellas, and its quaint retail shops, certainly makes attending CAE’s art course each week just that much more of an enjoyable experience!
© Karen Robinson – August 2016
Whilst you are here – please check out my home page! Post-traumatic Growth – My Art Therapy Journey – A window into the soul of an Abstract Artist through art therapy and storytelling…by Karen Robinson
ido art karen robinson 