Last minute Change of Location for Workshop A

Change of location: Workshop A

Lighting the City: Lights and Shadows amid Excitement and Serenity
Instructor: Sagar Fornies

New location: Universitat de Barcelona
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585
08007 Barcelona

Map Link: http://goo.gl/maps/OXZzi


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Sketching Barcelona: Setup, Value, and Beyond (Workshop R)

Instructor: Matthew Brehm (Idaho, USA)
Location: Various locations in the Barri Gòtic

In well over a decade of teaching observational sketching, I have learned that there are three general areas of practice that tend to present the greatest challenges for those trying to learn the skill. The first has to do with accuracy in the “Setup” of a sketch – translating what is seen to what is drawn on the page. The second has to do with the contrasting “Value” of tones – conveying a clear sense of light as it defines a subject’s three-dimensional form. The third area is about going “Beyond” and learning in the absence of a teacher – how to continually develop one’s skills in a self-directed manner. This workshop is centered on simple, practical techniques that are applicable to any subject and all media, and will include a combination of exercises, group discussion and individualized instruction. Concepts will be presented in short demonstrations, put into practice through brief exercises, and reinforced with one-on-one and group feedback. The workshop will take place in the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), and more specifically the streets and plazas listed below. This district of Barcelona provides a perfect blend of small and medium-sized urban spaces, and the more intimate scale of the medieval streets – many of which date to the time of the original Roman settlement on this site. When and where appropriate during the workshop, historic information regarding the city and its monuments will be blended with our primary focus on sketching.

Meet at Plaça Reial
(East corner, at the archway leading to Carrer Vidre)

Opening Introductions and Discussion
(+/-15 minutes)
At this time, participants will introduce themselves to the group and perhaps bring up a particular sketching-related issue they would like to deal with in the workshop. Participants will also be provided with an illustrated handout that covers the topics and format of the workshop.

Setup
(1 hour)
Plaça Reial and Plaça de George Orwell
The fundamentals of observing a subject and constructing a drawing, including the most effective tools and strategies for achieving compositional accuracy. Simple measuring devices and techniques will be presented, followed by a very brief discussion regarding only the most essential – and most useful! – aspects of perspective. After a short demonstration by the instructor, participants will complete a series of small, three- to five-minute sketches that are limited to the basic structure of a subject, which, in this case, will be the Plaça Reial. The relatively simple, rectilinear form of this great urban space will serve as the basis for working with composition and basic perspective techniques, and the brevity of the exercises will keep the focus on the sketch setup rather than value, color, or detail. If there is time, and the group would like to try a more challenging subject, we will move to the Plaça de George Orwell, a fascinating triangular urban space just a two-minute walk from the Plaça Reial. This session will conclude with a brief sketchbook display and discussion.

Value
(1 hour)
Carrer Milans, Carrer Regomir, Carrer Palma de Sant Just
This session will build on the techniques learned in the first hour, but will be focused on the character of light as it works its way into the narrow, human-scaled streets of the Barri Gòtic. We will focus on basic and advanced techniques for strong, clear light in a variety of media, including skills related to the “logic” and “forcing” of shadows. Participants will work on a series of two-stage sketches, starting with a brief setup sketch and followed by the very quick and expressive addition of simplified, abstracted shadows. This session will conclude with a brief sketchbook display and discussion. (Note: In the unlikely event of overcast skies, the tall palm trees and darkened arches surrounding the Plaça Reial can be used as the subject for this part of the workshop.)

Beyond

(+/-30 minutes)
Plaça de Sant Just or Plaça del Pí
The workshop will conclude with a lively discussion of strategies intended to help each participant continue their own learning process. We will cover general concepts regarding how we acquire skills such as sketching, and specific techniques intended to help us break through plateaus or stagnation.

Learning goals

Participants will complete the workshop with the ability to:

• use essential strategies for observing subjects and accurately transferring these observations to the page, regardless of media. Such strategies will include pencil-sighting for measuring lengths and angles and sight-sizing for composition.
• use the most fundamental aspects of perspective as a way to increase accuracy and sketch complex spatial subjects with greater ease – without getting bogged down in complex rules and terminology.
• use abstraction as an aid to discovering the essence of a sketching subject, both formally and with respect to light.
• use increased speed and efficiency as a way to work through multiple readings of a scene, and to improve focus and drama in a sketch.
• continue their own process of learning after the Symposium concludes, by establishing goals for improvement and working toward these goals with a greater sense of focus and perseverance.

Supply list

This workshop will be open to all media preferences, but it will begin with exercises in soft graphite pencil (2B-4B). The instructor will come prepared to provide these pencils to all participants, so the only absolutely essential equipment is a sketchbook!

Other sample sketches

Panorama in Light and Shade (Workshop Q)

Instructor: Virginia Hein (Los Angeles, USA)
Location: Colom / Maremàgnum

How do you capture the scope of a wide, sweeping vista? This workshop will focus on composing a panoramic urban landscape with sensitivity to shape and the effects of light. Because a panoramic view often has more than one focal point, we’ll practice seeing and creating patterns and pathways of light and shade in the landscape for the eye to travel back and forth.

We’ll begin by really observing our location to see the light, the large shapes and the small details, and the patterns created by light and shade. We’ll experiment with several ways to quickly focus, discover different possibilities, and then select and compose views.

After practicing several techniques to focus on shape, contrast and pattern, we will use most of the workshop time to develop a larger composition. During the working process, we consider foreground, middle ground and background—and ways of expressing relative distance in a wide format. We continue to look for shapes and the range of values in the landscape, and observe the effect of the time of day and weather. We will use a limited palette, emphasizing warm and cool color to capture the effects of light and atmosphere. Details can be added with line as a counterpoint to areas of shape.

We gather at the end of the workshop to share sketches, experiences and insights.

Learning Goals:

• Participants will practice several ways of seeing and developing composition while drawing from a panoramic urban landscape.
• By focusing on shape, silhouette and the effects of light, participants will practice developing a drawing from general overview to particular details.

Suggested Materials:

• Watercolor sketchbook or sketchpad (paper heavy enough to use with wet media), horizontal or “panorama” format is ideal though not absolutely necessary
• Soft sketching pencils
• Sketching pen with permanent ink
• A travel watercolor set or other portable palette of watercolors
• Watercolor brushes in a range of sizes, and/or water brushes
• Water container
• Rags or paper towels

Optional materials could include colored pencils, kneaded eraser, folding stool or easel, etc.

Other sample sketches

Triad Symphony: Evocative Watercolor Sketches Using Three Primary Colors (Workshop M)

Instructor: Shari Blaukopf (Montreal)
Location: Carrer i església Sta. Anna

When I select a scene to sketch, I begin by thinking about interesting color and value relationships rather than how to capture a photographic view of the subject. This thought process applies whether I am sketching a quiet landscape, an urban scene or a crowded market. I want my sketch to evoke a sense of place, so I deliberately limit my palette to create a mood through harmony and unity.

Despite its name, a limited palette does not mean limited colors. Far from it! In this workshop students will learn to create evocative sketches using a palette of just three primary colors (alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and aureolin yellow).

Using this triad of pure hues, participants may be surprised at how they can create intense colors that add unexpected mood to their sketches. We will work on creating a center of interest in the sketch where the lightest lights, darkest darks and areas of purest color reside. By mixing some of our color right on the paper, we will also create lively transparent washes — rather than mixing up “mud”.

Workshop schedule:

I will begin the workshop by showing examples and demonstrating how I work with a limited palette to get bright secondary colors, luminous warms grays, cool neutrals and rich darks.

Participants will then have an opportunity to try the same mixes. Following that I will demonstrate adding color to three thumbnails of the same scene using different color schemes and invite participants to do the same.

In the last half of the workshop participants will choose their most successful thumbnail and work that up into a bigger sketch, focusing on creating a center of interest in the sketch. The workshop will end with participants sharing and discussing their work.

Learning goals:

At the end of the workshop students should be able to:

• Feel confident mixing fresh vibrant color using a limited palette
• Understand that value relationships are more important than local color
• Maintain lively transparent areas that don’t turn to “mud”
• Create darks that are vibrant
• Evoke mood through color

Supply list:

• Tube watercolors (ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, aureolin yellow)
 Pan colors require a lot of water to dilute, so I prefer tubes for richer, creamier colors
• Portable watercolor palette
• Watercolor sketchbook (Moleskine or other) or small 140 lb. watercolor block (the better your paper, the better your results will be!)
• Small plastic water bottle
• Watercolor brushes. I use three sizes (#3, #10, #14) but a #10 round is a good all-purpose brush
• Pencil, pen for drawing
• Folding stool (optional)

Sample sketches:

Straight to Masses: A Painterly Manner (Workshop H)

Instructor: Eduardo Bajzek (São Paulo, Brasil)
Location: Pintor Fortuny amb Xuclà

What does Painterly mean?

Painterly is basically a style of painting where the focus is on the masses of things, rather than on its edges. In opposition to Linear, which represents things as they are, tactile and tangible, Painterly represents what appears to be. By definition Painterly is: “a style of painting marked by openness of form, with shapes distinguished by variations of color rather than by outline or contour.”

What is this workshop about?

With the experience I had in Santo Domingo, I developed the workshop Straight to Colors, improving its ideas and exploring different techniques.

This workshop is about a solid concept, which is working with masses, one of the basic ideas behind the Painterly Style. Participants will be invited to skip the line drawing phase, searching for big shapes on their subjects. Gradually adding layers, participants will work the values from light to dark.

These are the main steps of this process:

• Try to catch the whole subject at once;
• Try to put everything in place using only masses, including building the perspective if it’s necessary.
• Work with a narrow range of values and reducing the masses progressively, until they resemble details.
• Suggest details, instead of describe them.

What techniques are we using in this workshop?

The concept of working with masses can be applied in any technique. However, some are more efficient than others. Like in Santo Domingo, participants will be invited to try art markers. In addition, they may use pencil or watercolor. They can also switch between techniques during the workshop.

• Pencil: The easiest technique, as you can avoid being distracted by colors and focus more on masses. It is more flexible than the others techniques, as you can go back if you make some mistake.
• Art markers: They are very useful when applied as masses. The application of art markers technique will be presented throughout a simple demonstration followed by individual comments.
• Watercolors: Can also be applied in a painterly manner, when we look for bi-dimensional shapes and suggesting details.

What about our drawing’s subjects?

Some picturesque subjects are perfectly suitable for a painterly treatment, such as run-down houses or a decaying environment. However, we can apply this concept in any kind of subjects, like people, animals, gardens, landscapes, a market, a waterfall, and so on. It is a matter of changing the focus and explores what is inside the edges.

How is the workshop going to work?

The workshop will be divided as follows:

I – PRESENTATION (15’)

The goals of the workshop will be presented visually - my own drawings and the work of other artists will serve as references.

II – PRACTICE (2h30’)

1º Part (1:00'): Quick and small sketches using a few shades of grey. In these exercises participants will build in layers from light to dark, in a narrow value range;
Example of subjects: trees, statues, parts of a building.

2º Part (1:30'): Careful, complex drawings, focusing on massing the shapes. At this point participants may apply the concept in a more relevant subject, and with colors if wanted.
Example of subjects: buildings, parts of urban landscape.

III – APPRAISAL (15’)

Individual comments are going to be made during the entire workshop. Even so, drawings will be placed side by side for evaluation. Participants will also be invited to share their thoughts about what they have experienced.

Participants will receive a brochure which will include the workshop’s main ideas and examples, for later reference.

What are we going to learn by the end of the workshop?

The main goal of this workshop is introducing the concept of massing, which is the main idea behind the Painterly Style, as mentioned before. This is a powerful tool to broaden our artistic repertoire.
Besides that, different aspects like using negative spaces of forms, perspective, and so on, can appear during the drawing process.

What media should we bring?

Pencil: participants should bring their own, from 2B to 8B;
Art markers: Although we will try to find a sponsor to provide art markers, you may want to bring your own set.
Watercolor: Participants should bring their own.

Dynamic Ink: Using Non-waterproof Ink Creatively (Workshop F)

Instructor: Norberto Dorantes (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Location: Laietana / Urquinaona / Carrer Comtal

Pens with non-waterproof ink can be an interesting and essential to dominate when we do sketching.

Often it is believed that we should use permanent ink before the watercolor, however, non-waterproof ink enhances the richness of the work and can create very interesting artistic effects.

This type of ink help us capture the light and atmosphere in a special and original form, since the ink in contact with water produces dynamism and strength in our sketches.

Benefits

• Produce fluency and freshness in the drawings.
• When using fine-tipped pens we can control the outflow of ink and avoid losing our stroke
• The tone of the ink (slightly purple, depending on the type of ink) creates a special atmosphere when it makes contact with watercolor.
• We can simply use water to produce depth or contrast in our work without other color.
• We work with graphics (stripes and patterns) in combination with stains (water touches or watercolor)
• We can use a variety of ink colors (brown, blue, black) to recreate special atmospheres.
• This technique is recommended for:
• Quick sketches and expressive (only need pen and brush with water!!!)
• Mid drawings preparation (when working with limited watercolor palette, using between one and even three colors) and
• Complex drawings (using a more extensive watercolor palette)

This workshop will focus on creating original and dynamic sketches following this strategy:

• Look for the best possible point of view.
• Find the places of greatest contrast. The light and shadow.
• General strokes with dynamic lines.
• Apply water where we want to emphasize a focal point.
• Develop foreground details.

Methodology

The workshop will develop as follows:

First: an introduction and overview demo.

Second: in each exercise you will learn a different kind of dynamic ink in which the instructor will give a brief explanation, demonstrate and give feedback individually.

Third: group feedback and expo.

Demo Exercise: We draw little sketches to find the best point of view and framing. Having thought about the strategy, we can work with swift and firm lines with pen F. We identify the main points of contrast, applying higher textures with pen. Then apply water beginning where we find shadows. Caring for our line we keep touching the lines where we look more interesting. We have many blank surface.

Learning goals

• You will acquire the skill to control the dynamic ink line when applying water or watercolor.
• You will use the dynamic ink to enhance the contrast and recreate the atmosphere of the site.
• You can apply this technique in a quick sketch and ink with water only, the second using two or three colors and a third drawing more complex sketches.

Supply list

• Watercolor sketchbook of any size. Paper that supports watercolor. The Stillman & Birn sketchbook is especially functional for both ink and watercolor washes.
• Pen Rotring Art Pen F, Lamy F or similar.
• Ink black, brown, blue and others!
• Watercolors Set
• N10 or N12 Brushes
• Water tank

Sample sketches

Lighting the City: Lights and Shadows amid Excitement and Serenity (Workshop A)

Instructor: Sagar Fornies (Barcelona)
Location: Plaça Vila Madrid i Carrer Canuda o Concepció

In this workshop we will study light in the urban landscape. By using saturated colors, participants will learn to create scenes with vivid contrasts and shadows.

We will also focus on composition, aiming to create drawings that convey a sense of serenity, as in a painting by Edward Hopper, or excitement, as in paintings by Vincent Van Gogh.

My interest lies in working with the light that surrounds us to identify areas of contrast and shade. Luckily, Barcelona is full of contrasting landscapes where we can focus on dark scenes and find spots of light.

Many times, as artists, we only pay attention to an object, often ignoring the environment or atmosphere that surrounds it. It's a process that does not solve the entire picture, but can give it an extra pictorial intensity. Over time, I learned how boring it is to try to follow the color palette of an urban landscape — there's too much chromatic monotony. In a very interesting conversation between Van Gogh and Gauguin, the painters were talking about the color of the sky. Van Gogh painted it blue, as he saw it, trying to represent the wind with his brushwork, while Gauguin painted it yellow, because what he was seeing was the light.

The structure of the workshop follows:

PART 1

After walking to the workshop location, we'll start with quick sketches using saturated colors in gouache or watercolor. We'll experiment with light working with few strokes, trying to cast shadows and illuminating the image inside the shadow to create more dimension in the drawing. (30 minutes. Six drawings. One-on-one instruction with attendees.)

Group huddle and explanation.

PART 2

In the second part, we'll move to slower drawings. We begin with stains, looking to depict areas of light and shade (chiaroscuro.) We'll follow adding lifework, which will follow the stains, not the other way around, as it's often done. (45 to 60 minutes. Four to five drawings. One-on-one instruction with attendees.)

Group huddle and explanation.

PART 3

In the last part, we will incorporate all of the above to the composition. First, we will learn how to compose a calm scene, intentionally providing sense of serenity that will make viewers slow down when they look at the picture.

Next we will make a sketch that conveys excitement, agitation, where the color stains and lines work together to create a frenzied atmosphere. (60 minutes. 2 drawings. One-on-one instruction with attendees.)

Group huddle, conclusion and assessment of the work.

Learning goals

• To learn how to identify areas of light and shade in the urban landscape.
• To create strong contrasts and shadows by using saturated colors.
• To use composition as a way to convey the atmosphere of a scene.   

Supply list

Watercolor or gouache, colored pensand pencils.

Sample sketches