Illustration Master Class-- Day Five--Fri. June 19

Sorry for the being slow with posting on this (Dad went into hospital briefly for an angioplasty--all is well, no worries). Anyway... back to the IMC! On Thurday, I'd finally got my image on board (Clayboard 18x24), so I tore through the underpainting... I had to pretty much be careful to keep the image since the non-pigment ink had floated off during the wet-mount method and was VERY faint (and green!--used to be black!). I used burnt sienna acrylics, I think. I'm usually a burnt umber type of person, but was thinking of Boris's and Julie Bell's lighter-toned underpainting...

Here I am looking a bit manically at Diana Harlan Stein who was taking the photo over my shoulder...


Finally, finally, finally... Friday, I actually squeezed out some oils... all brand-spanking-new W&N tubes. We had a list of basic colors to buy, and that's what I had. I was a bit confused about which mediums to use and tried linseed and turp with a smidgen of cobalt dryer... although I decided I didn't like the dryer since it totally seized up the paint way too quickly (I probably had used too much! --also, the stuff is horribly toxic). I was told that Boris and Julie didn't like using any mediums at all... and I was discovering that if I painted thinly enough, the oils would dry pretty well as it was. I still continued to use the linseed oil/turp mix, though.

Rebecca Guay was down in our Studio and she came by to paint a bit on the dress, saying that it was possible to glaze with white... she put a bit into the water and smudged it around, saying it could be misty-looking... That helped a LOT, since I totally suck at drapery (even with my photo-ref) and I didn't have a clear idea of how I wanted the painting to look. I usually don't work at all so high-key... it was weird (I was still totally at sea!), but cool (love trying new stuff!).

Basically, the underpainting, with some blue in the sky/distance (cobalt and ultramarine), some green in the leaves and some light flesh tones on her face and the thin layer of white on her dress... the white glaze over the underpainting created a sort of violet cast to the shadows. So yes, I caught up quite a bit in one day.


Greg Manchess and Scott Fischer did some duel-painting on Ruth's piece. It was amusing to watch and attracted a crowd of on-lookers--


There were putting in some color on the banners--


The after-lunch lecture was by Special Guest Jon Foster. We couldn't take photos or record. But in the general presentation that was shown the first day, and run again the last day, I snapped a few quick pictures of his (very recognizable) work, here's one--


He gave an amusing/interesting run-down of his past (community college, jobs, Parson's in NY, being OCD-ish, going to RISD, working in art store while looking for work... for years, finally getting stuff in Aboriginal SF mag., meeting other artists at cons, Spectrum 3--a big break for him, TSR, Wizards, Tor books, Dark Horse, Vertigo, National Geo., etc.)

He did the cover for Brandon Sanderson's MISTBORN, (which is where I first noticed his art, several years ago)--


And this book (which I also read, but can't remember who it's by... GREAT cover, though!--


And the sequel--


Dunno where this lovely piece is from--


He stayed to do a Digital Demo--a sketch of a head from ref., using Painter and Photoshop.

Boris and Julie presented the after-dinner lecture. No photos allowed, either. And wow, I was SO sleepy!!! but had to stay awake, of course! They do their underpainting in acrylic. Block in dark areas in oil, use turp as medium, pick off paint with turp. Use #1 W&N Ser.7 Round Sables for faces.

They've been together over 20 years, over 100 pieces done together. Found their body-building background very helpful.

by Julie (from the same instructor's art presentation)--


by Boris--


Late night in the Studio... Charles Vess inked his Lady of the Lake piece--


And started painting--


Student work, Studio A, Princess of Mars piece--


And another--


Student work, Digital--


Tired, but everyone was still painting until the wee hours of the morning. Money was collected and pizza was ordered again. This time I ordered a bottle of diet coke--which I totally needed (caffeine-wise!). Only one more painting day to go on Saturday before the showing of the work on Sunday, and the clean-up... Everyone was pretty frantic...

TO BE CONTINUED LATER...