Workshop: Figures and Movement by Ken Lilley

Ken's red carrot figure and MW figure

 This month we had a workshop led by Ken Lilley. His aim was to get us all painting figures in a simple constructive way so that we would feel competent to add figures to our landscapes or city cityscapes. He said”, Very little is needed to persuade the viewer that the figure is a credible person, but the proportions must be right. To help this to be effected, he suggested that the head would go into the length of the body 7 times. Michael, standing with his hands in his jean pockets, was used as an example for this rule.

Ken's painting expressing movement

We were not going to try to draw a figures in detail but rather give an impression. The first exercise that was demonstrated was the use of a carrot shape and then the MW concept. Further illustrations were put onto a board and onto a computer screen.

The first task in a sequence of suggested quick paintings was a line of people from the imagination with  their backs towards the painter. Next, movement with ink or pencil added to a quick painted figure to give a feel of movement. Lastly, a rainy day with long vertical shadows (from Ken’s sketch book).

Other prompts circulated were a book entitled “Learn to paint people quickly” by Hazel Soan, an SSA article in this month’s Paint magazine and another article in this month’s Leisure Painter.

This exercise gave us all more confidence in describing the human figure in a simple and economical way when using watercolour paint.

Below are works from (decending) David, Michael and Frank.

Renaissance Techniques Using Acrylic Glazes

Copy of Giotto's Christ

What a treat for members of the Market Harborough Art Club, everyone was engaged with Glenn Badham's power point delivery on Renaissance art. In addition, he did a practical demonstration on how the three kinds of under painting can affect the colour when thin veils of paint and medium are applied to the surface.

Giotto did his under paintings in green and like magic Christ’s face was transformed to brown when a red glaze was applied to the painting using a soft brush.  Glenn then added transparent yellow and orange to warm those browns. He then showed us how the addition of white for the highlights removed any trace of the underpainting.

Two more demonstrations, the second and easiest to do was a bistre showing the folds in a garment.

The three pre-prepared paintings

The third a grisaille (grey tones) detail taken from the famous painting done by Vermeer of a “Girl reading a letter at an open window”. Adding thin washes of yellow over his pre-prepared  grey scale painting, then red and blue in darker areas, Glenn transformed the grisaille into colour. He said that by working in this way, an accurate drawing or sketch would not be lost when colour was added.

Glenn’s presentation and demonstration was highly informative and full of tips and techniques, a lot to take in, so if your art group books Glenn Badham, make sure you take your notebook!

The transformation of the grisaille to colour using renaissance glazing techniques.

See Vermeer's famous painting here. 

Painting Competition

Archie - Animal, vegetable and mineral

It was our AGM this month and after we'd got through the business in hand, it was time to enjoy ourselves by taking part in the Painting Competition, which is designed to take the stress out of the AGM!

Thirteen members took part and we were allowed to vote for three paintings which we liked. After a refreshment break and milling around the paintings, it was time to count the votes and announce the winners.

This year, Archie scooped 1st place with his painting "Animal, Vegetable and Mineral". New member Helen came second with a miniature painting of her kitten "Poppy". Lastly, two members shared third place, David with "Euphorbia" and me (Frank) with "Cow".

Everyone got at least one vote and the voting and social atmosphere soon banished any trace of the dullness of an AGM!

Helen - Poppy

Frank - Cow

David - Euphorbia

Cityscape in Watercolour

Finished painting - Meeting Street, Quorn

In his demonstration, Leicester based artist Andy Shore gave us a demonstration on how to paint a cityscape (meeting Street, Quorn) using watercolours. He came prepared with a Saunders Waterford 140lb stretched paper pre-drawn with portions that were masked out using a stencil and sprayed with latex. Andy said that this was a much cheaper option than masking fluid and easier to remove.

Prepared paper masked off using latex sprayed over a stencil

Andy at work

After wetting the surface of the paper and using Winsor & Newton professional watercolours, he first set about quickly laying a wash for the sky using lemon yellow and venetian red. Other colours used in the painting were Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Violet, ultramarine and burnt sienna. The two cobalt colours were mixed to paint the foreground shadows, after peeling off the latex.

Andy said that it was possible to glaze darker colours only two or three times before they started to look muddy. The trees were blocked in at first, then the finer branches were done using a sword brush. Lastly, finer details were added, though Andy said that it was best to suggest these somewhat. Another finishing touch was to lift out some of the paint for highlights and smoke from one of the chimneys.


This was a super demonstration, much enjoyed by our members.

Source photo

A watercolour workshop with Michael Edwards

Michael guided the art club members through watercolour washes for beginners. As a beginner it was perfect combination of demonstration, and instruction, far easier than following a book and DIY.  Looking around the room I could see the experience water-colourists’ also benefited.

We were gently guided through:

1.   Background wash

2.   Foreground grass

3.   Removing hard edges, branches and twigs

4.   Direction of the light, and tones

5.   Finishing, making additional statements

Creative but not constrained as the members of the group were allowed to choose and develop their own work. Had I had been taught watercolour by Michael before my art may have taken a different direction. Having said that I will apply what I have learnt to my sketchbook work.

A big thank to you Michael.

Christmas Painting

Our art club met for the last time in 2018 with an informal painting session. We were spurred on by a quiet, relaxed atmosphere and an unhealthy supply of the most sumptuous mince pies, provided by Ken in celebration of Christmas!

 Archie produced this fabulous landscape in next to no time, while Frank got lost in the detail of this classic car. Jane was very much taken by a blackbird she'd spied eating the berries on a pyracantha on the hedge next door and proceeded to sketch it.

Ken was very much in seasonal mode with his painting of a church in the snow and Leslie went into illustration mode sketching a buddha's head ready for a painting.

Lynda surprised us all when she got out her knitting needles and started to Knit, then amazed us by producing these three bespoke Christmas cards!

On the whole, the evening showed what true diversity our members have when it comes to art.

A Collage workshop

On Friday 26th October, Ken led the members into making collage pictures.

He began by saying, 'The art of collage goes back into the beginning of paper making by the Chinese before the Egyptians,3000 BC or even earlier; it is not a modern art form. Collage comes from the French "colle" - glue or "coller " to glue and that is what we
shall be doing tonight.' He then referred  to two books that had been an inspiration to him, "Collage , colour and texture painting " by Mike Bernard and Robin Capon and a more definitive source ,"Creative collage techniques. He exemplified

the use of some of their suggestions by showing some of his own creations. A painting of Dresden, which had sold at one of our exhibitions and a transcription of a Monet using coloured tissue paper to create the stratification of the cliffs at Etretat and then adding acrylic and inks.He suggested  preparing a sketch book for holidays with random shapes of paper stuck to the pages and  using cafe receipts as a background and showed examples of both. Similarly he showed how a still life could be begun with random shapes stuck on to the paper. He also had  part of his course work with local artist Brian Taylor using tissue paper to create trees in a landscape painting before adding colour and then putting more PVA glue on the dried painting to give a gloss,bringing  out the colour.  Frank Bingley and he had been to a workshop by Daniella Vaughan who makes collage using coloured magazine pages but torn, not cut.

     



         Frank showed his

'Seagull painting' and Ken, ' a Robin'. After another session with Daniella, Ken had created a political portrait of Donald Trump beginning with a background of newsprint of articles about him. To get members started Ken suggested they might try making a towns-cape and showed Julian Trevelyan's painting. They might prefer to use their own ideas and subjects using newspaper or magazine coloured pictures. And off everyone went and 'Wow' what pictures they created!