Create beautiful portraits using your photographs. While painting portraits from scratch may feel too intimidating, we’ll use our photos as the underpainting, and build on the surface with both dry media painting materials (pastel, colored pencil..) and water media materials (watercolors, crayons, pencils). Many of us have these sorts of supplies on hand already. With our photographs forming the underlying structure, we’ll work directly onto the surface of photos, to create rich, layered, beautiful imagery. Besides creating gorgeous pieces that can stand alone, the techniques covered in class can be used on images in other mixed media art work- art journal pages, collages, paintings, and drawings. You will find the methods used to be relaxing, and meditative, as we look into the images to guide our choices and approaches.
Supply List:
- portrait photos printed on Staples® Photo Supreme Double-Sided Matte photo paper*
two types of art supplies:**
- dry art media- colored pencils/pastels/graphite/charcoal/artist crayons **
- water-soluble art media - colored pencils, artist crayons, graphite, watercolors**
- baby wipes
- newspaper for a work surface
- rag
- paint brushes***
- water container
Optional:
- heavyweight paper or journal for mounting photos
* Printing your photos- please print them as close to 8.5 x 11 as you can. Please use the paper noted above. This paper is inexpensive (just $14.99 for 50 sheets) & can be found at Staples in the store or on-line. Both sides of the paper can be printed upon.
If you don’t want to buy a full pack of the Staples paper, I’ll gladly mail you ten sheets for the cost of the paper and shipping costs. You will need to contact me by February 14, in order for your paper to arrive in time.
Please bring mainly portraits that are close-ups - no further away than head-and-shoulders type shots. If you are bringing object-type portraits, they also should be shot from close range. Images taken with point & shoots and phones are great. Resolution isn’t critical.
**You don’t need to bring all of the dry media or all of the water-soluble media. Bring a sufficient assortment of each type that you can mix and match. A broad selection of colors is an important consideration. Take a look at your photos and choose colors based on your image content. Don’t forget to bring the tools you use to work with your materials (pencil sharpener/eraser/blending stump/cosmetic sponge etc.).
*** Bring brushes that will allow you to work detail as well as small to medium sized areas. You will need one disposable foam brush, 1” wide.
A Little About ME
Passionate about creating rich visual journal pages and intriguing artist books, LK Ludwig has authored four books related to art journaling for Quarry Books. LK is a firm believer in the idea that by working with what we know and using accessible art materials- a digital camera, a printer, and basic art supplies- we can create extraordinary, meaningful visual journals. With studio spaces that are in the middle of her family's life (the entry way of their home and an island in the kitchen of their river cottage), with small children, an artist-husband, and a chocolate lab puppy underfoot, LK works each day, inspired by what she sees through her camera lens and with her heart. LK lives in Pennsylvania and loves traveling throughout the U.S. to teach classes to other artistic souls.
