Sketch and Paint Along with Robert – Pets and Farm Animals / Line and Watercolor

Our pets are near and dear to our hearts, and farm animals are a friendly and familiar sight in rural life. All are fun to sketch and paint! Learn tips and techniques that reveal an integral visual dialog between drawing and painting. You may choose to just watch or to sketch and paint along, step-by-step, with noted artist and very popular instructor Robert Carsten, using a combination of pencil, pen, watercolor and opaque white ink for select highlights. Each class will be recorded. Working on a small scale, we’ll create graphite and ink line and watercolor wash paintings from photos. Each week we will focus on a different subject utilizing diverse approaches and techniques. Besides being small works of art, these methods and techniques are also great for working up ideas in composition and color for larger paintings in any medium, or as an underpainting technique. Work from your own photos or Robert’s. Images and a materials list provided via Dropbox, where participants can also share zoom-class work or optional homework for written critique.

Week 1: Cat / fur and facial features
Week 2: Dog / gesture and expression
Week 3: Cow / pattern and form
Week 4: Chickens / feathers and attitude

Skills students will gain:
Compositional skills: Overall composition, scale and perspective, subject and background design
Drawing skills: initial line qualities with pencil and brush; expressive quick sketch and detailed study techniques
Color: color mixing and layering
Painting: wet on dry and wet into wet techniques, varied brush strokes