How to Prepare for an Art Workshop

I love taking workshops! I also love teaching and the many workshops I have taken over the years have made it possible for me to grow as an artist and now to be able to share the things I've learned with you! I have a busy year ahead with workshops and other fun travel (more on that soon) and I hope it will be my pleasure to have the opportunity to meet and share with many of you!

If you are planning to attend an art workshop this year, here are some tips for preparation.

• Prepare your supplies.  Make sure you have the supply list and clarify any questions you have about supplies before you get there. Find out what equipment will be available at the workshop such as tables or easels.

• If you have any new supplies such as a new easel or box....try them out at home to be familiar with your new equipment. You'll have enough to think about at the workshop without getting frustrated with your equipment. 

• Make sure you can manage your supplies. If it is a studio workshop try to get your supplies condensed so you can fit everything in one cart of bag. You don't want to have to make several trips to the car. You also might not have a big space to spread everything out. This is especially important for a plein air workshop!

• CONDENSE your pastels.  Not only does having several boxes of pastels take up valuable space, it is not the best way to paint. Try to get them into one box...a Heilman or Dakota traveler box is the ideal solution. See my post on this topic here.

• Don't forget to bring something for your finished paintings. For smaller pastels you can use a pad of tracing paper. or make your own folder with glassine paper.
• Bring a towel for the floor.....sometimes the floor is carpeted and even if it isn't a towel will cushion the blow for a dropped pastel!

• Don't forget a NOTEBOOK and pen. I keep a separate notebook for each workshop I take and keep them all together on a shelf. This makes it easy to refer back to my notes. Some like to write notes in a sketchbook which works too!

• Bring a CAMERA.  You will want to photograph the demos in progress if you can.  Not to mention any photo ops at the workshop location.

In addition to preparing supplies it is just as important to Prepare your MIND.  Reflect on why you are taking the workshop. What do you hope to learn?  Study the instructor's books, dvds, blog so you can have an idea of their teachings. It will make more sense when you hear it again in person!

Adjust your ATTITUDE.  It is most helpful to approach a workshop with an open mind. Be prepared to try things out of your comfort zone and to remember it is not about impressing the instructor with your skill but to learn new things!  Rarely do you do your best work in a workshop because you are in learning mode!

PLAN TO HAVE FUN!  A workshop is part of your journey and it should be fun!

Finishing a Workshop Demo: Back to the Plan!

'Drama in the Afternoon'           16x20         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $250

 You really never know how it will turn out. Painting in front of a group of artists and trying to be in the zone while at the same time trying to verbalize what you are doing is challenging.  Sometimes the demo goes as plans but sometime it takes on a life of its own. Sometimes it becomes only a teaching tool and then painting is not really a painting but rather a visual aid to help explain concepts.

I am always happy when a demo painting is successful and especially when it finds a good home with  someone in the workshop. The demo paintings that come home with me are usually finished after some time and evaluation.  Today's painting is a finished demo from my recent Florida workshop. On evaluating the demo I realized I had strayed from my initial plan.

The  painting as it stood at the end of the demo.

I like to start a painting with a plan. "Make a Plan and Plan to let Go" is my mantra. In the workshop. I go through a variety of techniques for making a plan. As I paint sometimes a painting strays from the plan. Sometimes that is a good thing. I like to listen to a painting when it starts changing. It might be a better solution. But often the plan was solid and getting back to it will improve the painting.

I decided that the demo had moved away from the plan slightly. It wouldn't take much to bring it back. I made notes about what I needed to do. Have a look below at the plans.....The reference photo is at the top. A 2.5x3.5 inch color study is below. The two value NOTAN thumbnail is below. My concept for the painting was the contrast of the light behind the dark trees...the drama of light and dark.  The demo painting had become too light and bright. The drama was missing. Here is what I did:

• I sprayed the trees and ground with workable fixative to darken these areas.
• I used a couple of dark value pastels to darken the foreground. (burgundy and blue)
• I added a dark tree shape on the left increasing the area of dark vs. light.
• I added more interest to the trees with some darker and warmer greens.
• I kept the light on the grasses confined to a smaller area on the upper left rather than allowing the light to extend to the bottom of the painting.
• I added more bight spots of light behind the dark tree trunks making the negative spaces more interesting.

The planning stages for the painting

After spraying a darkening the foreground and adding a dark tree on the left

Plein Air Can be Simple!

'Early Fall Impressions'      5x7     plein air pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $95

Wouldn't it be nice to have a simple, fun and productive plein air outing? There are so many benefits to getting outside and painting from life but there are just as many obstacles that make it challenging. I laugh when I think of the amount of stuff I tried to drag around when I was new to plein air painting. And I could not figure out how to narrow it down and find a good subject no matter how many viewfinders I bought!

But time and experience have taught me how to simplify....both equipment and approach to finding a suitable subject. Now plein air is an amazing experience that I know is helping me grow as an artist.

'Goldenrod Study'    4x4    pastel    $65

Let me share one of my favorite tips for successful plein air experiences.

Zoom in and get intimate 

 Instead of trying to put everything in a 5 mile radius into one 5x7 painting, pick one thing and paint an intimate portrait of that thing. Challenge yourself to find the beauty in ONE SMALL THING. Use descriptive words to describe your thing and paint your description. Yellow, dancing, delicate sparkles against a dark shape are the words I used to describe this stand of Goldenrod. It was easy to paint one small part of the huge and overwhelming field.

'Golden Fields'    6x8    $75

If you liked the tip I have many more to share. Consider taking on one day plein air workshop in the beautiful North Georgia mountains on September 8, 2016 from 10am to 4pm – This workshop is held in conjunction with the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association's Plein Air event. It's a great excuse for a fun getaway weekend with your art friends! Here is the class description:

Karen Margulis Plein Air One-Day Workshop
Take part in a Plein Air one-day learning experience with renowned pastel and Plein Air artist Karen Margulis. Open to artists of all mediums, Karen will share a 6-step approach to simplifying subject matter and creating a successful painting. Artwork creating during class is not eligible for event awards and judging, but may hang during the exhibit. Space is limited; please contact the Art Center directly for class information and registration.

http://www.blueridgearts.net/fall-plein-air-event.html

'Across the River'        8x10      pastel       $150

Five Ways I was Enriched by the Plein Air Convention #PACE16

'Cliff Study'         5x7      plein air pastel       ©Karen Margulis

Five seems like a good number. It was the 5th Annual Plein Air Convention. It had been 5 years since I had attended the last convention. So I happily accepted Marsha Hamby Savage's challenge to list 5 things I took away from this year's convention. Except five is not nearly enough! I had to narrow it down for the challenge. I decided that I would go through my notes and pull out five quotes that touched me in some way....they were 'Bright Spots'.  These are things that I heard during the many demos and presentations that made me pause. There is so much more but this is a start! Enjoy my take-aways along with my photos and bonus quotes.

"Out of Sight is Out of Mind"   Eric Rhoads

1.    "People don't always READ"  Eric Rhoads. 

During the second day of art marketing bootcamp Eric cautioned us not to post unfinished or paintings- in- progress on social media because people don't always read the commentary and may assume that your unfinished work is actually your finished/best work!

"To be loose you have to understand design, sculpture and calligraphy" Jove Wang

2.  "Even = Boring"  Jove Wang

Even though Jove's amazing demo was done with a translator this gem was spoken loud and clear. Jove emphasized the importance of design in a painting as well as the calligraphy of brushstrokes. Jove's demo was a visual treat with much yet to absorb.

"Allow Yourself Freedom to Fail"   Matt Smith

3.  "Override what you see to create the ILLUSION"  Matt Smith
There were many pearls of wisdom in Matt's demo but this one spoke to me. It reinforces how important it is to master the basics so that we can create a believable landscape.

 "If you are painting but not pushing yourself you are just performing" Bryan Mark Taylor

4. "Performance is not Practice"  Bryan Mark Taylor

Bryan Mark Taylor's presentation was truly an AHA moment for me and I am currently 'geeking out' on anything I can read about the topic of practice. I am still digesting this and figuring out how to make  changes in my routine. Life Changing!

"Too many stories in a painting is too much"  George Strickland

5. "Don't put a James Michener novel in an 8x10" George Strickland

I loved George's demo and was happy that he had helped me out in the field and gave me some great tips. His quote says it all about simplification and the importance of knowing what compels you to paint a scene.

Tomorrow I will share five things I learned from an art road trip!