First Oil Painting Assignment!

Just a little look into the first figurative painting class I had! It's a pretty fun experience, and oil painting is just addictive....

I missed out my very first class actually... it appeared that there were some screw ups in the timetable, and the supposed Thursday class was actually together with the Tuesday class. So.. I didn't know what to bring or do for the following class. Rang up Beryl for some help, and glad she did fill me in on some important stuff. However, I bought the wrong paints, thinking that the colors needed were actaully the primary colors when Ms Joan Kelly asked for a slightly toned down palette of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, any type of blue and white. Ah well, different teachers have different ways I guess. Using Van Gogh brand... was nothing compared to what the school can supply... Man! I couldn't believe they got Old Holland stuff and no one touched it!!!!! O_O Free for all to take!!!! OMG... (that cost three digits for a tube... but the colors are super vibrant!)



The setting... We were told to bring a white object, which I forgot totally while I rushed out of my house that day... so anyhow kapok some objects in the room. Shawn, Beryl and I were kind of stuck to a corner there, a pretty bad corner actually, we hardly any space for the standing easels. Joan saw our situation and taught us how to use the foldable easels. It's a good thing we learn that, cos the foldable easels are adjustable to the point that we can sit on short stools and paint with ease while others had to either stand or sit on the tall stools, which were pretty uncomfortable.



After the first lesson, this was what I had on my wooden board. All messy and patchy, but it was fun. I hardly noticed we've overshot the lesson time. Since it must be completed by the following week, I went back today to get it done.



Random work in progress... Did away with the belt, cos the straightness of it is just awkward in the composition.



And this was what I've did by the end of today's self-initiated session....! Struggled with the pot... couldn't seem to make it 3d enough. Guess it's proportions isn't very accurate. Realised I tend to make the picture look kind of rough, some kind of spontaneous start and a careful end, still being able to see the brush strokes. There was a guy who rendered his picture very smoothly. Maybe I can challenge myself to do the 'Van Eyck' way next time, haha.