Painting with limited colours

As mentioned in a previous Blog about painting with limited pallet, today I tried out my theory. The students found it much easier to using only two colours and were getting a little frustrated that they could not put in the shadows.
Yes, we did paint over the painting we had already started. The good thing about doing so many layers of paint is that the images look like they had a depth which is impossible to achieve with only one or two layers of paint.

Next steps of learning:
Next week when the painting are dry I will teach them to do dry brush painting. This way the paint will be easier to apply in limited areas of their portrait.

Comment for students:
"I made my face look roundish by curving the colours with brush strokes." Paul

"I made my painting look better by painting over my guidelines." Sky

Sketching improved

Today the students did self portrait sketches using black and white pastels. They had to start with whisper lines, getting the shapes and proposition correct before putting in shadows and light. Not only do they look in a mirror, but many of them felt their faces to see which way the skin ran and what parts were curved. By using the pastels, students cannot rub out and are forced to be courageous about drawing the image.

With regular practice the childrens sketching skill and powers of observation have improved. They are now taking more care looking at the shape of objects, there they interconnect and where the shadow and light lay.

In the two photos on this Blog, the left hand sketch was do a few weeks ago and the one on the right was done today by the student hold the sketches. As you can see there is improvement in the student developing their own style while incorporating the sketching techniques taught to them.

Next learning step:
Using different medium to practice sketching the same objects. Move to sketching the whole body.
Comments for students:


“I found it easier to see the shadows and light today”. Louise


“If I don’t use the techniques to get the proportions right my face looks wrong.” Grace

“I still need to put in more shadow to make my face look rounded.”