Following on from our Art Starters class, Atwell Art Centre & Gallery offered a three week Acrylic Taster course that would finish off the term.
About seven of us enrolled without hesitation.
Our art teacher was Amanda Harris. Amanda’s teaching style is very directive and encouraging. I like the way she teaches.
Week 1
We all were given the same black and white seascape picture to sketch from and refer to.
After painting the background blue we sketched the outline of the rocks with charcoal (of course this is after our background had dried – with the aid of a hairdryer in the room). Once the sketch was done the picture was removed and we would never see it ever again! 🙂
The sky was our next step
Week 2
In week 2 we added our ocean.
I used Pthalo Blue, Cereleuan Blue, Cobalt Blue Hue, Titanium White, Aqua Green Light, Midnight Blue .
After our ocean was added, we touched up our sky and then began to work on our rocks using textured moulding paste.
Amanda suggested that instead of applying the textured paste directly onto our painting, that we could mix the paint into the paste then apply it on with a palette knife. 
The colours I used were Paynes Grey, Burnt Sienna, Raw and Burnt Umber.
Whilst I was applying it , I really didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing or what I should do to make it look more realistic. But I just allowed myself to go with the flow. I guess the beauty of it was that, if we made a mistake we could always paint over it.
And with the rocks, Amanda made an obvious suggestion of adding more colour to the rocks that I had already applied the textured paste to.
Week 3
Amanda was away this week and so Jillian was our relief teacher. Jillian described herself as a more detailed artist. And you could see this when she helped out some of the other students, using a much finer brush.
Our final week required us to touch up our sky, ocean and rock, and then we added our clouds and highlights.
Amanda, said knowing when to stop is absolute key in painting. And I believe her! There’s part of you that wants to keep added and “fixing” but it’s good to just stop and leave it for a day or two then come back to it.
Deciding on where the light source is coming from determines where you put your highlights. This may be very basic but as a beginner I didn’t know this at all. I have never really paid much attention to light source. I only paid attention to what I liked and didn’t like.
So this is my finished acrylic seascape which I am extremely proud of.
Week 3 for me was a more intuitive week of painting where I added colour and texture to where I felt it was necessary. Standing back from the painting from time to time to gain a better perspective.
I have shown this painting to quite a few of my friends and family and they are all surprised by my “talent” hehehe. Well, I suppose anyone can paint if they are taught how to. And I think for me the biggest factor that helps to paint more intuitively and by feel is that I paint left handed not right (using my right side of the brain more, when all my life since I was 3 years old I have been right handed and intellectualise just about everything).
Next term I have enrolled in a 10 week acrylics/mixed media course at Atwell Art Centre & Gallery, we’re beginning with a landscape. Come join me on my art journey.
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