Loosen Up: Techniques for the Painterly Approach
Val Nelson
Class Preview
0:57
- In-depth Instruction; over 173 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
The Gesture
20:43
Meet painting instructor Val Nelson as you learn how to see and understand the elements that make up a strong composition. Next, learn how to loosely block in the forms as you attempt to draw gesture, add energy and establish relationships between elements.
Blocking In Loosely
33:48
Start to paint a still life alongside Val as you learn how to mix colors, use medium to help your paint glide across the canvas, and loosely block in the major elements -- this time, in a different medium. Val shares valuable pointers on ways to use additive and subtractive painting techniques, pushing some details into the shadows and pulling others forward.
Edges & Values
33:29
Explore the boundaries between lost and found edges as you apply value and contrast to your still life. Learn how edges create depth in a painting, guiding the viewer's eye from object to object, making hard edges pop and creating the illusion that some objects are closer to the viewer. Next, discover how to push objects back in space as you add implied boundaries with soft edges, and surround them with similar values and hues.
Brush Size, Speed & Direction
31:27
Experiment with brushwork as Val walks you through the creation of a landscape painting. Work with fast and slow brushstrokes as you assess the energy and movement that both styles provide. Next, practice ways to create volume and a sense of direction as you work to portray accurate perspectives in your painting.
Varying Texture
17:29
Create varying textures and painterly effects with essential techniques like wet-on-wet and impasto. Val demonstrates methods used by the old masters, such as painting reflections in water or glass, and walks you through additional developments that you can make in your landscape painting.
Understanding Color
14:49
Color studies are one of the most valuable aspects of oil painting, and Val explains how to assess, mix and apply color with confidence. Explore ways to merge the classical and modern palettes as you mix gradations of different hues and chromas to create the exact colors and values that you desire, avoiding troubling muddy color mixtures in the process.
Finishing: Seven Key Questions
20:27
Nearly every artist will struggle with the age-old question: "When is a painting finished?" Val helps you solve this query with seven basic questions you can ask yourself as you assess your work. Learn how to step back from your canvas to see elements like composition, flow and value changes with new eyes. The final details you add will help guide the viewer's attention and create a palpable sense of dimension and separation between objects.
Achieve painterly effects while retaining strong structure with lessons from award-winning artist Val Nelson. Create a gesture drawing that captures the volume and energy of multiple elements. Learn essential color mixing theory and tips for avoiding muddiness. Fade details or bring them forward with additive or subtractive techniques. Enhance the spatial quality of your work with lost and found edges. Use brushwork techniques to enliven your work with focal points, movement and volume. Achieve different textures and impressive effects with wet-on-wet and impasto methods. Adjust hues and chromas to the colors and values you want on your canvas. Plus, learn seven questions that will guide your painting to a professional finish. Create painterly paintings with inspired movement and spontaneous energy.
Val Nelson
Val Nelson is an award-winning visual artist and sought-after painting instructor, who has taught painting at Emily Carr University and Vancouver School of Art, with rave reviews. An honors graduate of Emily Carr University, Val was honored in 2003 as a finalist for the Royal Bank painting prize. Val's work has been shown and collected internationally, and her work is included in the survey book International Painting 3, published by Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center. Val is represented by Bau-Xi Gallery in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as Galerie de Bellefeuille in Montreal.
Bonus materials available after purchase