Seven Days in March

Sorry about that, but we are already seven days into March. Apologies for the delay in reminding you what’s on!

On Wednesday, it’s our monthly Drop-in Session to help you get on with your own project in appreciative company. Details here, and remember it’s at the Community Large Hall on Hursley Road, not the Methodist Centre.

Workshops

Saturday 11th it is a palette knife landscape or seascape workshop with Stephen Foster. This was so popular that we have arranged a second one, in May. No, it’s not an aberration of the Calendar.

All the places for the workshops for this year have now been allocated. If you haven’t had confirmation of your successes and waitlist places, please contact Roy. And don’t forget to pay. You should have had all the details in an email around 22nd Feb.

Sunday 19th March we have our monthly Life Drawing workshop in the Church Hall. Wrap up well as the priority for the limited heating is our poor model! Life drawing workshops were also booked last month, check your email for around 22nd if you don’t recall getting one. There are a few spaces left for both March and April (16th).

Our Quiz Night!

Wednesday 22nd brings us a Quiz Night hosted by Bev and led by Jacky. Tea and coffee etc in the interval. And… there may be prizes! Jacky says this is not a test of how much you know about art. Hopefully you may learn a thing or two (she has, in setting the questions) but the main thing is to have a fun evening. Laughter, bafflement, and a few groans, probably!

The Spring Tabletop Exhibition

Spring Tabletop exhibition at the Dovetail Centre, 29/30 April 10 till 4

We are preparing a print run of flyers for you to give to your friends, neighbours, and anyone else willing to spread the world.

Thank you Sue Bowery for letting us use her lovely picture.

Please let Gill know how many flyers you think you could use asap. The poster can also be downloaded here for those who would like to spread it around their social media. If you can do that with a banner style on a webpage, that’s here.

If you are not a member and wish to take part in workshops and other active art, then why not invest a very small amount of money in joining us? Contact Gill (cfagmemsec at gmail dot com) for details.


Your treats for February

After five Mondays in January – such a long month – we have a short and snappy February programme.

On Wednesday, it’s our monthly Drop-in Session to help you get on with your own project in appreciative company. Details here, and remember it’s at the Community Large Hall on Hursley Road, not the Methodist Centre.

Saturday 11th it is the Watercolour workshop with Kirstin White. We put out a call for a late place available last month. I think it’s been taken, but if you are interested, contact Roy.

Sunday 19th Feb we have our monthly Life Drawing workshop in the Church Hall. Wrap up well as the priority for the limited heating is our poor model!

Wednesday 22nd brings us a Zoom demonstration from Chris Forsey entitled ‘Moorland in Winter’ in Acrylic. This looks to be very interesting. Since our painter in oils decried the plastic used in acrylics, it will be interesting to see what Chris says on the subject.

Members will have received two emails with the opportunity to book workshops (life drawing and tutored painting ones) late in January. If you haven’t already responded you may be too late, but check the email anyway. The process after taking all workshop requests is for a computer to allocate places taking account of whether you’ve been successful in the past or not. The aim is to ensure everybody gets at least one of their choices. Then there is the waiting list, so all is not lost if you miss out on a place you hoped for.

If you are not a member and wish to take part in workshops and other active art, then why not invest a very small amount of money in joining us? Contact Gill for details.


Welcome to 2023!

We welcome 2023 in with our first Drop-in session of the year, tomorrow 11th Jan, at the Community Centre Hall on Hursley Road.

New calendar

You’ll find the new programme has been updated here, with as much detail as we have until June, then mainly listings. Undoubtedly, like me, you will find the workshop you really, really wanted to do clashes with something else you’re booked for. With me, that is the Paul Berryman workshop, on June 10. I even got some of those charcoal pencils he recommended, as a Christmas present!

I’m also really interested in the Batik demonstration in March, and several other events.

batik from handprinted.co.uk

The highlight of the spring must be our Tabletop Exhibition on the last weekend in April (29/30) at the Church Hall. It’ll be eighteen months since our last one! How time flies.

January feast

January has a feast of all your favourites: a workshop with Helen Talbot on Buildings in Pen and Wash; Life Drawing Sunday; a New Year Lunch (sign-ups closed in December), and we finish with a Zoom Demo by Roger Dellar – Demo in Oils – on the last Wednesday of the month.

There must be something for you here, so I look forward to seeing you at one of the events (or online!)


Paul Berryman – the Terminator!

report by Jacky

At our Zoom demonstration last Wednesday Paul Berryman showed us his secret to shadows – use the Terminator!

Apart from a film character, ‘terminator’ is the word used for the border between sunlight and dark on a planet or moon. So this border between light and shade is what Paul focuses on when drawing life models.

He showed us how he draws, quickly and in one considered line, the outline of the model. Then he outlines the critical edge to the deep shades – the terminator. If I said he then fills it in and blurs it to the correct tonal values that would make it sound easy – but in essence that’s the plan.

What to use

It does depend on what you use, and Paul generously shared the tools he used on the demo as follows:

  • General’s Charcoal pencils – (orange) recommended 2B, 4B, not so much the 6B – very soft!
  • Tombow eraser – 2.3mm (try Jacksons for suppliers)
  • Seawhite newsprint pads A4 or A3 depending on your preference
  • Helix A5 Metal Pencil sharpener
  • Blending stumps, widely available anywhere

I was happy to see I was on the right lines with my first Life Drawing workshop as I’d brought a stack of newsprint (saved from packing when I moved) as it seemed a good medium with charcoal. But I must get those pencils and the Tombow eraser – and a good sharpener – I’ve already had several useful pastel pencils eaten by an ordinary sharpener!

Enjoyable

I really enjoyed this demo – possible the more so because I could watch it from home and scribble as many notes as I liked. Paul also sent links to his model photos. I’m planning to practice on some of them.

The discussion on schools of drawing and the animation approach was very interesting. If you’ve missed it, or want to go over it again, Gill sent the link to the recording of the demo, but it’ll only be available for another week, so act now!

Lighting

We had a quick discussion on lighting the models for our life drawing workshop, so I hope our organisers can get some good strong but low energy lights to enhance our model’s shadows for next time.

Comments from other members

It is certainly great not to venture out in these dark evenings.

Thank you for all the demo information on materials. There was a lot of information from Paul last night.

Thank you for forwarding the list- yes he was magic I thought. For me, best we’ve ever had. 

Thank you so much Gill [for the recording link] that is excellent.  We are looking forward to watching this demonstration when we have a moment.

It was a super demo, I shall enjoy it a second time with the recording, and I’m sure learn even more.


Life Drawing reaches new heights

By Peter Maule

The final Life session of the year took place on Sunday with Vince as a new model to the group.  He quickly got into some challenging poses, challenging for the artists that is, although he managed to maintain the poses with commendable stillness.

A surprise to all attending, was his standing pose atop of a double height structure giving all the chance to try a vertical standing pose. I think many hearts were in mouths while he settled himself, but he clearly knew what he was doing. We were all treated to various foreshorten poses, adding challenge and variety to the excellent session. We are all looking forward to starting again in January next year.

We’re still having some challenges with the heating in the hall for the model, but hopefully all will be sorted out soon.


November reminders

A gentle reminder of this month’s items…

Drop-In session

The Drop-in is next Wednesday, 9th, at the Community Hall on Hursley Road, 10 till 1. If you haven’t already made your piece for December’s social event, you might like to fix that here!

Workshop

Phil Biggs
Phil Biggs

Sunday 13th is the watercolour workshop with Phil Biggs, which looks most interesting, but is fully booked. And please note it is Sunday, not the more usual Saturday.

Life Drawing

The following Sunday is month’s life drawing session, and like the watercolour workshop, is the last one of the year.

Zoom Demo

We start our winter demonstrations on Wednesday through the medium of Zoom (at your own home, or place of convenience). Life drawing in charcoal, by Paul Berryman. Watch for the members email with log-in details.


A warm welcome at October’s Life Drawing

We welcomed some new members to our life drawing workshop in October (16th), but the main warmth was the hall itself. Not overly so, but much better than September!

Our model posed in several demanding poses over the two hours, for both him and the artists. Standing or bending over, using a support, were quicker poses (5 – 10 mins). Lying tended to be for 20-30 minute poses. Perspective from the foot up on a prone pose was especially difficult.

Digital using Sketches on iPad (Jacky)

A quick check on a sample of attendees revealed several media in use. Pencil probably most common, but charcoal, pastel, inks, pastel pencil, and a first attempt at digital life drawing all made an appearance.

Pastel pencils on paper

Don’t forget: our last live Demonstration of the year – Peter French -is on Wednesday at the Methodist Church.


Busy Week Ahead for Chandlers Ford Artists

It’s a busy week this week, with a cluster of active painting opportunities, only one of which has places available.

Wednesday 12th – Drop-in session

drop-in July

You don’t have to book for a Drop-in session, as that’s just what it is. Drop in between the hours of 10 and 1 at the Community Centre Hall on Hursley Road.

Bring your own work in progress, of any type–we have some dedicated fabric artists as well as people working in paint and other media. If you have liquid media, please bring something to protect the floor as well as the table.

Saturday 15th – Workshop with Ali Lindley

Ali’s earlier workshop was so popular, she’s back for more. Ali is a former member of the group, so she’s among friends as well as fellow-artists. This workshop will focus on abstracted landscapes, working in watercolour, and incorporating line and pattern. We hope to bring you a sample of the works here afterwards.

Sunday 16th – Life Drawing session

This is one of our regular life drawing events, in which our model poses for several five, ten and twenty minute sketches. We hope the hall will be warmer than it was in September. Our poor model had to cover up for the last pose to prevent risk of frostbite.

Future bookings

If you haven’t booked for the workshop or life drawing, then make sure you get in for future ones. The dates for the spring ones will be circulated soon. The club has a sophisticated system to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of getting at least one of their chosen events, which generally book up within a few weeks of publication. A waiting list also applies, in case of cancellations.

These events are for members only. Contact Roy and Gill Brophy for more information.