Master Copies! w00

As Crystal's starting off with anatomy studies, I need to start off the year on the painting side! I've begun my second Jenny Saville mastercopy.

Mastercopies are a great way to learn to paint, and because I have no background with color I need to find similar palletes in which I want to paint in and copy them. I plan on doing as many mastercopies as possible over the next year and I will post the progress as they come along on my own blog as well as the beginning and end of each piece on here.

Jenny Saville has a technique which I would like to incorporate a lot in my own work. She layers and uses a very tight color palette. I found in my  first copy of hers, that I could narrow my idea of color into a specific palete and use that as a tool to learn how to move and blend the paint. Of course it will take tons of copies for me to be able to work on my own paintings and leave them with a more finished and professional quality but that is what I plan on working on over the next year.

Many of the learning tools we are using are taught in ateliers style schools, mastercopies being one of them. It is thought to be a great way to start color practice and theory by tightening up what may become an overwhelming way of thinking; color. I have found it extremely useful but I have a long way to go :x!

Post by Missy Dahl

anatomy studies. who doesn't love um?

Anatomy studies to start off the school year right... I'll be working on cast drawings soon, but haven't got the cast goo to get a move on that yet. So its pre - anatomy study time. Working on getting a basic sense of proportion and muscle shapes branded into my brain before later on this year getting into some more serious in-depth anatomy study. The basic plan - to memorize proportions, basic muscle masses and bone points. Then move on to a more detailed study and memorization of muscles and movement studies. Hopefully a solid base of anatomy will help with moving on to learning to construct basic figures from my head and be able to rotate a figure in space.

One of the most important skills studying classical technique gives you is the ability to draw from life with a fine sense of realism, to have a good understanding of how to render the form. But because I want to work with more surrealist concepts I need to know how to manipulate the form and figure. I need to learn how to not only draw what I see, but draw what I can't see as well. I've got a long way to go, but the first step on the road to not sucking...anatomy studies.

Some anatomy references I've found very helpful...
   Human Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger
   Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers PEck
   An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists by Fritz Schider
   Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life by George Bridgman
   Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer
                                                                                                posted by Crystal

some of our work from last year...

About Us...

We are three previous students of the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle.
Gage is an art school that teaches the atelier method of art instruction. It is a fantastic place to learn and each of us developed invaluable skills there.
    However, after two years at the gage academy we have decided to strike out on our own. We are developing artists (well, which artist isn't really) and realize the importance of continuing to push our artistic boundaries - of technique, creative expression, and exploration. We have decided to come together to help keep each other on track, provide critique, support, and a creative sounding board for each other's work and ideas.

  We will continue practicing the atelier method and using traditional techniques to improve our skills and help us to fulfill our individual artist...visions.