Reading the Paint Surface At City Lit- Week 1

 With  moving, it's been a while since I've done a class at City Lit   but I've just started a 5 week course  with Tony Hull :' Reading a  Paint Surface '.  The first exercise yesterday was challenging and frustrating but ultimately  satisfying.    It shared some similarities with the  drawing class last year using charcoal and erasers  working into a dark surface  to carve  out a drawing  but with the multiple layers and complexities of paint .

These are the objects we were working from - an even more bizarre selection than usual! The meat grinder (or whatever it was!)  have me a lot of trouble.

On a large piece of paper  we  first put on a light grey wash of  acrylic paint then drew the outline with a  brush and  with thinned black acrylic paint. The brushes are pretty appalling so this was the point I was beginning to despair ( no sighing allowed however - only swearing).

Then a bit of white paint was allowed  to cover up mistakes while measuring and making corrections to the drawing.

We then made up more grey wash and painted over the drawing again , the aim just to leave the outline drawing.

Then the most difficult part , painting over in black paint, differentiating between different tonal areas by direction and texture of brush marks only!!

After allowing it to dry , the fun bit,  introducing  light tones back again with glazes of white oil paint. The underlying textures of the balck brush strokes show through and I love the dribbles.
You do end up with a far more complex and interesting surface, I look forward to next weeks adventure!