Sargent Master Copy Course with Northern Realist

Sargent Master Copy Course with Northern Realist and Christopher Clements

Paint a study of a John Singer Sargent portrait to learn about the methods of its production and expand your painting technique.

About the event

By making a copy of a master painting you’ll gain a unique insight into its production and learn to see the original with a new found fascination.

Making copies was used as a traditional training method and was done by many artists throughout their careers because it provides three very important benefits:

• A means to study a master painting in a very personal way
• The chance to explore the practical techniques used to make it
• And how a great artist approached a particular subject

We will be working from Sargent’s Self Portrait of 1906 and you will explore ways to simplify the main elements and build up successive levels of detail.

The point of making copies is not to make an exact replica but to develop a deeper understanding of the painting while expanding your own working methods. What you discover can open up new possibilities within your personal work.

We’ll be using a limited palette to keep the colour mixes simple and maintain a sense of unity throughout your copy. This palette is sometimes known as the ‘Zorn’ Palette after the 19th Century Swedish painter known for the incredible range and unity he achieved using very few colours.

A limited choice of colours also helps you understand the basic ingredients of a palette. It’s very helpful if you’re just getting started with colour or want to go back to basics to develop your existing knowledge.

To really get to grips with the palette you’ll also complete colour mixing exercises designed to help you explore the palette, the role of each pigment and how it combines with the others to create clean, vibrant skin tones.

The limited palette helps you explore fundamental principles which under pin all colour mixing and the practical experience you’ll gain will give you a foundation for more advanced colour use.

What you will learn

• The technique used to create the original painting
• Layering from general tone and colour up to the smaller details
• Colour identification, mixing and adjusting

Is this workshop for me?

Whether you’re looking to learn fundamental principles or brush up existing skills, the course will have plenty to offer. There are only 8 places, giving you plenty of attention and feedback. Some experience of drawing is useful but this is a good course if you’d like an introduction to oil painting and colour use.

What You will need

Canvas boards will be provided but you’ll need to bring:

• A range of hog bristle and synthetic painting brushes
• 1 House painting brush
• Turpentine, Odourless Mineral Spirits, Sansodor, Zest it or similar
• Cold Pressed Linseed Oil
• Painting Palette
• Dipping Cup
• Titanium White Oil Paint
• Ivory Black or Blue Black Oil Paint
• Yellow Ochre Oil Paint
• Cadmium Red or Cadmium Red Hue Oil Paint
• Rags and Kitchen Roll

Price

£625 per person.

Refund policy

An 80% refund can be granted if you cancel at least one week before the course starts. This helps to ensure that we’ll have time to fill the space.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions

Phone: Blue & Berry Art Gallery on 01625 861183.
Email: gallery@blueandberry.art

About Christopher Clements

Christopher Clements will be on hand to provide help and guidance. Chris has been a working artist for almost 20 years.

He studied Fine Art Painting at Manchester School of Art before progressing on to three and a half years of intensive study of Classical Realist Drawing & Painting at the Angel Academy in Florence.