Another Friday Class

I went to portraiture on Friday with Kate my neighbour from down the road. We had a very interesting conversation on the way there encompassing spiders and other residents down my road. Just as we pulled into Otane Kate told me she had started The Learning Connexion Diploma earlier this year. I can't believe that I have another student living only a couple of kms from me. She skipped the Foundation level and went straight into the stage above which meant she was able to tell me what's coming up for me next term.

Only six artists turned up for portraiture this week. The model was a young Japanese woman who has been working on an orchard near Tikokino. Very pretty, lithe and with the most delicate hands. After a couple of quick gestural drawings we went into longer ones only broken by morning tea (which included delicious chocolate cake this week). On Helen's advice I had taken along my small table easel to work from and it had a dramatic effect on my work as it was easier to judge proportions while I was looking directly at my paper. I concentrated on perfecting hands this session by following Donna's instructions to treat them just as shapes. I was very happy with the pencil drawing I did just before the end although in true portraiture fashion I was brought back down to earth with my next one which was terrible. Working at the easel did prove tough on my shoulders though and I had to stop early.

It was very interesting to look at everyone else's work. Helen had gessoed paper and was working with diluted oil paint. Glenys who I sat next to was busy in charcoal and Betty was putting pastel around the edge of her pieces. I wish more people had been there to take the opportunity to draw the model who was so good. I hope they ask her back sometime.