Back again at Southampton Art School & Gallery in September to teach a two-day workshop titled Floral Portraits with Pen & Ink and Watercolour.
Southampton Art School and Gallery can be found in the heart of downtown Southampton and a short walk to pristine, sandy beaches. The facility provides a wonderful teaching environment and also a gallery showcasing regional and local talent. The building has been around since 1957 and is an integral part of the art community of Bruce County. The original community was known as Saugeen by the early settlers but was later named Southampton after the English seaport, when the town was incorporated as a village in 1858. It was later incorporated as a town in 1904. Southampton was also one of the last communities in Ontario to use the Gaelic language in everyday speech; the language could still be heard by local fishermen as late as the 1930s. Just off the Southampton shore, the Chantry Island Lighthouse is a popular visiting spot for tourists. Boat tours to the island run throughout the summer months. As well as Chantry island, the town is close to Sauble Beach, Port Elgin and Saugeen First Nation.
Below: Southampton Art School
Below: Southampton Art Centre Gallery
The Workshop
Floral Portraits with Pen & Ink and Watercolour Washes
Project 1 Bearded Iris: The first step was to sketch the iris using my list of observational techniques to help in the drawing process. Then the sketch was cleaned up and the line drawing transferred onto cold press Peterboro #79 illustration board and toned in graphite (as shown below). It is important to have an accurate representation of the form of the plant in graphite before applying ink.
Once the graphite layer is completed, the work begins applying the first and second layers of ink. Detailed instructional pages are provided to ensure success in the process. The graphite tonal base provides a framework on where to apply the ink. See below:
Above: The graphite undertone base has been established and two pen & ink layers are added. Once the pen & ink rendering is completed, the graphite undertone is erased.
Pens used in the project were Micron 005, 01 and 03.
Below: The next step in the process is to create watercolour swatches to match the colours of the original iris. The watercolour washes are going to be applied in very subtle transparent layers, so as not to detract from the intricate pen & ink work. I provided colour swatch handouts based on my initial analysis of the true iris colours.
Work in progress.
Every project different but perfectly rendered.
Below: Lighter violet tones.
Below: More of a rose colour.
Below: A striking blue iris.
Having completed the iris project it was time to start another pen & ink drawing of a cluster of Poppies.
Same process as for the Iris: Complete a line drawing, then transfer onto cold pressed #79 Peterboro illustration board (One board: 15 x 20 inches accommodated two projects). A tonal rendering in graphite is established before applying the ink.
Delicate hatch lines are used more in this project than stippling with dots.
Detailed and delicate work.
Below: Two projects side by side on one illustration board.
What a wonderful medium!
Unfortunately not enough time to complete the watercolour on this project! Next time…
My next workshop titled Brilliant Botanicals of Fall is on October 20 (one day) at Aurora Cultural Centre in Aurora, Ontario.
Contact Michael Spillane at 905-891-8422 for more information.
Email: michael@spillane-arts.com
Hope to see you all soon!
Michael Spillane