How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style Watercolour Workshop
The beginning of a beautiful blue cats eye from one of yesterdays demonstrations.
It has been a full week with individual workshops taking place on one day sessions.These were all mainly fully booked from as far back as last year and well attended with artists of all levels walking through the door each morning. I seem to always have wonderful people in my classes and this week was no exception. The themes changed daily as yesterday saw the " How to Paint Cats in a Loose Style" Workshop take place. It was magical in every sense of the word. There was even one complete beginner in watercolour who created the most beautiful work as the day passed by, they absorbed every single new piece of advise or tip so readily
Well done Natalie!
As always pencils are never used in my classes as we worked only with colour to guide our brushmarks. We started by looking at how to capture light and life in an animals eyes. Everyone had been asked to bring a selection of their favourite moggie photographs and there were some beauties in the room. Gorgeous Siamese,Burmese, British Blues and colourful tabbies to make your heart skip a beat as an artist as their markings were so divine!
I choose to have smaller groups of my animal painting days so that everyone can have personal attention and this works so well. Unfortunately this effects getting places on my sessions which I know is very difficult and there are often long waiting lists to come. But the wait is well worth it when we have a day like yesterday.The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The concentration level was high as well as a sense of passion at each working station that was almost tangible. We were all at one in that "zone", the quiet painting frame of mind you have to be in for successful results.
I am still blown away by the work of one particular lady who came in very nervously at the start of a session having never been on a workshop before or even tried her hand at watercolour very much.When she left she was a very different person. This was quite an emotional experience to witness because they are a natural artist and had no idea how gifted they were.
Margaret, I am talking about you.Please continue to shine.
I closed with a demonstration of a black and white cat and sweet kittens.I had to keep looking behind me to make sure everyone was still awake as there was such a silence in the room at this point. I faced smiles and that was yet another wonderful moment. As was the fact no one wanted the day to end.
As everyone started to leave there were hugs, warm farewells and questions of " When are your next workshops?"
I came home feeling absolutely on a high and I have already sat looking into my green eyed cats face this morning imagining how I would paint them. I know from my DVD " Amazing Ways With Watercolour" demonstration many paintings of cockerels are flying around at the moment so I have feeling cats and dogs may be next!
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I don't have any one day workshop placess available but I do have exciting two day seminars which are wonderfully personalised with time to spend individually with those attending. These are new, exclusive and very inspirational retreats. They include demonstrations that are initially very simple to follow building up through out the sessions to heighten enthusiasm and excitement in results.The two day seminars are available for Spring and Autumn so please contact Four Seasons Hotel if you would like a place and yes,you can still book for April at the moment. I will be meeting you the evening before the first seminar take place to welcome you and the aim is to make this an experience of a lifetime. The first seminar takes place on 28/27/28th April and everyone is welcome.
Bookings are available from
http://www.fourseasons.com/hampshire/
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