Dave the Painting Guy.com

In the Flesh Video Series
Dave the Painting Guy's GoFigure™ Workshop: Online

Mixing Fleshtones, and Getting the Values Right

Read the Testimonials of Participants in previous online workshops.

This Online Workshop took place over 2 days in August , 2009 • Total video running time 8.75 hours.

Fee: $39

Fee includes:

Below is a picture of the 3 heads taught in part 1, Sunday August 2.


If you are not on my Workshops (in-person or online) mailing list, subscribe now!

About "In the Flesh"

This workshop will focus, in verbal detail and with visual demonstration, Dave's thinking and process for nailing the colors and values of a variety of flesh colors, in light and in shadow.

From natural light, to studio lighting to snapshots (no flash, of course!), all racial types, there is a method to getting the hues correct.

Are Hispanics brown? Are Blacks black? Are Whites white? Are Asians Yellow? Are MArtians green? The answer, according to Dave, is "Rarely," and "You can't tell me you believe in Martians..."

In this workshop you will learn:

  • How to assess "flesh" color — where to start
  • How to get back on track when you're off
  • Common traps and mistakes in painting faces
  • 5-value heads
  • Where to finesse edges
  • How to avoid "muddy paintings"
  • Why your skin tones are chalky, and how to put an end to it
  • Keeping your shadows rich and warm
  • Transparent vs Opaque: when and why
  • Dealing with unusual lighting situations
  • More...

Bring a notebook, and (optionally) set up some canvas and paints. Photos will be provided -- available Friday. (Due to Model Release restrictions, photos will be available for your education only, and may not be used for source reference for your paintings for sale)

Provided Photos

There's no point in listening to a lecture on flesh tones and mixing paint unless you can see exactly what the instructor sees.

Besides painting a face in normal light, I demonstrate and discus painting difficult lighting situations and flesh tones. The following examples are covered and discussed while I do quick paintings of each.

After your payment is processed via Paypal (checks accepted, too), you will be taken to a URL where you will be given the video access password and a link to the 6 photo files that are each 8 x 10 @ 200dpi (good enough for very clear 8 x 10 prints (or smaller).

It would be good for you to have these printed at a local digital photo printing service before viewing the workshop videos.

If you are ready to pay with Paypal, click below:

Important

After your Paypal payment is complete, you should see an orange "Return to Merchant" button at the Paypal page.

Paypal Return to Merchant

When you click that button, you will be directed to a downloads page on DavethePaintingGuy.com, where the password for the workshop is revealed.

This is a secret location, so bookmark it, or write down the URL of the broadcast and the password.

 

 

e-mail me immediately if you are sending a check

Since you do not need to paint along during this workshop, the following items are what Dave will use, so are therefore recommended, but not required. Since we are discussing color mixes, it should be somewhat obvious that if you do not have the same colors as Dave, you will not be able to mix exactly the same (i.e. - Cad. Red Light and Cad. Red Medium are not interchangeable)

Materials - The following materials are highly recommended :

  1. A Mac or PC that can be next to your painting area and access the Online Paintcast™ and chat room.
  2. Naphtha (White Gas, Coleman Camping Fuel) or Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) or Turpentine in a closable, 8oz or so container for initial toning
  3. Smooth Canvas, canvas panels -- enough to practice several heads on.
  4. Filbert and Flat sable brushes, I recommend Langnickel series 5520, (#6, #8 #12) or Raphael Series 877 Flats (6,8,12) and Filberts

    Measured at the ferrule/hair junction:
    #6 is slightly less than or about 1/4"
    #8 is slightly less than or about 5/16"
    #12 is slightly more than 3/8"

  5. Palette or glass
  6. Rags or Paper towels
  7. Easel

Recommended pigments:

*optional

Contact me with Questions.

Questions I have been asked

Can we use Acrylics?

The short answer is: yes.

The long answer is: I must remind you that I am teaching in oils. I have painted in acrylics, and could teach how to paint in acrylics, but they are in some ways so different from oils that things I talk about in the workshop will not apply.

Please understand that due to the nature of the differences between oils and acrylics, I cannot shift gears to teach you how to better handle your acrylics. (Examples: "Dave, my background and the edge of the nose are both dry. How do I blend them?" or "Dave, I left my brush on the table for 10 minutes and it is dry and hard, what do I do?" Since these circumstances will not happen with oils, I cannot take the time away from other students to tell you how you might simulate wet edges or salvage a dry brush).

I would imagine drying time and blending will be the major differences, and these will be factors — sometimes to your advantage, and at other times to your disadvantage.

One inquiry asked about Golden Open — a brand of paint in a recently introduced "new medium" made by other manufacturers as well — that is acrylic, but stays wet until cured via some mechanism like light or heat. All I can say is that I have not used them.

If I had used them, I would have in my head some responses like "they feel exactly like oils." or "they are very close to oils" or "they are nothing like oils." But I have no experience with them. If you have experience with them, and feel you can manage them like oils, go ahead.

The main benefit you will receive from the workshop is the unique advantage of viewing the "model" from exactly my position and seeing exactly how I abstract the face and figure, breaking down what I see as the larger shapes, etc. As I talk through it, you will see what I see, and we'll work together on the same edges and values, plus we'll have stopping points for critiques which will be for the purpose of you benefiting from my eyes to get you back on track (this presumes, of course, that students will need "course adjustments" along the way).

These will NOT be "art school critiques" where we discuss craftsmanship, presentation, concept or professionalism, rather they will be assessments of the drawing and values, and where to fix it... how to get it back on track.

My goal is to help you do a better portrait than you thought you could.

Bottom Line:

95% of what I teach is about the four fundamentals: Drawing, Value, Edges and Color — these principles will apply regardless of medium — in fact they all apply to pencil, oil, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, etc. — but my mind suggests that the differences will be found in the "edges."

May I pay for the workshop and view the recordings later?

Yes. You will only miss the benefit of being able to ask questions live, and the camaraderie of fellow participants.

If you will be involved in the workshop only partially, please let me know so that I might offer an additional spot to a full-course attendee as well.

Do I have to have my work critiqued in front of everyone?

No. I will not be critiquing this workshop.