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So, here we are …. 2022

Not quite sure where the last 2 years went, but like I said – here we are!

Life has been somewhat of a rollercoaster leading up to this point.  This pandemic really took its toll on us as humans.  You could say we are all “Covid’d out” and I don’t want to even talk about it, especially the negative parts.  But what I do want to say is the following:

One pro about the pandemic, especially when we were in lockdown, is that people learnt to be alone and learnt to enjoy the simple things in life again, like baking, gardening, different hobbies and crafting   We had no choice but to keep ourselves occupied in the numerous lockdowns we had to endure.

I think everyone got fed up with watching tv and looking at the same 4 walls daily and decided it was time to try something new.

A lot of you may be aware that in the lockdown, I did pre-recorded online tutorials and it was so refreshing to hear that the entire family was taking part in these tutorials, even Dad! And the best part of it all, is that they were proud of their work, and it was something fun, interactive, and unique for them to do as a family.  A lot of those people were first timers, and once we were allowed to have face to face events again, those people started coming to the events and have since, become regulars and have improved significantly over time.

My point of this little introduction is to basically tell you to NOT BE SCARED TO TRY NEW THINGS!

One thing I can tell you is that sometimes the regulars “drag” their friends along and you can see that they’re not that keen to be there, and the most common phrase used is, “I promise you, I can’t even draw a stick man” … and you know what the best part it?  Every single one of those people end the evening off by saying, “WOW, I can’t believe that I painted this” and 9 times out of 10 – we see them again ……………… and again, and AGAIN!

Let’s face it, no one wants to be “bad” at something and that often prevents people from trying new things! Humans have this thing in their minds that they need to be good at something right away for it to be something they enjoy.

“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Well, let me let you in on a little secret, I have always LOVED drawing, but at Art School, I despised painting.  Why? Because I was actually not good at it at first. Out of the 7 art subjects I took, it was probably the one I got the lowest marks for.  After school, I dabbled in painting again a little and thought, nah – still not for me. A few years went by again and tried again, and I literally fell in love with it, I painted non-stop and what do you know – today I am teaching it and I love it!

Our workshops are designed for any level of talent from complete amateur to advanced.  In every single workshop, I teach the painting from scratch, from start to finish and I am available throughout the session to help every attendee that needs it along the way.  I really try to give people the personal attention that is required.  Yes, sometimes the paintings are more challenging, but it is still taught in such a way that a beginner can attend.

I really try to encourage people to TRY, and then try AGAIN, before asking for assistance, because often we do 5 minutes of something and expect it to be perfect – it’s not the way it works.

We even have AMAZING artists attend the workshops – and not to listen to what I have to say, but to literally just come and paint and enjoy the experience. 

We also have people that attend and paint their own thing completely, just to merely escape life for a while.

People often don’t make time for the things they love or they’re good at, and I think it’s so important to make time for those things, no matter how busy you are.  You need to make your joys in life a priority, otherwise what are we even doing?

Over the past 2 years of this crazy thing we call LIFE, I think we have all learnt that self-care is an integral part of life, and part of self-care is to do things that are good for the soul!

I’ve said it many times, but ART AND CREATIVTY IS FOOD FOR THE SOUL!

Our new catch phrase is “THE THERAPY YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR” and that is exactly what it is.  Attending one of our workshops could open a door for you that you didn’t even know needed to be opened!

One of my favourite comments from an attendee that joined us late last year, was, “I really didn’t know that I had any talent”

……….. Need I say more!

So don’t be scared – join us for a workshop, and BE ENLIGHTENED!

How to create a realistic drawing with these 3 simple steps.
By Angi Kuun-Potgieter from Canvas and Cabernet Events

Have you always had an interest in drawing, but don’t really know quite where to begin?

By following these 3 easy steps, you may find that drawing got a whole lot easier and more enjoyable!

1) THE GRID METHOD

There are many different ways to try and get your drawing to look as proportionate and realistic as possible, but my “GO TO” has always been the Grid Method.
The grid method involves drawing a grid over your reference photo, and then drawing a grid of equal ratio on your piece of paper. This provides a “block by block” guide to help you get things in proportion.
Unless you have been doing this for years and you are able to do it without any guidance, there is really no other way of doing it as accurately as the Grid Method, in my personal opinion.
Yes, anyone can trace a picture, but where is the fun or challenge in that?

EXTRA TIP: Try draw the grid lines in as lightly as possible so avoid indenting the paper causing blank spaces to show up when covering it with shadowing.

2) VALUES

The next thing you will need to be familiar with is the Value Scale. This is such an important aspect of drawing. You really need to differentiate your lights from your darks, creating contrast. Your drawing will look very “flat” if you are using similar values throughout the piece.
Light will fall on your subject matter and this is where you can use your lower values and this light will form shadows, where you can use your higher values. It is important to really observe your reference and see where your light source is coming from and where your shadow will be.
My advice is to practice your values on a piece of paper first, getting used to the different pressure you should be using in each value,

EXTRA TIP: If you hold you pencil lower more upright, you will get a nice dark value. If you hold your pencil higher up at more of an angle, it’s easier to get a lighter outcome.

3) DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHADING
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of different ways to shade when you are creating art, there are textured techniques, smooth techniques, angled techniques – you name it.
I honestly find that sometimes I create my own “home-made” techniques by just playing around and they work better than anything that anyone has ever taught me.
The most used techniques are the following:

Hatching: Using a sharp pencil drawing individual lines all going in the same direction.
Scumbling: Also sometimes called “brillo pad technique” is a bit less controlled and more random, and involves using your pen or pencil to make lots of random, squiggly marks to build up areas of shadow
Stippling: Using many small dots of the pencil or pen to form the shadows. The motion will be quite fast paced.
Cross hatching: Using a sharp pencil drawing lines going in opposite directions, creating a more textured outcome
Blending or smudging: This will be colour in with your pen and gone over a blending stump. Often I find that using your finger works wonders, but make sure that your hands are freshly washed as sometimes the natural oils in your skin can cause marking on the paper, so be very careful when doing so.

You can use one of these in a drawing or all of them, it depends what sort of outcome you are looking for.
Something that I have learnt in art is that there is honestly no WRONG or RIGHT. As mentioned above, some of my best techniques are ones that I have made up using all weird and wacky things around the house, this goes for drawing and painting too.
Yes, there may be “better” ways or “easier” ways or “traditional” ways to do something, and yes, sometimes it is the better option, but don’t ever feel like what you have done is wrong, because it isn’t. Art is all about experimentation and seeing what works for you personally. What works for me, might not work for me and vice versa.

As the infamous Bob Ross always says, “There are no mistakes in art, only happy accidents”.

For painting and drawing tutorials, please email me on info@canvasevents.co.za

KEEP CREATING
-Angi

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