GEORGE JAMES WORKSHOP...DAY 1

I spent a very enjoyable day learning to tame Yupo synthetic paper. I have done very few paintings on this material and welcome the challenge to master it...well, maybe not master it ... but at least have more control! Between Mike's (Bailey) class of Watercolor Beyond the Obvious in the next room and many of the participants in the James workshop, I had an opportunity to see lots of friends I don't see often. The morning was off to a great start.

George James is a very personable, relaxed master. He has spent 17 years working on this paper and being a former college professor, he knows how to communicate. He explained everything from how much water to have in the paint, the brush and the paper to how much pressure to apply when leveling the paint with the roller and glazing with a brush. Day one was mostly demonstrating different techniques and then we were unleashed to give it a try ourselves. He makes it look so easy but it takes a lot of practice and skill building to get it just right.

His main goal is to show us how to have control over the paint. His wet into wet technique is not very flowing, just softer edges. He kept emphasizing the goal was to control the paint, while everyone was having so much fun letting the paint flow and run all over the place, totally out of control. We were like kids splashing in a puddle, having the best time. In the morning we worked on small samples...I am going to put mine in my notebook for reference. In the afternoon I started a full sheet to try and put some of the techniques into practice. Tomorrow we will learn about designing the painting.

I have posted one of the samples... mostly it is about glazing. The second one is the painting I started this afternoon. It's not nearly finished but thought I would show it in the beginning stages. I did a sort of floral image much wetter than he suggests for the wet into wet. When that dried, I started going back into different areas with different techniques. Most of this is in the upper right of the painting. I am totally making it up as I go, which is not how I work at all! I think I will really enjoy tomorrow where we will plan the painting first. I am going to try and use my February Pose Maniac figures.