My Week with Robert Bateman - Full Report - Painting & Drawing Tips

Master Artist Session at Hollyhocks Retreat with Robert Bateman - That's me, second from the right in the green jacket

Why Wildlife Art, Robert?  

“When I am out driving I enjoy myself  but when and I see a red tail hawk in the sky, my heart does a ‘leap’”. 

I know exactly what he means.  When Max and I are out on a hike and heron squawks and flies off.  I stop. For me it is a special moment.  Yes, I love the trees, the water the bright flowers in the field but when a bird or animal appears, it makes the moment a thing to treasure.

Out on the Beach for a Photo Shoot - Looking for Habitat Reference Material

My week with Robert Bateman started with a bang.  I arrived at Hollyhocks Retreat, on Cortes Island, on the Westcoast of British Columbia to a warm sunny fall day.  I threw my things into my room grabbed my sketchbook and camera and headed to the beach.   A flock of Canadian Geese were resting on the sand, gulls were screeching and fighting over some scraps and I could hear the cry of a Bald Eagle off in the trees.  This was MAGNIFICANT!!   A dream come true. 

We had some awesome weather and the food was great - I constantly had to stop myself from going back for seconds!!

We gathered at supper in the Lodge, our group of 25 artists Robert and his assistant.  As we stood in line at the buffet I was so nervous I could hardly speak to him.  Here I was, having dinner with my Idol.  How could this be! Robert was relaxed, friendly, outgoing; a wonderful person to spend time with.  I quickly relaxed and let the week unfold. 

Yes, I am wearing a heavy jacket and wool headband under my hat.  We had a full wind and rain storm come through while I was there.  But let me tell you the crash of the waves in the wind was wonderful.  And the sun peeking through the clouds when it was over was a great sight to see. 

My fellow artists were a lively group.  Like me, they were thrilled to be there, many having come a long way: Eastern Canada, the United States, Europe and parts of Western Canada.  We laughed, we talked, we shared our stories.  The comradely was a big part of the week.  

A chance to look at his sketchbooks, such a treat.  He works with a black ballpoint pen.   Some pages were full sketches and others just hen scratches.  (I could do those)

My Special Take Aways:

-    gathered in Raven House, wind and rain beating on the wall, Robert telling stories of his work with pictures of his work projected on the wall.

Robert had lots of slides to back up his talks - hearing his passion really brought it to life.  We spent hours in Raven House but it seemed liked minutes.

-    Laugher erupting at the dinner table, as Alysoun and Kitty told a story

-    The excitement of seeing each of our own art pieces up on the screen.

-    My surprise at how much the work of Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and Clyfford Still, very  abstract artists influenced his work. These are artists I really didn’t understand and certainly didn’t know how they could be part of realistic wildlife art. 

Yes the weather was wonderful at times and I took a moment to capture it.

-    A new interest in work by Andrew Wyett, Lors Jonsson and Raymond Ching.  Wyett’s use of shape and colour, Jonsson and Ching’s taking wildlife art into directions I never considered.

-    A greater understanding on how to use habitat to build a good composition.  Which means I need to spend more time on good habitat reference material.

He says this picture is not finished and then proceeded to show us how much more he could do. Things really started to 'pop'. 

-    A whole new conversation around “Why put it there?’ - the leaf in the corner, the little splash of colour on the side, the pooky little branch, everything has a purpose in the composition.

Robert working on the grizzly bears, note the highlights on the rocks and water. He saves those whites for special spots. 

Of course I could go on.  Really I just want to say THANK YOU to Robert Bateman for taking this time to talk with us and share his knowledge and stories.  It was an AWESOME Experience.  My question now is “How can it be over?”  Six days went waaaaaay too fast.  

On the upside, I am still buzzing from the energy we created.  There are sooooo many things I want to do, draw and paint.  Hard to get myself grounded and do some of the 'boring stuff'!  

But back to life. Next post will be focus on drawing skills - Get those Values Working for You.  See the previous drawing posts for more help on your drawing:

How to Find Your Starting Point in a Drawing
  4 Ways to Grow the Sketchbook Habit
Time to Meet Your Drawing Friends
Ready to Start Drawing - Get Your Materials Together

 Etsy Shop now Open: WendyMouldsArt  Come on In!! 

Special Offer: Free Shipping with your order of 4 or more  Christmas Doodle Cards or buy the Digital Down Load Card and print as many as you wish.

Great DIY Christmas Project:  Make Your Own Christmas Cards 

Christmas Card Doodle Classes Happening in November

Kitten and Puppy are happy to be featured on Your Special Cards

You will make some Great Christmas Cards for those Special People using my friendly little kitten and pup.  We should make a least 2 cards and you will feel confident to make more.  $35 all supplies included.
Classes: 

Sat Nov 18, 10:30-12:30 or 2:00-4:00  Art by Wendy Studio, North Surrey
Thurs Nov 16, 2:00-4:00 or 6:00-8:00   Art Expression Gallery, Maple Ridge.
Wed, Nov. 22, 3:30-5:30 Gardenworks at  Mandeville,  South Burnaby 

 Contact Wendy Here to register. 

Time to Move Inside and Draw
Drop-In & Draw: Tues, Nov. 7 10-12pm & 1-3pm
January Dates: Tues, January 9 & January 23, 2018
Expressions Art Gallery, 227 & Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge.  

 Choose a morning or afternoon session. Bring your sketchbook or your project and come draw.  I will be happy to give you a few pointers as you work on your drawing.  $15 Pre-Register Required. Contact Wendy Here

 Be sure to like and share my posts.
 You won't miss a single one if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar on my blog)

 Have a great artful day,
Wendy

How to Find Your Starting Point in a Drawing - Painting & Drawing Tips

NEW WORKS FROM THE STUDIO OF ART BY WENDY

THE FIRE DANCE - Ink & Watercolour - Purchase Info

Your Ready to DRAW. . .

But HOW DO you START?

As an artist you are attracted to many things: light falling on a rose; an eagle soaring in the sky; the profile of a young child.  You know what you want to draw but how to get started is a big problem.

Many books and tutorials say, start with a basic shape.  I certainly can see that with a child's face. An oval would be a good starting point. But sometimes I find the shape does not work for me.  I like to have something that will give me Reference Points to move out from.  The large oval or rectangle gives me the size but no help in locating key elements within the subject.

A 'Line of Action' gives me more information.

Poppies are so much fun to draw, I love their flowing lines

When you study the poppy on the right, you can see some very strong lines that define the shape.  For me the strongest line with lots of information is the line of the petal coming forward.

This line gives a sense of size and shape.  It acts as a reference point to other important lines.

Once this first strong line is placed on your paper you now have a point of comparison.  All other lines will be longer or shorter than this one. It also gives you a reference for the the angles of the other lines.

The 2 secondary lines

Drawing in the two secondary lines defines the whole structure of the flower.  Each element builds from them.  By comparing the length and angle of line you draw to your structural lines, you can complete the drawing of each petal.

Hard to believe this is the SKELETON of the poppy!

Once you are happy with the length and angles of your 3 lines you are ready to roll.

Drawing the first petal

Drawing that first petal gives the structural lines meaning.  Once the petal is in place, it is possible to place the stem.  (I have included the other flower in the reference picture so you can also add the little flower pod leaves.  Those little things give your drawing character.)

As each petal is drawn it gives you a reference point for the next one

After the first petal is drawn, you can now see where the one to the right fits in.  Move around the flower drawing each as you go.  Hint: I found it better to draw the area on the left side before drawing the area at the back.  Once your layout is finished, you can go back and refine areas and add your shadows and directional lines.  You can see my finished line drawing here. 

Using Strong Lines is not the only way to start a drawing but it is a GREAT Tool to keep in your Bag of Tricks.  Here is another example:

This strong line gives the shape, the size of the flower and a reference point for placement of the two main petals.

If you would like to have a larger file of these reference pictures to draw with, drop me a line and I will be happy to send them along.

Do you have another way of starting a drawing?  Do you see other strong lines to work with?  Lines and shapes attract us in different ways, there is no one right way to see.  I would love to know what you 'see' when you draw these flowers.

DRAW this POPPY LIVE - Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 
 Opus Arts Supplies, Langley, BC. 
  Registration Information Here
 2 Hands-On Drawing Sessions 11am and 2pm. 

I will be drawing this Poppy for the demo. As you draw with me the focus will be on relationships within a drawing and lines and edges to bring your poppy to life. Throughout the process you will learn how to fine tune your observation skills so that you will begin to see more structural and spatial relationships in your subject. This improves your overall drawing skills.

Register early as these Demos will fill up fast.
$15 Includes a small Starter Kit

If you are just starting your journey into drawing see my first post in this series: Ready to Start Drawing for ideas on basic materials, Time to Meet your Drawing Friends to learn more about your pencils and 4 Ways to Grow the Sketchbook Habit to really get that drawing happening.

Special Note: I will not be posting next week as I am off on a very EXCITING Art Adventure. I will be spending 6 Days with Robert Bateman!! I will report back on my next Post.

 Etsy Shop now Open: WendyMouldsArt  Come on In!! 

Special Offer: Free Shipping with your order of 4 or more  Christmas Doodle Cards or buy the Digital Down Load Card and print as many as you wish.

Special Event:
Artswest Fall Art Show Oct 2-30
Reception: October 14, 1-3pm
Newton Cultural Centre, 13530 72nd Ave, Surrey, BC

Viewing Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:30-3:30

Looking to meet and see works by local artists?  Wild abstracts to take you into new places, a crow pensively perched on a log, or mist slowly raising off the water, this is the show for you.
My picture: Crow: The Giver of Light, will be part of the show
To learn more about Artswest see here

Time to Move Inside and Draw
Drop-In & Draw starting: Tues Oct 10, Tues, Oct 24, Tues, Nov. 7 10-12pm & 1-3pm
Expressions Art Gallery, 227 & Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge.  

Come for 1 or all 3, choose the morning or afternoon session. Bring your sketchbook or your project and come draw.  I will be happy to give you a few pointers as you work on your drawing.  $15 Pre-Register Required. Contact Wendy Here

 Be sure to like and share my posts.
 You won't miss a single one if you Follow by Email or Like my Facebook Page. Keep up with all the art events by joining my email list (see sidebar on my blog)

 Have a great artful day,
Wendy